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What is the role of politics in education?

Emma Smith, author of Key Issues in Education and Social Justice and co-editor of The BERA/SAGE Handbook of Educational Research on how political ideologies impact a country's education system.


Over the last 40 or so years, different political ideologies have given rise to different notions of how the state should promote social justice through education. The policies that schools experience today, such as school choice, high-stakes testing and school accountability, have been the result of different political views on how best to achieve a world-class education system. Views about the role that education can play in reducing social inequality have been particularly prominent among policymakers from both the political Left and Right:  

"Without good education there can be no social justice." (David Cameron, 2007: 84)
"It is education which provides the rungs on the ladder of social mobility." (Gordon Brown 2010)
"Education is the high road out of poverty." (John Major 2015)

As the above quotations illustrate, the role of education in reducing poverty and inequality and promoting social mobility is a favourite topic among politicians seeking to share their vision for a fair and just society. However, while politicians from various parties may agree that education has a key role in promoting social justice, they differ in their views on the
best way to achieve it...


Keep reading about how politics shapes education