Devolution and choice in education: The school, the state and the market.

Devolution and choice in education: The school, the state and the market Geoffrey Whitty, Sally Power, and David Halpin. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research, 1998. 170pp.

This book provides a balanced and thorough view of recent school reform efforts in England and Wales, the United States of America, Australia, New Zealand and Sweden. Although focusing on the effects of devolution policies, the authors quite rightly couch their analysis within the broader reform and societal context. The dominant thesis of the book suggests that although government has loudly proclaimed the devolution of power to individual schools and parents, they have, in fact, increased `their own capacity to "steer" the system from a distance'. While sensibly avoiding the temptation to claim a New Right conspiracy, the authors review the available research evidence on the impact of devolution and conclude that there is little solid evidence that the reforms have had a positive effect. They make a convincing case which shows that devolution policies have accentuated existing inequities through increasing the advantage held by already advantaged schools and parents. The authors' concern for redressing such inequity is obvious throughout the book and their call for a fairer balance between consumer and citizen rights is to be taken seriously.

The book is divided into three sections. The first section, comprised of three chapters, describes the context through defining the background and focus of the inquiry --reviewing the devolution policies in the five countries concerned and then discussing the cross-national character of the reforms. Although the description of devolution policies, particularly in Australia, is now somewhat dated (as is acknowledged by the authors) and may be a little sketchy for some readers, it provides a very useful overview of the reforms in various countries and forms a worthwhile basis for comparative analysis. Indeed, the authors acknowledge the constantly shifting nature of various education policies, likening their exploration to one of `trying to hit a moving target'. Throughout the book, they do a good job of getting very close to this target and the perspectives provided are valuable to all interested in the effects of devolution in various systems.

One of the most interesting sections of the book comes in the third chapter and deals with the cross-cultural character and transferability of the reforms. While firmly warning against the easy transferability of educational policies and practices across nations and cultures--of taking policies out of context--they suggest that there has been a certain convergence of policies and effects across the five sites. In simple terms, this convergence relates to a combination of market forces and state control which appear to have simultaneously handed some increased responsibility to schools while strengthening the role of centralised authorities. Following the tone set in the first two chapters, the authors present a balanced discussion of the context, purposes and foundations of the reforms and downplay many of the more radical theories which suggest conspiracy and `apocalyptic' effects. The chapter has much to offer systems outside the five countries studied as they pursue similar reforms. The issue of context becomes even more salient as similar reforms are promoted in other countries, such as China and Singapore, which have very different cultural traditions from the five nations studied. If the authors were ever to expand their perspective, they would hopefully include some of the Asian countries which are presently moving towards increased devolution. I suspect the very different contexts of these countries would add a noticeably different and exciting dimension to the analysis.

Drawing on empirical research findings from each of the five countries, section two examines the consequences of the reforms and draws a number of conclusions about their effect on key stakeholders. For example, chapter 4 focuses on the changing role of the school principal or headteacher. The authors suggest that devolution policies have distracted school leaders from their educative role and pushed them towards roles that more closely resemble `corporate director, business executive and even entrepreneur'. Similar effects have been reported throughout the last decade, and again reflect the dominant theme of the book--that whereas devolution has given some additional power to school principals, its accompanying demands for performance and accountability have negated real moves towards independent action.

The next three chapters in section two assess the influence of devolution policies on teachers, classrooms and the curriculum and school governance. When discussing teachers, the authors hold that devolution has done little to enhance teacher professionalism or autonomy and has had the effect of eroding teachers' ability to engage in collective bargaining. Quite rightly, the authors express their deepest concerns when discussing the effect of recent reforms on curriculum. They strongly refute the claim that devolution has lead to more contextualised learning, or that resources are being allocated more effectively or efficiently to improve classroom teaching. The authors also cite worrying evidence which shows that outcomes-based curriculum and assessment `are leading to an increasing fragmentation and unitization of the curriculum, the marginalization of nonassessed fields of inquiry and a more rigid compartmentalization of students'. Even though the quality of research evidence related to student achievement is far from conclusive, the warnings the book sends about standardisation and `traditionalism' across the five countries studied should prompt a reexamination of the market's effect on equity in the classroom.

The third section of the book does a good job of drawing together the issues and research discussed in sections one and two. Chapter 8 concentrates on the influence of recent reforms on equity and social differentiation. Of particular interest are the related concepts of equity and choice. The authors cite evidence that clearly challenges the notion that choice automatically leads to improved education for all students, especially low-income and racial minorities. Using research from across the five countries, choice is shown often to accentuate social stratification and disadvantage. Clear examples from Australia, New Zealand and England and Wales show that increased choice is strongly related to academic outputs and that direct government intervention may be the only strategy to ensure equity. The chapter concludes by suggesting that, in the final analysis, the key issues of devolution and choice are unavoidably political and must be dealt with in the political arena.

The final chapter discusses a number of directions that policy makers might take to avoid the diverse effects of choice and devolution as documented throughout the book. Continuing the balanced approach which typifies the book's tenor, the authors argue for a balance between citizen and consumer rights and that solutions promoting equity need to come from both the state and the market. While recommending that governments must avoid the further `atomization of educational decision making' through creating `new collectives and experimental contexts within civil society for determining organizational arrangements which are genuinely inclusive', the authors recognise the state's redistributarive role. This role is as paramount as it is indefinable in this respect, but the authors suggest that any political strategies need to highlight commonality as much as difference.

In all, the book provides a comprehensive and insightful analysis of the impact of devolution and choice on education across five countries. The comparative nature of the analysis pulls together considerable evidence that has previously been presented in terms of individual countries only. The authors are careful to point out the pitfalls of such analysis through urging consideration of context, but manage to weave their analysis into a discussion which identifies some similar effects of devolution which traverse national boundaries, as well as considerable differences. Although the attempt to cover five complex systems costs a little in terms of detail, the broader lessons identified make this acceptable. That the five countries can all be roughly classified as `Western democracies', somewhat limits the book's appeal. Although such a focus is understandable given the intricacies of the evidence and analysis, future analysis should attempt to include at least some `non-Western' contexts.

Given the weight of the arguments presented, and the volume of research reviewed, the book is remarkably easy to read and holds one's interest. To me, the real strength of the book is in its balanced and measured coverage of what can be extremely divisive and emotive issues. To their credit, the authors avoid the temptation to use the book as an excuse to openly `bash' free-market proponents and government, or to paint too pessimistic a picture. This does not stop them, however, from constructing a convincing and carefully supported argument to challenge the too many positive claims being attributed to devolution policies. The balance with which they approach the topic adds credibility to the substance and breadth of their position. As such, the book is a very useful contribution and stimulus to what looks to be an ongoing policy debate for years to come. I highly recommend it.