Political and Educational Policy Making: Explorations in Policy Sociology

Author: (English)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: This book is based on interviews with some key figures in the policy-making process, attempting to depict the changes in educational policy and the resulting image during the 10 years of Thatcher's administration. Reading this book offers threefold benefits. First, through this book, we can understand the full picture of the Education Reform Act; second, it is a rare typical study of educational policy analysis, demonstrating the priorities held by politicians, civil servants, and government advisors who play a pivotal role behind the scenes in policy changes. From the perspective of educational research methods, it is an invaluable textbook for qualitative research or ethnographic studies, offering significant help to researchers, educational policy makers, and educators. The book vividly reflects the conflicts of various political forces in reality and explores how modern educational policy is associated with the social ideals advocated by Thatcherism. It provides a detailed investigation into the views of New Right government advisors, think tanks, and lobbying groups from the industry, as well as the Department of Education, on issues such as the National Curriculum, National Tests, and City Technology Colleges. Stephen Ball places these critical issues within a clear theoretical framework, making the entire policy-making process transparent and comprehensible.