The Empty Form of Fairness: Equality of Educational Opportunity as an Instrumentalizing Force in Education

Autor/in	Blumsztajn, Anna
Titel	The Empty Form of Fairness: Equality of Educational Opportunity as an Instrumentalizing Force in Education
Quelle	In: Policy Futures in Education, 18 (2020) 7, S.834-849 (16 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Blumsztajn, Anna)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1478-2103
DOI	10.1177/1478210320942072
Schlagwörter	Equal Education; Educational Opportunities; Comparative Analysis; Social Differences; Democracy; Research Reports; Secondary Education; Higher Education; Educational Practices; Intelligence; Teaching Methods; Educational Policy; Ethics; Civil Rights; Educational Philosophy + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Bildungsangebot; Bildungschance; Sozialer Unterschied; Demokratie; Research report; Forschungsbericht; Sekundarbereich; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Bildungspraxis; Intelligenz; Klugheit; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Ethik; Bürgerrechte; Grundrechte; Zivilrecht; Bildungsphilosophie; Erziehungsphilosophie
Abstract	The article investigates the instrumentalizing and ontological effects of the concept of equality of educational opportunity (EEO). Starting with the Coleman report (Coleman et al., 1966), through the democratization of secondary and tertiary education, and reading it in light of the recent debate on educationalization of social problems (Smeyers and Depaepe, 2008), the text inquires what has become of education under the influence of this powerfull concept. The evolution of this becoming is shaped by the paradox of equal treatment and selection, two fundamental principles on which the EEO ideal is based. (Dubet, 2008). The objectivity of evaluation and comparability of results that this ideal implies sets EEO as one of the most important bases for the development of quantitative evaluation and testing, thus transforming the curriculum and shaping educational practices (Stanczyk, 2013; Terrail, 2002). Moreover, the EEO principle brings the educational system to legitimize social inequalities: since it means treating students equally while they have to be ranked and come out segregated, the belief in inequality of intelligence is being reinforced, and inequalities are educationalized instead of being alleviated. Finally, the research shows that EEO policy and the EEO concept is pedagogically empty, mainly serving as an expression, or allegory of our concern with social inequalities (Labaree, 2008; Rancière, 2002), with no real educational means serving this concern. The good news here is that such emptiness leaves room for practices of pedagogical equality being invented and introduced into the school. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01