SP432      Half Unit
Education Policy, Reform and Financing

This information is for the 2022/23 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Sonia Exley Old 2.64

Availability

This course is available on the MSc in International Social and Public Policy, MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Development), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (LSE and Fudan), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Migration), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Non-Governmental Organisations) and MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Research). This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

All Social Policy Courses are ‘Controlled Access’. Please see the link below for further details on the allocation process:

https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/services/course-choice/controlled-access-courses

Course content

This course considers education policy, reform and financing across a range of countries. It uses concepts and tools from a number of academic disciplines – social policy, sociology, economics, politics and philosophy – to scrutinise education. Throughout the course, there is particular focus on equity, social justice and the distribution of resources.

Issues to be addressed include: the impact of social characteristics on educational outcomes (class, gender and race and ethnicity, with a cross-cutting focus on special educational needs and ideas of ‘inclusion’) and related policy reforms; accountability and market-oriented reforms in education; privatisation and the changing role of the state; power and the politics of educational policy making; global policy transfer in education; early years education; school-based education and post-compulsory education. Not all of these issues are covered as separate weekly topics.

Teaching

Courses in Social Policy follow the Teaching Model outlined on the following page: https://www.lse.ac.uk/social-policy/Current-Students/teaching-in-the-department-of-social-policy

 

All teaching will be in accordance with the LSE Academic Code (https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/lse-academic-code) which specifies a "minimum of two hours taught contact time per week when the course is running in the Michaelmas and/or Lent terms". Social Policy courses are predominantly taught through a combination of in-person Lectures and In person classes/seminars. Further information will be provided by the Course Convenor in the first lecture of the course.

The course will be delivered in Lent term.

Formative coursework

One formative essay in LT.

Indicative reading

Specialist lists for each topic will be provided. The following introductory books are recommended:

  • Apple, M.W., Ball, S.J., Gandin, L.A. (eds) (2010) The Routledge International Handbook of the Sociology of Education. London: Routledge.
  • Arthur, J., Peterson, A. (eds) (2011) The Routledge Companion to Education. London: Routledge.
  • Lauder, H., Brown, P., Dillabough, J., Halsey, A.H. (eds) (2006) Education, Globalization and Social Change. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • McGrath, S. Gu, Q. (eds) (2015) Routledge Handbook of International Education and Development. London: Routledge.
  • Mundy, K., Green, A,. Lingard, B., Verger, A. (eds) (2016) The Handbook of Global Education Policy. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.
  • Halsey, A.H., Lauder, H., Brown, P., Wells, A.S. (eds) (1997) Education: Culture, Economy, Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Assessment

Online assessment (100%) in the ST.

Key facts

Department: Social Policy

Total students 2021/22: 57

Average class size 2021/22: 10

Controlled access 2021/22: Yes

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Course selection videos

Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.

Personal development skills

  • Self-management
  • Team working
  • Problem solving
  • Application of information skills
  • Communication