Educational Inequalities in the United Kingdom - Essay Example

Inequalities in Education - A Study "education is not simple. It is doing different things in different ways for different groups, and is influenced by a diversity of forces" (Moore 6). Introduction Brian Barry in his work Why Social Justice Matters states the in the aftermath of the Second World War, the social democratic parties of the concerned nations based their ideas of social justice on some of the key concepts that included education and health; "Education and health services of uniformly high quality should be provided universallyeliminating the market criterion of the 'ability to pay'" (pp. 5-6). However, socio-economic issues, health, hunger and poverty issues have always been given priority over education, in general. As Moore states, "educational structures and processes are given primacy" because, "they are open to direct intervention by policy-makers and educationalists" (p.6). Hence, it is easy to understand that there is a strong correlation between policies of the political parties in power, and the impetus given to the field of education, especially in the present day context of multiculturalism. This essay shall briefly analyze the dimensions of inequality, the causal factors and the policy implications in the field of education, in the United Kingdom since the close of the twentieth century. It shall consider three major inequalities namely, a) economic gap/social class b) gender/sex c) race/ethnic minority, and study how policies have impacted these inequalities as regards education in general. It shall also discuss education with particular relevance to early years, and conclude that while the policies have positively impacted reduction of gender inequalities, more efforts are required to eradicate ethnic inequalities. Inequalities and Some Causal Factors Peter Taylor-Gooby in his work "Attitudes to Social Justice" published by the Institute for Public Policy Research (2005) cites David Miller to identify four principles of social justice namely, a) Equal Citizenship, b) The Social Minimum, c) Equality of Opportunity, and d) Fair Distribution (p. 2). Of these four, the third has particular relevance to education, and the inequalities within it. Equality of Opportunity of opportunity is said to exist only when the chances of an individual getting education and jobs, depend solely on their own motivation and aptitudes rather than on other factors such as gender, class or ethnicity. When the differences in Social Class, Gender and Race/Ethnic origins prevent or deny educational or job opportunities, then these are considered to be impediments to achieving social justice, they are inequalities that obstruct fair distribution of opportunities and rewards. While Education is considered to be a tool that aids equality in society, "as the principle means of creating a more equal society", it is also said to contribute to "the reproduction of social inequalities" (Moore 7) and has important implications in ensuring 'social mobility' (DfES 7). Given that educations is a potential tool for implementing social justice, it is essential to study and record the inequalities that affect the process of education. Foremost among the factors affecting education is the difference in income levels; poverty affects educational possibilities. Poverty/Class as an Inequality: It is important to distinguish between "inequality and poverty" even though they are closely linked (Hills & Stewart 232). Poverty is measured by taking into account the incomes of the poorest households and comparing them against the median income; generally poverty line is defined at 60% of current median income, after adjustments. The differences in incomes lead to two types of inequalities - Vertical and Horizontal. The former indicates the difference between the topmost and bottommost income earners, while the latter indicates communities or nations with similar incomes (biz/ed 1). The New Labour government has changed its policies since the 1970s, and now no longer believes in punishing the rich even though it envisages bettering the conditions of the poorest (Hills & Stewart 232-3). Thus, this found its express in the form of the New Labour Party government seeking to improve opportunities to the poorest. In the field of education, it has found form in the execution of the Early Years plan which intends "raising the educational attainments of disadvantaged pupils, widening access to higher education and welfare- to- work programmes" (Hills & Stewart 233). Gender/Sex as an Inequality: As regards the United Kingdom in the field of education, the trend in gender inequality has displayed "the most dramatic shift" according to the report of Arnot, David and Weiner (p. 30). Particularly in England and Wales, the reduction in the gender gap till sixteen years and the modified patterns in post-compulsory education accomplishments testify to this, according to the report. Recent public debates have been increasingly about the social and economic independence of women. Research conducted by Taylor-Gooby (2005) states that, an increase in the rates of employed mothers with children under five years of age from 48% in 1990 to 57 % in 2001 have had a significant impact in the reduction of gender inequalities (p.14). The governmental policies executed in l996 in providing equal opportunities to women, were claimed by most of the primary and secondary schools and included a wide range of changes in the areas of women's rights and citizenship among other things. "The new wave of equal opportunities policy making was reflected at government levels since gender issues became part of the new performance-oriented" - an impact of this was "educational feminism" (Arnot & Phipps 8-9) which has resulted in the reduction of gender gap in education. Race/Ethnic Differences as Inequalities: A discussion of the "Dimensions of Difference" (Moore 14-6) would be incomplete without an analysis of the differences arsing from skin colour or origins of birth. As regards the UK, the majority white community consists of indigenous white English, Welsh, Scots and Irish, and overall their performance scores are said to be "slightly below the national mean" (Moore 14). The minority ethnic group consists of people from different origins such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and China, other than African, and Caribbean communities. The policies that have been adopted over a period of time to reduce inequalities in the educational improvement of various ethnic groups include, The Macpherson Report (1999), The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 (RRAA) and initiatives like Learning for All - Standards for Racial Equality in Schools (CRE, 2000). Assessing the impact of policy changes on a multicultural, multiethnic population is a very difficult and complicated task, which requires much sensitivity and care. While the government initiative may be in the right direction, the key findings given in the Research Report RR616 published by DfES (2004), reveal there is still scope for improvement; it states that, "Despite