Policy Press
1 Introduction
Abstract
The main argument of this book is that the idea of ‘ability’ and how it operates is one of the ways in which the school system in England reproduces social inequalities, contrary to claims of meritocracy and fairness. This is not a new argument, but one that has been discussed in depth for decades, as academics have repeatedly made links between the idea of fixed intelligence and its damaging relation to particular social groups, including the working class and some minoritised communities (such as Gillborn 2010; Ball 2013). However, it is an argument that requires updating and contextualising in this post-pandemic era, where the disruption to normal ways of life has allowed for some disruption to ‘normal’ ways of thinking about schooling. What I aim to do here is to consider how these two axes of ‘ability’ and inequality operated in the era preceding the pandemic, in all their contextual peculiarity, and in turn to use this discussion to ask questions about the future, post-crisis education system.
This revisiting is necessary because discourse, as Foucault (1977) contends, operates in a particular historical and social context; thus we need to repeatedly consider how discourses of ‘ability’ and its proxies work to reproduce inequality in each period and context. I contend that the era under discussion – that of the late 2010s – requires particular scrutiny as the operation of ‘ability’ evolved in new directions.
Abstract
The main argument of this book is that the idea of ‘ability’ and how it operates is one of the ways in which the school system in England reproduces social inequalities, contrary to claims of meritocracy and fairness. This is not a new argument, but one that has been discussed in depth for decades, as academics have repeatedly made links between the idea of fixed intelligence and its damaging relation to particular social groups, including the working class and some minoritised communities (such as Gillborn 2010; Ball 2013). However, it is an argument that requires updating and contextualising in this post-pandemic era, where the disruption to normal ways of life has allowed for some disruption to ‘normal’ ways of thinking about schooling. What I aim to do here is to consider how these two axes of ‘ability’ and inequality operated in the era preceding the pandemic, in all their contextual peculiarity, and in turn to use this discussion to ask questions about the future, post-crisis education system.
This revisiting is necessary because discourse, as Foucault (1977) contends, operates in a particular historical and social context; thus we need to repeatedly consider how discourses of ‘ability’ and its proxies work to reproduce inequality in each period and context. I contend that the era under discussion – that of the late 2010s – requires particular scrutiny as the operation of ‘ability’ evolved in new directions.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures and tables vi
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
- Ability and its use in schools 21
- How does the idea of ability relate to inequalities? 49
- The influence of neuroscience 73
- Data and the solidification of ability 101
- Challenging ability, inequality and the myth of meritocracy in the post-pandemic era 127
- Notes 143
- References 145
- Index 171
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures and tables vi
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
- Ability and its use in schools 21
- How does the idea of ability relate to inequalities? 49
- The influence of neuroscience 73
- Data and the solidification of ability 101
- Challenging ability, inequality and the myth of meritocracy in the post-pandemic era 127
- Notes 143
- References 145
- Index 171
