The school, the State and the market: the research evidence updated

Geoff Whitty and Sally Power

View Article

Abstract

In many parts of the world, there have been attempts to move away from the 'one best system' of state funded and state provided education. Recent reforms have sought to dismantle centralised bureaucracies and create in their place devolved systems of schooling with increased diversity in the types of schools available, together with an increased emphasis on parental choice and competition between schools. They also sometimes entail a larger role for the private and voluntary sectors in the provision of state-funded education. This paper will review recent evidence concerning the progress and effects of these currently fashionable 'school autonomy' and 'parental choice' agendas in contemporary education policy in England and Wales, the USA and New Zealand.