ERIC Number: EJ681746
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Mar-1
Pages: 13
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0268-0939
EISSN: N/A
Pupils, the Forgotten Partners in Education Action Zones
Whitehead, Joan; Clough, Nick
Journal of Education Policy, v19 n2 p215-227 Mar 2004
Education action zones (EAZs) involving local partnerships are one of the government's policies set up to help raise standards in pupils' performance and behaviour in areas of economic and social disadvantage. This article explores the nature of these partnerships and the fact that pupils are excluded. It reviews literature on student voice and describes interviews with 139 Year 8 pupils in two inner city zone schools to gain an insight into their perceptions about their learning. The data highlights some differences by gender and ethnicity and also the steps pupils believe are necessary if improvements are to be made. If zone schools are to live up to the promise of 'empowering people and communities', the paper argues pupils need to be included as stakeholders who shape the implementation of policy and become part of the solution to the difficulties EAZs are charged to address. The paper concludes by suggesting this will require a shift in the dominant epistemology to recognize pupils as co-constructors of learning and a shift towards more democratic forms of relations in order to encourage pupil participation and enable their voices to be heard.
Descriptors: Urban Schools, Democracy, Student Diversity, Secondary Education, Educational Policy, Foreign Countries, Academic Standards, Student Participation, Policy Formation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Grade 8
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A