New Right View on Education

Whilst it may not be the first word we think of when we consider education, schools are businesses. Much like enterprises, they have costs, targets, resource allocation, budgeting, competition...the list is potentially endless.

Should schools compete? How is this done?

Moreover, should schools be left alone to thrive, like businesses? Or should they be closely monitored by the state?

We will address this and more in this explanation on the New Right Theory of education.

• First, we will look at neoliberalism and consider its connection with the New Right Theory of Education.
• Next, we will consider what the New Right is and how it views education.
• We will look at some educational policies implemented due to New Right policies.
• Lastly, we will evaluate the New Right View on education before briefly considering neoliberal education in Chile.

Before we consider the New Right, we will look at neoliberalism and how it influences the New Right.

Link between neoliberalism and New Right View on Education

Neoliberalism is a term used to describe a set of economic and social practices, policies, and processes that work to expand free-market capitalism. Neoliberalism is also an ideology that evolved from classical liberalism. These are the key characteristics of neoliberalism.

Neoliberalism wants its subjects to become personally responsible for themselves and the state of the world, downplaying how social and political systems influence individual choices. Children and their parents are responsible for their education. Factors such as teacher labelling or material deprivation are not good enough reasons for children not to succeed at school.

The 'neoliberal subject', or 'neoliberal man', is someone who embraces the idea that we are all in competition with one another. They see competition as beneficial to the survival and advancement of society and themselves.

Neoliberalism in education

Neoliberals argue that the value of education lies in how well it enables the country to compete in the global marketplace. The purpose of education should be to create global subjects who can keep up with the ever-changing market and are resilient enough to tolerate the market's harsh conditions.

'Neoliberalising' children and adolescents can be achieved by running schools like businesses; this teaches pupils that competition is healthy. It also motivates schools to improve their standards and makes them accountable to parents.

Schools compete for the attention of parents and carers, who are empowered by becoming consumers. This cannot be achieved with state intervention, as education is only valuable if it can allow the country to compete in the global marketplace. State intervention makes this almost impossible.

Fig. 1 - A toolkit illustrating the neoliberalism of education.

The New Right: definition in sociology

The New Right is a conservative political doctrine. When applied to education, it promotes its marketisation. The New Right has adopted neoliberal ideologies; they believe that the state should not be relied upon as it cannot meet everyone's needs.

The welfare state should not enable dependence, public services should be subjected to competition, and schools and other educational institutions should also become more like businesses. If schools are having to constantly respond to the market, it will drive innovation and raise the standards of education.

Like functionalists, the new right believes every functioning society should have a value consensus and as a mode of control, education should socialise pupils into shared norms and values. Competition creates and instils a sense of national identity. Although citizens compete with one another, they are also competing with others in the global marketplace for the advancement of their country.

The Education Reform Act (1988)

The Act introduced the national curriculum and required all schools to teach pupils the same subjects from the age of seven. It also introduced the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), National League Tables, and Standard Attainment Tests (SATs). These education policies promoted the parental choice of school, which before the act was done by Local Education Authorities (LEAs). The implementation of the Education Act of 1988 meant:

• Parents and carers could send their children to any school of their choosing.

• LEAs could no longer support unpopular and under subscribed schools with extra funding.

• The act gave head teachers more control of their budgets. Before the implementation of the act, LEAs dictated school budgets.

• Schools that attracted more parents and carers were given more money by the central government.

• League tables were first introduced to assess the performance of schools. These provided useful information for parents and carers, helping them decide the best school for their children.

• National curriculums help create a value consensus. It affirms a national identity, emphasising positive values and perspectives on a country's history.

Vocational education and institutions

These are a result of the marketisation of education. Like functionalists, the New Right believes that vocational education is essential, as it teaches specific skills that support economic growth.

• New types of schools like City Technology Colleges (CTCs) were introduced in the 1980s to create a skilled workforce. Some state schools converted to CTCs and became grant-maintained.

• Schools could specialise in languages, music, art, science, and technology.

• Although National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) were seen as 'lesser' qualifications, they still provided pupils with the specialist skills and training needed to compete in the job market.

Academies and free schools

In 2000, New Labour launched the City Academies Program to tackle inequalities in education. As the state could not meet every school's needs, the initiative allowed the private sector to sponsor struggling and underperforming schools. Since the introduction of the initiative, many 'failing' state comprehensive schools have converted to academies.

