In the UK in the post war period the traditional purpose of the school system has been two fold 1/ to prepare people for work 2/ a limited attempt to equalise some opportunities.
The higher education system has increasingly come to share the same goals. Both have largely failed with regard to opportunities. There's been limited success regarding enablement for work. The economy will keep changing!
Christopher NOCK
Christopher Nock I agree, a limited attempt at best. Have you got any insight into literature securing this view / theories that will enable me to understand in more depth how socially this has been the end purpose?
No really Chloe, I'm afraid. It's not my specialist area. I see people are reading your question so I hope someone can help you on literature.
Good luck.
Christopher NOCK
You see Chloe, I say that and no-one responds! Bloody typical....
It's not my bad BUT....(there's always a but, sometimes it's a big one...).
Was it 1944 the Education Act that gave us all education until 15 with an aspiration of making it 16 asap which happened in about 1972, I think. That was part of the post-war welfare state. That was to look after us from cradle to grave. But that couldn't be done if we didn't work and pay our contributions. Hence the importance of the 3Rs (reading, (w)riting, and (a)rithmatic). Preparation for the world of work. Combine that with a commitment to near full employment, and there you go.
A lot of working class women went back to work after raising their kid, they needed the money. So generally, the two sexes got similar education for work. There were a few differences as well. Girls in the lower streams at my school were trained to type. They did "Home Economics". Boys did technical drawing and metal work. So it wasn't fully equal.
Labour kept seeing the unequal outcomes for different classes. Public schools and Oxbridge for the rich. Grammer school, A levels and university for the middle, and upper middle classes. No useful qualifications then manual work for the poor.
Hence, sponsorship of talented poor kids to go to and stay at Grammar schools. Later, the introduction of Comprehensive schools. More universities built to provide more places. A noble attempt to promote equal opportunities. But any success in this was strictly limited.
There. That's what I know. How? I don't know. Just read a few things in passing....
Christopher NOCK
You could take a look at some quality British Politics text book. Try Coxall, Robins and Leach (something like that), and raid their bibliography on education.
As a teacher once said to me, "take a loook at the back of the boook to find the boook to loook in."
If only I'd known what he was on about!
Aha! Thank you Christopher, I've read some of Robin but I will try the others. Much appreciated.
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