Education and Policy in England in the Twentieth Century

In the 1990s education has become one of the major social and political questions of the day. This book has been written to provide an authoritative guide to the issues which underlie the formulation of educational policy. It stands both as a substantial historical study in its own right and as an essential background and introduction to the current educational debate.

The time is ripe, especially in view of the passing of the controversial 1988 Education Reform Act, for a scholarly work of reflection and assessment. Readers of this volume will not be disappointed......The book will clearly serve as the new standard text for some time to come. History of Education Review "This lucid and well-informed study provides a very helpful introduction to current debates about educational policies." The Times Higher Educational Supplement "Not least it is valuable in being based on information rather than misinformation, on evidence rather than on belief, and on a good sense of time and context rather than the incense of ideology. It therefore offers a timely uplift in the intellectual level of what has become a highly polarized and politicized debate.....For students of educational policy this is the ideal introductory text." History of Education Quarterly