Education under Siege
Why There Is a Better Alternative
Distributed for Policy Press at the University of Bristol
256 pages
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13 tables
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5 x 7 3/4
Students are tested rather than educated, teachers bullied rather than trusted, parents cast as winners or losers in a battle for places at the best schools. Sound familiar? These contentions resemble criticism that has arisen in recent years among observers of American education, and here Peter Mortimore offers a similar, trenchant critique of schools in England.
In Education under Siege, he considers the English education system as it is and as it might be. Concluding that England has some of the best teachers in the world but one of the most muddled systems, Mortimore proposes radical changes to help all English schools become good schools. He argues that the government should outlaw selection practices; integrate private schools into the state system; and establish processes to ensure that each school has effective teachers and a fair balance of students who learn easily and those who do not. In a concluding call to action, he asks readers who share his concerns to demand that politicians alter the course of education policy.
This book will appeal to parents, teachers, and future educators, as well as anyone interested in the future of education on either side of the Atlantic.
Pasi Sahlberg, Director General of the Centre for International Mobility and Cooperation
“A thoughtful book focusing on the meaning of education for English society and how it can be improved for all young people based on developments in the Nordic countries.”
Lejf Moos, President of the European Educational Research Association
“Peter Mortimore has analysed the English education system from ‘buildings’ to ‘Bildung,’ from ‘desirable outcomes’ to ‘democracy,’ and from ‘quality’ to ‘equality.’ He has compared English with Nordic education and thereby been able to identify new weaknesses and strengths and thoughtful and innovative ways forward.”
Melissa Benn, author of School Wars
“An expert voice to be trusted—and enjoyed. If you really want to understand what education is for and how we could create a high quality system, I urge you to read this book.”
Contents
List of tables
List of abbreviations
About the author
Acknowledgements
Preface
1 What is education?
2 Desirable outcomes
3 Intellectual ability
4 Learning
5 Teaching
6 Schools
7 Quality control
8 Strengths
9 Ambiguities
10 Weaknesses
11 How good is the system?
12 A better system?
13 Steps toward a better system
14 What next?
Notes
References
Index
For more information, or to order this book, please visit http://www.press.uchicago.edu
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