The Federal Government’s approach to education is fatally contradictory.
Extending the market in education and improving social equity are incompatible policies.
Inevitably, it is equity which loses out, as it has in England and the US. Instead of improving student achievement, market-oriented school systems lead to greater social segregation and exacerbate achievement gaps in schooling.
These are among the conclusions of a research paper by SOS’s Trevor Cobbold.