Fig. 2 - The New Right promotes the marketisation of education.

Key study: John Chubb and Terry Moe

Chubb and Moe (1990) argue that state education in the USA needs substantial improvement as it has not created equal opportunities for all and has failed to meet the needs of disadvantaged youths. Chubb and Moe conducted a study comparing the attainment levels of pupils from low-income households using parental surveys, statistics, and case studies. They found that state education is not meritocratic, as pupils from low-income households were less able to succeed. They also found that 5 per cent of pupils from low-income families consistently did 5 per cent better in private schools than in state schools.

To fix the state's failings, Chubb and Moe suggested opening education up to the market. They proposed a voucher system, similar to the Chilean system (discussed below), where parents and carers would be given vouchers to spend on buying the best education for their children. Since vouchers would be a school's main source of income, Chubb and Moe argued:

• Schools would have to compete to attract the most customers, i.e., parents and carers.

• Schools would be more accommodating to the needs and wishes of parents and carers.

• State schools impose uniformity and cannot cater to the needs of individual pupils, whereas marketising education gives parents, carers and pupils a voice.

Evaluation of the New Right view on education

Let's carry out an evaluation of neoliberalism and the New Right view on education.

Strengths of the New Right view on education

What are some strengths of this approach?

• Neoliberals and the New Right point out the state's lack of responsiveness to the needs of working-class pupils and their families.

• Neoliberal policies have taken away power from LEAs and empowered parents by giving them more choice and encouraging them to be actively involved in their children's education.

Criticisms of the New Right view on education

However, this approach is not without its criticisms.

• Neoliberals and the New Right ignore class, gender, and racial inequalities.
• Neoliberalism emphasises the value of individuals who are responsible for their own actions. Just like functionalists, they believe failure is due to the individual alone. Both theories shift blame from the state to the individual.

Neoliberal education in Chile

Chile was one of the first countries to adopt neoliberal ideologies. In 1973, a United States-backed military coup overthrew the democratically elected socialist president Salvador Allende, installing Augusto Pinochet whose dictatorship lasted from 1973 to 1990. Pinochet introduced a market-driven and neoliberal approach to governance, which was promoted by North American economist Milton Friedman.

As consumers, parents and carers were responsible for the education of their children with the state playing a subsidiary role. The national curriculum helped parents to evaluate schools. Michael Apple (1993) argues the national curriculum in Chile during the rule of Pinochet was a device for accountability as it was used to assess schools' achievements, progress, and standards.

The national curriculum also helped assess how well pupils did within the system. This created competition among pupils. Neoliberals and the New Right are results-driven, meaning that examination results and productivity are prioritised over knowledge.

Neoliberalism is characterised by what Stephen Ball (1993) refers to as a 'culture of choice'. School autonomy through the expansion of the private sector and parental choice and involvement are used to sell the idea that everyone is given the same choices, and can make autonomous choices under neoliberalism. Class and socioeconomic status should not influence a person's ability to make 'good choices' for themselves or their children.

Pinochet's dictatorship saw the expansion of the private school sector. Privately subsidised schools led to the introduction of the voucher system, with parents using government vouchers to pay for schooling. This forced schools to compete for funding. Most privately subsidised schools were inaccessible to working-class children and families who lived in rural areas. The choices they were offered were limited, thus increasing economic disparities. Working-class children in rural areas went to schools with inadequate resources compared to those in cities and affluent areas.

Between 2006 and 2011 Chilean pupils and students rebelled against the neoliberal system. In 2006, high school pupils staged the Revolución Pingüina (Penguin Revolution), named after pupils' black and white uniforms. They occupied schools and barricaded entrances and riots broke out in the capital, Santiago.

Evaluating the New Right's effect on education in Chile

• The Penguin Revolution in Chile highlighted the problems with neoliberalism. Felipe Costa Lima (2021) refers to neoliberalism as an 'ideological myth'. The idea of choice is a neoliberal myth that also perpetuates the myth of meritocracy.

• The Movement in Chile also showed that low educational standards are a result of social inequalities. Neoliberal educational policies that intend to improve schooling through choice and accountability only further perpetuate inequalities.

• They do not ensure children from working-class families have the same advantages as those from middle-class and upper-class families.

  Working-class families can only choose from what they are offered, which are usually schools with insufficient resources.