Autonomy, Accountability and Social Justice Stories of English Schooling

Autonomy, Accountability and Social Justice provides an account of recent developments in English state education, with a particular focus on the ?academisation? of schooling. It examines how head teachers, teachers and others working in diverse education settings navigate the current policy environment. The authors provide readers with insight into the complex decision-making processes that shape school responses to current educational agendas and examine the social justice implications of these responses.

The book draws on Nancy Fraser?s social justice framework and her theorising of neoliberalism to explore current tensions associated with moves towards both greater autonomy for and accountability of state schooling. These tensions are presented through four case studies that centre upon 1) a group of local authority primary schools, 2) an academy ?chain?, 3) a co-operative secondary school and 4) an alternative education setting. The book identifies the ?emancipatory? possibilities of these approaches amid the complex demands of autonomy and accountability seizing English schools. Informed by a consideration of market parameters and social protectionist ideals, this examination provides rich insights into how English schools have emancipatory capacity.

Autonomy, Accountability and Social Justice makes a major theoretical contribution to understandings of how the market is working alongside the regulation of schooling and the implications of this for social justice. By drawing on the experiences of those working in schools, it demonstrates that the tensions associated with autonomy and accountability within the current education policy environment can be both productive and unproductive for social justice.

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1. English Schooling, Social Justice and Neoliberalism

Chapter 2. School Autonomy, School Accountability and Social Justice in English Education

Chapter 3. Academisation and School Collaboration: A Story of Six Primary School Leaders

Chapter 4. New Modalities of State Power: Neoliberal Responsibilisation and the Work of Academy Chains

Chapter 5. Co-Operating in a Competitive Marketplace

Chapter 6. Alternative Provision: A Destination of Last Resort or Convenient Dumping Ground?

Chapter 7. The Ambivalences of Emancipation for Social Justice

Amanda Keddie is Professor of Education, Deakin University, Australia. Her research examines gender, cultural diversity, social justice and schooling. Recent books include: Leadership, Ethics and Schooling for Social Justice (2016), The Politics of Differentiation in Schools (2017) and Supporting and Educating Young Muslim Women: Stories from Australia and the UK (2017).

Martin Mills is Professor of Education and Director of the Centre for Teachers and Teaching Research at the IOE, University College London. His work is centred on social justice issues in education. Recent books include: The Politics of Differentiation in Schools (2017), Reimagining Schooling for Education (2017) and Alternative Education: International Perspectives on Policy and Practice (2018).