Bücher von Pat Thomson

''A truly exceptional book.'' - Michael W. Apple, University of Wisconsin, Madison''A gripping insight into the local struggles facing disadvantaged schools and a compelling account of the injustice of their place in the bigger picture.'' - Professor Geoff Whitty, Director, Institute of Education, University of LondonSchools in disadvantaged areas are struggling in the current economic and political environment. Like schools everywhere they are being asked to do more with less, but they face more obstacles.In recent years education policy has shifted from a holistic approach to learning to a focus on narrow educational outcomes: spelling, reading and writing. Thomson shows that this approach penalises disadvantaged schools and argues that educational and social disadvantage are inextricably linked in children''s everyday lives.Examining primary and secondary schools in disadvantaged areas in a post-industrial (''rustbelt'') city, Schooling the Rustbelt Kids reopens the debate about inequality in schooling. It provides concrete evidence that typical government policies in the Western world are not working, and that they are helping to create a permanent underclass. Thomson outlines an alternative whole of government approach to policy, which builds on those school programs that do make a real difference to educational outcomes.Thomson also emphasises the influence of local geography. Schools are coloured by particular neighbourhoods, permeated by national and global events, and tangled in complex networks of social relations. Interventions which work in one school may not work in others.

With almost daily reports of failings in school management, what can be done to improve educational outcomes for everyone? Pat Thomson takes on England's muddled education system, highlighting failings caused by the actions of ministers in successive governments. While corrupt actions are taken by some, it is predominantly the corruption of the system that is at fault. She exposes fraudulent and unethical practices, including the skewing of the curriculum and manipulation of results, and argues for an urgent review, leading to a revitalised education system that has the public good at its heart.