Earlier this month, Michael Gove released his note that documents the failure of Government’s educational policy over the past 11 years in which he alleges that the educational inequality gap has widened under Labour.
You can read it here, although Recess Monkey suggests you don’t bother, now that a couple of experts have taken the time to go through it – it’s, essentially, a pile of crap.
Speaking to the EducationGuardian, Dr. Ruth Lupton, a senior lecturer at the University of London, Institute of Education says:
“Gove’s document shows extreme carelessness or disregard for truth and accuracy.”
She goes on to say that:
“Gove is wrong about the direction of inequalities.”
Dr. Lupton’s full analysis (which she wrote with a colleague, Dr Natalie Heath) can be found here.
Quote of the day, though, goes to the Conservative Party spokesman who denounced the experts’ findings as…
…wait for it…
“A skewed and partial analysis which reflects an idealogical agenda”!!!!
Ha!
Bonoboy
Loading ...
“In Gove’s defence,” Lupton says, “the wrong data was published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and was provided to him in answer to a parliamentary question earlier this year…”
Right then, as long as someone knows what is going on then.
dutch said this on August 26th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
How is inequality measured?
The law degree at Durham is full of posh kids and the law degree at Teesside is full of working class kids. Both groups get notionally equivalent law degrees. Only the trouble with the Teesside one is that very few people are able to become practising lawyers off the back of it. It is a similar situation with people who get vocation qualifications for 16-18 year-olds notionally worth 3 A-levels - fine so go and try to get a job in a bank with it and see what they say.
Increasing access to further and higher education has been a policy of governments of both parties and it may have had some positive effects but basically life in a state like the UK is about playing systems and the middle classes know how it all works. The problem with post-16 education is that everyone has to fill their courses with as many students as possible and nobody actually gives real advice to people who don’t have it from family. It is a huge advantage if you have advice from people who have been through the system and are (for example) interviewing job candidates and know how employers really see different qualifications.
I don’t see how it’s possible against this background for there to be just one single right answer to the question of inequality and how it has changed over time, because there is no single way to measure it.
By the way, I am amazed to read here that Gove is in parliament let alone the shadow cabinet. I remember he came to speak at the Durham Union maybe 10 years ago (maybe even when Ian Oakley was president) in some kind of hang’em and flog ‘em debate and he seemed to be a right nutcase.
Richard said this on August 26th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
“I don’t see how it’s possible against this background for there to be just one single right answer to the question of inequality and how it has changed over time, because there is no single way to measure it.”
I’d agree with you but incumbent politicians want to sell successes and opposition politicians want to sell failure.
It’s right to debate and discuss finer points and inform people but Gove’s attempt is predictable and deceitful.
Bonoboy said this on August 27th, 2008 at 12:25 pm