Towards Successful Schooling Rle Edu L Sociology Of Education

The editors have compiled this critical and comparative study of changes which took place in the New Zealand education system in the second half of the twentieth century. For other Western societies who have felt the impact of New Right policies the New Zealand case is interesting because it provides some indication of how policies of decentralization in education might be used to develop egalitarian and democratic educational policies. In recent years there have been major changes to educational systems in the Western world. Often these changes have been justified by reference to successful educational practices in other countries. However, it is not always possible simply to abstract educational practices from one context and apply them in another successfully. Moreover claims that policies in one country are more successful than those in another have to be treated cautiously: there are always problems in making valid comparisons between the educational performances of different countries. It is important, therefore, that critical and comparative studies are made of educational systems which take full account of the contexts in which they are embedded.

The editors have compiled this critical and comparative study of changes which took place in the New Zealand education system in the second half of the twentieth century. For other Western societies who have felt the impact of New Right policies the New Zealand case is interesting because it provides some indication of how policies of decentralization in education might be used to develop egalitarian and democratic educational policies. In recent years there have been major changes to educational systems in the Western world. Often these changes have been justified by reference to successful educational practices in other countries. However, it is not always possible simply to abstract educational practices from one context and apply them in another successfully. Moreover claims that policies in one country are more successful than those in another have to be treated cautiously: there are always problems in making valid comparisons between the educational performances of different countries. It is important, therefore, that critical and comparative studies are made of educational systems which take full account of the contexts in which they are embedded.

The subject matter of this book – what happens in schools, the effects of curriculum change, the reasons why some children are successful and others are not – explains just why the sociology of education is one of the most important areas to achieve political importance. There are five sections to the book covering: Educational Achievement; Educational Provision; The Organization of the School; Roles in the School and Values and Learning. The editor discusses the implications of the material presented (much of which was available for the first time when this book was originally published).

This volume examines the ways schools respond to cultural and linguistic diversity. A richness of accumulated experience is portrayed in this study of six Australian secondary schools; partial success, near success or instructive failure as the culture of the school itself was transformed in an attempt to meet the educational needs of its students. Set in the context of a general historical background to the development of multicultural education in Australia, a theoretical framework is developed with which to analyze the move from the traditional curriculum of cultural assimilation to the progressivist curriculum of cultural pluralism. The book analyzes the limitations of the progressivist model of multicultural education and suggests a new ‘post-progressivist’ model, in evidence already in an incipient and as yet tentative ‘self-corrective’ trend in the case-study schools.

The editors have compiled this critical and comparative study of changes which took place in the New Zealand education system in the second half of the twentieth century. For other Western societies who have felt the impact of New Right policies the New Zealand case is interesting because it provides some indication of how policies of decentralization in education might be used to develop egalitarian and democratic educational policies. In recent years there have been major changes to educational systems in the Western world. Often these changes have been justified by reference to su.

The subject matter of this book – what happens in schools, the effects of curriculum change, the reasons why some children are successful and others are not – explains just why the sociology of education is one of the most important areas to achieve political importance. There are five sections to the book covering: Educational Achievement; Educational Provision; The Organization of the School; Roles in the School and Values and Learning. The editor discusses the implications of the material presented (much of which was available for the first time when this book was originally published).

A critical and comparative study of recent changes in the New Zealand educational system is provided in this book. These changes have been largely inspired by the New Right, yet they have been introduced by a Labor government with an apparent commitment to equality of opportunity. For Western societies impacted by New Right policies the New Zealand situation indicates ways in which educational decentralization policies may facilitate the development of egalitarian and democratic educational policies. The aim of the book is to demonstrate how recent education reforms in New Zealand can be developed in a democratic way. The 14 chapters examine the context in which these reforms have occurred, yet show how the experiences are relevant to other countries concerned with the development of democratic education. Chapters include the following case studies: "Citizens or Consumers? The Politics of Educational Reform: An Introduction," by Hugh Lauder, Cathy Wylie, and Rose Parker-Taunoa; "Education and the Role of the State: Devolution and Control Post-Picot," by John Codd, Liz Gordon, and Richard Harker; "Education, Democracy, and the Crisis of the Welfare State," by Hugh Lauder; "Power to the People? The Great Educational Reform Act and Tomorrow's Schools: A Critical and Comparative Perspective," by John Evans and Brian Davies; "The Politics of Reforming Maori Education: The Transforming Potential of Kura Kaupapa Maori," by Graham Hingangaroa Smith; "'I Just Want a Decent Job,' Working Class Girls' Education: Perspectives and Policy Issues," by Alison Jones;"Notes on the Schooling of the English Working Class: What Lessons for New Zealand? A Comparative Briefing Paper," by Gerald Grace; "The Politics of Curriculum Innovation," by G. I. A. R. Khan; "Towards Pluralism and Democracy: The Administration of an Inner City School," by Ros Heinz; "Public Examinations and the Structuring of Inequality: A Case Study," by David Hughes and Hugh Lauder; "Illiteracy, Improper Literacy and the Development of an Underclass," by Colin Lankshear; "Towards an Alternative Transition Education Policy," by Wanda Korndorffer; "Trade Union Education and Democracy," by Linda Sissons; and "Work and Education," by Alan Scott and John Freeman-Moir. (LMI)

This collection of specially commissioned articles exposes the practical and personal influences on the process of doing sociology of education. All of the authors have been involved in conducting well know major research projects, and discuss here the pitfalls and problems, conflicts and compromises that went into doing their particular research. A particular feature of the book is that a wide variety of types of research in the sociology of education is covered. The range is from small-scale ethnographic case studies to large-scale postal questionnaire sample surveys and includes studies based on interviews, observation and questionnaires. There are examples of longitudinal work in case studies and in surveys. The collection also includes discussions of action research, the development and influence of theory, and the relationship between research and policy.