Educational Policy Issues - Essay Example

? Educational Policy Educational Policy 4. How does what you have found out about Ball help you to understand his evolving position as stated in the two position papers? (approx. 200 words) Stephen J. Ball has extensively researched in the area of educational markets, privatization of institutions, educational policy making and the influence of politics. In the two position papers he has reflected his ideas about the significance of research in developing profound leadership in educational institutions and the extremely weak condition of educational studies (Intellectuals or Technicians?).In “The urgent role of theory in educational studies” written in 1995 for the British Journal of Educational Studies, he argued upon the concepts, procedures and the overall structure of the educational system which was continuously deteriorating (Ball, 1995, p.255-271). According to him the educational system was getting more and more influenced by the changing political scenario. Contrary to this, in his paper written in 2011 he has argued upon the importance of leadership and values in the current educational institutions. He has thoroughly discussed the changing nature of schools while stating that more research is required in order to resolve educational issues. Ball’s position has actually evolved from the first to the second paper because initially he was considering educational system as a weak social institution but later in 2011 he analyzed that institutional policies have greatly changed and they are now strong enough to be compared with any successful business (Ball, 2011, p.50-52). 5. Identify the main points that Ball makes in the paper he wrote in 2011. Be careful to use your own words to show your understanding and avoid direct citation from the text. (approx. 600 words) In his paper ‘A New Research Agenda for Educational Leadership and Policy’ written in 2011, Ball makes some significant points in relation to the research issues and education policy for English. He has critically analyzed three unified variables including ownership, interests and values, and leadership. Moreover, he has discussed the necessary skills and cognitive thinking required by contemporary researchers and business analysts (Ball, 2011, p.50). Leadership Over the time leadership skills especially for the school managers have changed drastically. For instance, the modern educational institutions are now exposed to the management freedom and role enhancements particularly in the area of public administration. Hence entrepreneurial heads are emerging. These individuals are specifically working for the betterment of deficient schools in order to help the disadvantaged groups of the society (Ball, 2011, p.50-51). Contrary to this there are also corporate heads appointed by the major sponsors. For instance, Ark and Harris operate their companies on the basis of some regional offices headed by a particular office which ensures the economies of scale, standardization and values. These companies are also involved in the supply of chain heads or corporate heads.In addition to this there is also an emerging concept of category heads that are fundamentally responsible to look after different branches of schools working under the same trust or non-profit organization. They are also involved in supporting failed educational centers. These developing approaches in leadership are incorporated with identity and loyalty (Ball, 2011, p.50-51). Interests and Values Contemporary organizations are introducing new career sectors, for instance, management practiced by boundary spanners. Consider E-Act, which is forming educational standards through making a close association with local authorities and parents. However, this process becomes more and more challenging with the involvement of private associates which increases the tension among students, parents, sponsors, shareholders and employees (Ball, 2011, p.51). For instance, WS Atkins discontinued its services to Southwark LA as a result of shareholder and share price issues. Consequently, Southwark LA had to suffer considerable losses. However, in the entire situation WS Atkins was completely unconcerned about the preferences of parents and students. The company was only considering the profitability of shareholders. This reflects that we need extensive research especially in the area of finances, interest and values of educational heads including the career objectives of the managers and employees (Ball, 2011, p.51). Ownership The above description of leadership, interest and values can be used as a baseline for the management methods and research policies. However, it is clearly evident that the contemporary educational heads are hostile towards research. Moreover, they are also reluctant about sharing their information. This might be due to the business strategy of hiding information from one’s competitors. The new environment for research considers the significant issues concerning the approaches of transparency and accountability. There is a sort of vagueness among the categorization of different organizations and the relationships of new educational heads, their ownership and status. Hence we require some new methods and techniques in order to conduct research and also to eliminate this vagueness. In the present world education has become one of the service organizations primarily working on management strategies and equity portfolio (Ball, 2011, p.51-52). However, these have also given rise to the national and international policy interest particularly associated with finances and investments. The multinational companies are now using their hold over the markets to influence the policies made on national level. Effective research is required to further analyze the problems and the possible methods through which the current educational challenges can be resolved. Moreover, such techniques should be devised which can increase our focus over the ownership, interest and values, and leadership. This is further linked with employee commitment and control over the financial procedures within an educational institution (Ball, 2011, p.51-52). 6. Has undertaking these tasks changed your view of ‘educational research’ in any way? Give reasons for your response. (approx. 200 words) Educational Research as explained by Stephen Ball is an important discipline which needs to be thoroughly reviewed. Stephen has greatly emphasized upon regulating policies so as to increase research in educational institutions. However, the novel research ideas must be consistent with the changing nature of learning organizations. Previously I used to believe that educational research plays a vital role in compensating the education needs of disadvantaged groups of the society while on the other hand it also proves beneficial in making economic strategies. However, Ball’s articles and other relevant papers indicate that educational research is important in order to comprehend the characteristics of leadership which is being practiced in modern schools. Moreover, research is needed to explain the values and interest of organizations that are actively involved in the institutional development and processes. This can be further substantiated on the basis of Edward’s research article which states that learning research and teaching techniques are now become a part of extensive research methodologies. They have vast impacts over the user’s participation, intentions and implications of education (Edwards, 2007, p.647). Hence educational research must be enhanced with the active involvement of teachers, educationists, researcher, students and parents because they are directly influenced by educational policies. References Ball, SJ 1995, ‘Intellectuals or Technicians? The urgent role of theory in educational studies’ British Journal of Educational Studies, vol. 43, no. 3, pp. 255-271. Ball, SJ 2011, ‘A new research agenda for educational leadership and policy’ Management in Education, vol. 25, no. 50, pp. 50-52. Edwards, A, Sebba, J & Rickinson, M 2007, ‘Working with users: some implications for educational research’ British Educational Research Journal, vol. 33, no. 5, pp. 647–661. Read More