Politics and Policy-making in Education - Stephen Ball

Based on interviews with key actors in the policy-making process, Stephen Ball's book attempts to map the changes in education policy, and policy making in the Thatcherite decade. The focus of the book is the 1988 Education Reform Act, its origins, purposes and effects, and it looks behind the scenes at the priorities of the politicians, civil servants and government advisers who were influential in making changes. There are direct quotations from senior civil servants and HMIs and three former secretaries of state which provide fascinating insights into the way in which policy is made. The book focuses on real-life political conflicts, examining the way in which contemporary education policy is related to the ideal of society projected by Thatcherism. It looks in detail at the New Right government advisers and think tanks; the industrial lobby, and the DES, addressing current issues such as the National Curriculum, national testing and City Technical Colleges.