Imagining school autonomy in high-performing education systems: East Asia as a source of policy referencing in England

Imagining school autonomy in high-performing education systems: East Asia as a source of policy referencing in England

• You, Yun University College London
• Morris, Paul University College London

Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 46(6), 882-905, 2016

Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd

2016

• P Social Context of Education
  • PB Comparative Education
• R Educational Policy & Administration
  • RE School Management, School-Parents Relationship
• R Educational Policy & Administration
  • RG Education Reforms

School Autonomy East Asia England Policy Borrowing Referencing PISA Success Reform Discourses Politics

• Hong Kong
• East Asia
• England

• 1997.7 onwards

• Post-Secondary Education

Education reform is increasingly based on emulating the features of world-class' systems that top international attainment surveys and, in England specifically, East Asia is referenced as the inspiration' for their education reforms. However, the extent to which the features identified by the UK Government accord with the situation within East Asia is problematic. This paper examines the relationship between the English representation and the reality' of East Asian education systems, using school autonomy as an illustrative example. We focus on Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai, which are cited extensively to legitimate policies providing greater autonomy for schools in England. We argue firstly that the English representation has been largely discursive and inaccurate; has failed to recognise the variations across the region; and has been selected to endorse the Government's ideological preferences. Secondly, the scope, form and nature of school autonomy vary markedly, and are operationalised in each society in ways reflecting the prevailing sociopolitical priorities.

• English

Journal Articles

• 03057925

• 10.1080/03057925.2015.1080115

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/en/bibs/c471d680

2017-03-21