Education, Policy and Social Justice

James Avis develops an important argument in this wide-ranging book, in which questions of social justice play a central role. He explores the socio-economic and policy context of education in advanced capitalist societies, and indicates the manner in which the rhetoric of policy-makers distorts the way in which skill is marshalled in the economy. The result is that oppressive and exploitative features of paid labour are underplayed in this rhetoric. He examines the lived experiences of teachers and students in post-compulsory education and explores their contradictory positions. If questions of social justice are to be addressed, an economically driven model of education should be rejected in favour of one that is politically engaged and utilises an expansive model of practice, extending into the wider society.

James Avis

Acknowledgements \ 1. Introduction \ 2. Fordism, post-Fordism and Beyond \ 3. Work-based Learning and Social Justice: 'Learning to Labour' and the New Vocationalism \ 4. Learner Dispositions: Continuity and Change \ 5. Teachers and the Transformation of Practice \ 6. Knowledge, Curriculum and Power \ 7. Social Justice, Post-compusory Education and Practice \ 8. Conclusion \ 9. Postscript \ References \ Index