UK: Department for Children, Schools and Families,Mission,The purpose of the department is to make England the best place in the world for children and young people to grow up. We want to: make children and young people happy and healthy keep them safe and sound give them a top class education help them stay on track.,US Department of Education,Mission EDs mission is to: Strengthen the Federal commitment to assuring access to equal educational opportunity for every individual; Supplement and complement the efforts of states, the local school systems and other instrumentalities of the states, the private sector, public and private nonprofit educational research institutions, community-based organizations, parents, and students to improve the quality of education; Encourage the increased involvement of the public, parents, and students in Federal education programs;,US Department of Education,Promote improvements in the quality and usefulness of education through Federally supported research, evaluation, and sharing of information; Improve the coordination of Federal education programs; Improve the management of Federal education activities; and Increase the accountability of Federal education programs to the President, the Congress, and the public.,% of GDP spent on education,UK: student/teacher ratio,UKThe student/teacher ratio in government schools in school year 2007-08 was 21.6 pupils for every teacher in primary schools and 16.1 pupils for every teacher in secondary schools. USThe elementary student/teacher ratio was 20.1, while the secondary student/teacher ratio was 13.1.,UK and US: teachers pay,Starting point depends on qualifications, relevant prior experience and the responsibilities of the post. Also, in the US on the employing state.,The PISA Study 2010 (Programme for International Student Assessment),US and UK: Common Structure,Pre-school Primary/Elementary School Secondary/High School Career and Vocational Training University or other tertiary institutions,State Education in the UK (compulsory 6-16 years),Public examinations: UK,Two main assessments:GCSES (General Certificate of Secondary Education) : 8 subjectsA-Level: 3 or 4 subjects,UK Curriculum,National Curriculum (12 subjects) Core subjects: English, Mathematics and ScienceOther foundation subjects: Art & Design Citizenship Design & Technology Geography History Information & Communication Technology Modern Foreign Languages Music Physical Education,School funding in US,School funding: by public sector mainly,Secondary education in the US (compulsory but ages vary with states),Assessment,Federal Examination (The National Assessment Of Educational Progress NAEP) State Examination (AYP: Adequate Yearly Progress and “exit exam”) School District Examination School Entrance Examination (SAT: Scholastic Assessment Test & ACT: American College Testing),US Curriculum,Science Mathematics English Social Science Physical education,Emile Durkheims Social Theories and Education,For Durkheim, individualism and rights are not sufficient for creating a civil society: group identities conferred by local communities, occupation and interests are overwhelmingly important. Public institutions like schools link the state to its people as mediating institutions. If such institutions fail, a gap opens up between the state and the people.,Durkheims Social Theories and Education,For Durkheim, only an educated public can provide cohesion to societies based on market principles. This cohesion is based on moral rather than selfish individualism.Morality is not equated with religion; religious schools are popular because of their cohesive and moral qualities, which should be emulated by state schools.,Jurgen Habermas: Social Theories and Education,Habermas is less enthusiastic than Durkheim:He sees a conflict between the lifeworld and the system : - Lifeworld = networks of cohesive social relationships: communities, families, friends, self-help groups, alumni etc - System = politics, economy, administration and law.,Habermas: Social Theories and Education,The system is proving more powerful than the lifeworld: there is a colonization of the lifeworld by the system, leading to commodification and legalization in social relationships.Conflict arises because the lifeworld moralizes and the system commodifies.Schools belong to the lifeworld and are on the frontline in battling the system.,Habermass Social Theories and Education,More recently, Habermass system has been divided into: influential power (e.g. advertising, popular culture, politics, media) instrumental power (e.g. law, business, administration),Power and discourse,Both powers use discourse to promote their perspectives. Terms may be used that are euphemistic, appearing as an acceptable substitute for some word or phrase that the writer or speaker thinks too strong or direct:- inadvertent killing of soldiers by their own allies or compatriots = “friendly fire“ - the killing of civilians = “collateral damage“.,