a considerable quantity of literature from the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) and DfES, this documentation seems not to be having a sufficient impact on the schools and LEAs studied. Ofsted school inspections rarely comment on dis-proportionality in exclusions." Furthermore, it points out that "In a significant minority of secondary, primary, special schools and PRUs it would appear that the general and specific duties of the RRAA are not being fully met" (pp. 1-2). The reasons for exclusion may be cultural and linguistic differences, which may put the minority communities in a position of disadvantage as compared to the majority communities, compounded by a certain amount of social exclusion "in relation to the number of public services available to them besides education" (RR616 12). Early Years Initiative One of the initiatives taken by the New Labor Party government is the 'Early Years' Plan. According to this plan the government recognized that children benefit from early years education and through the White Paper Excellence in Schools (1997), it set down its plans the execution of this scheme throughout England by means of the Early Years Development Partnerships and Childcare Partnerships. This initiative was to ensure a free part-time education place for all four-year-olds whose parents wanted it (p.6) and the funding of this scheme within England is mainly through the combined charges of the Childcare Grant, the Nursery Education Grant, the Standard Spending Assessment and the New Opportunities Fund (ATL 8). A detailed list of its goals is given as follows: 1) to provide affordable, accessible, good quality childcare in every neighbourhood 2) to ensure a good quality free education place for every three and four-year-old 3) to extend the network of qualified teachers with early years specialist knowledge 4) to improve childcare services for children with special needs 5) to identify and train SENCOs 6) to increase the number of young people and sector workers achieving a Level II or Level III qualification in early years education, childcare and play-work 7) to better integrate childcare and early education, in particular to meet family needs in a wider way 8) to ensure that 94 per cent of early years settings inspected by Ofsted are making satisfactory or better progress in delivering the early learning goals by September 2004 (ATL 8). The Play - Way Method One of the programmes under this initiative is Right from the start - and is particularly mindful of the extent and quality of public-funded early years of education, and its tremendous value to the child. Practically this means, that the child is exposed to a lot of open space conducive to learning, and encouraging the natural curiosity of the child, and emphasizing the value of active learning through play under the apt guidance of experienced, professional staff. Furthermore, Early Years Partnerships and LEA Support Services have been planned with sensitivity to disabled children and therefore, have a responsibility for ensuring adequate provisions for children with special educational needs. Mindful of the fact that affirmative action needs to be taken in the early years setting to encourage a conducive and congenial atmosphere reflecting cultural diversity, efforts have been taken to ensure "that culture, race, language and gender differences are respected and embraced through all areas of the curriculum" (ATL 12) The Early Years initiative also envisages the inculcation of ideas and progressive attitudes that challenge gender stereotyping and promote multi-culturalism. The most laudable aspect of the concept is the aim to send "powerful messages" that children will receive "when they first set foot inside the school or setting" to "convey the feeling that every newcomer is welcomed and valued." (ATL 20) Conclusion Education has always played an important role in the elevation of opportunities and enhancing income potentials. Even though education has been recognized as an important tool to promote social justice and reduce inequalities in the society, some quarters of sociologists and researchers hold that education itself is a perpetrator of social inequalities. However, some important factors like economic inequalities, gender inequalities and racial-ethnic inequalities affect the ways of and the extent to which education is imparted in the society. This study has mainly been concerned with how governmental policies have impacted the inequalities in education, and has studied the government initiative of "Early Years" as a measure to reduce afore mentioned inequalities. While this study can by no means said to be exhaustive, it has certainly yielded insights in to the areas that need to e improved, like for example, the need for improvement in the implementation of CRE policies. They have offered scope for further research areas in the future. List of works cited Arnot, M, David, M. and Weiner, G. (1999) Closing the Gender Gap: Postwar Education and Social Change. Cambridge: Polity Press. P. 30 Arnot, Madeleine & Phipps, Alison (2003). "GENDER AND EDUCATION IN THE UK" University of Cambridge, England, UK. (2003). Pp. 1-18 Online article retrieved on April 17, 2008. portal.unesco.org/.../Gender%2Band%2BEducation%2Bin%2Bthe%2BUK.doc ATL - Association of Teachers and Lecturers (2003). "right from the start: early years education: policy and practice" Online version retrieved on April 17, 2008. http://www.atl.org.uk/atl_en/images/ATL%20Right%20from%20the%20start_tcm2- 1686.pdf Barry, Brian (2005). Why Social Justice Matters Polity Press. Pp. 5-6. Biz/ed (2008). "Inequalities) Online article retrieved on April 17, 2008. http://www.bized.co.uk/educators/16-19/economics/development/activity/inequality.htm Department of Education and Skills (2004) - RR616. "Minority Ethnic Exclusions and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000" by Parsons, Godfrey, Annan, Cornwall, Dussart, Hepburn, Howlett and Wennerstrom. Online version retrieved on April 17, 2008. www.dfes.gov.uk/exclusions/uploads/RR616.pdf Department of Education and Skills (2006). Social Mobility: Narrowing Social Class Educational Attainment Gaps Supporting Materials to a speech by the Rt Hon Ruth Kelly MP, Secretary of State for Education and Skills to the Institute for Public Policy Research, 26 April 2006. Online version retrieved on April 17, 2008. http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STA/t000657/SocialMobility26Apr06.pdf Hills, J & Stewart Hills, K (2005) A More Equal Society. Policy Press Pp.232-6. Moore, Rob (2006). "Differentiation, Inequality and the Educational Process - Introduction" in Education and Society: Issues and Explanations in the Sociology of Education. First Edition. John Wiley & Sons Ltd ISBN 9780745617084. Pp. 1-34. http://www.polity.co.uk/giddens5/news/moore/Intro_EDUSOCIETY.pdf Taylor-Gooby, Peter (2005). "Attitudes to Social Justice" in Institute for Public Policy Research Pp. 1-18. Online article retrieved on April 17, 2008. http://www.ippr.org/uploadedFiles/research/projects/Directors'_Support_Team/Peter_Tay lor_Gooby_2005_ Read More