Is there a place for place in educational attainment policy?

Kintrea, K. (2021) Is there a place for place in educational attainment policy? Oxford Review of Education, 47(2), pp. 207-223. (doi: 10.1080/03054985.2020.1824901)

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Abstract

This paper aims to examine the case for a focus on place-based drivers of inequalities in educational attainment among secondary school students in Scotland. Using desk-based sources, it provides an account of the post-2015 policy episode around improving educational attainment among children from disadvantaged areas. This started with the Scottish Government claiming that its ‘defining mission’ was to ‘close the gap’ but the place-based focus of policy was soon dissipated and the legislation that intended to be the flagship of reform was shelved. The paper shows that international evidence prompts a need for the impact of disadvantage based on place to be factored into approaches to schooling and provides a regretful account of its insecure traction in Scottish policy. It argues that a serious weakness of the case for place in Scotland is the underlying evidence base and concludes by suggesting how existing data sources could be used more effectively and by outlining some alternative policy approaches.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Kintrea, Professor Keith
Authors: Kintrea, K.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
Journal Name:Oxford Review of Education
Publisher:Taylor and Francis
ISSN:0305-4985
ISSN (Online):1465-3915
Published Online:18 October 2020
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2020 The Authors
First Published:First published in Oxford Review of Education 47(2): 207-223
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
190698Urban Big Data Research CentreNick BaileyEconomic and Social Research Council (ESRC)ES/L011921/1S&PS - Urban Big Data