EDUCATION FOR THE GOOD SOCIETY - Support

12. Rethinking thecomprehensive ideal –new ways of conductingeducational politicsam not arguing for a separation of education andpolitics, but for a new relationship between thetwo. A priority for all political parties, particularlysocial democratic, liberal and green, shouldbe not only the creation of new policy content,but finding new ways of practicing educationalpolitics – a new policy style.Ken SpoursParty politics and education – a toxicmixParty politics and education, in England at least,have represented a toxic mix for several decades.There was never a golden age, but in recent timeswe have plumbed the depths. The problems havebeen well documented and the record appliesto all the major parties. The last 30 years haveseen education reforms guided by political andelectoral calculation or ideological dogma, leadingto constant change tied to ministerial careers andan obsession with structures, whether these beschools or qualifications. Moreover, an addictionto ‘dog whistle politics’ has meant that bothmajor parties felt they knew what the electorate(or their part of it) wanted. For Labour, it wasperformance at any price, leading to a regime oftargets and accountability. For the Conservativesit is a conviction that parents understand theeducation they themselves experienced and thereis political gold to be mined in traditionalism andthe educational image of the 1950s.This kind of educational politics has resulted inthe marginalisation of the voice of professionalswho, time and again, have been blamed for the illsof education. A politically informed agenda hasproduced little continuity or the sharing of ideasbut, instead, has fuelled the polarisation of debates– teachers v. parents; knowledge v. skills; academicv. vocational. The dichotomies comprise a longlist and David Cameron and Michael Gove aretrying their best to add to it. The result has beena chaotic and recriminatory reform process thattires teachers, puzzles parents and employers, andcreates a permanent sense of discontent.Having said this, education is fundamental tosociety and is, therefore, bound to be political. IRethinking the comprehensive ideal –five ways of doing things differentlyThis first Compass ebook has discussed the valuesthat inform the building of the Good Society –fairness and equality, democracy, sustainabilityand wellbeing. Doubtless, in time, more will beadded. These need to contribute to our thinkingabout education because it is a crucial dimensionof the Good Society and its realisation. Theyhelp us understand that means are as importantas ends; remind us of what is worth strugglingfor and provide us with a moral compass. Theyshow that our politics will be led by fundamentalcommitments and, crucially, they can be thebasis of a wider dialogue, which aims to educatethe population more generally about the widerpurposes of education itself.Drawing on the chapters in this book, I wouldlike to suggest five ways of thinking about thepractice of transformative educational politics.1 Have a long political memoryPoliticians tend to suffer from policy amnesia,exhibiting little if any policy memory. Everythinghas to be shiny and new. However, for Labourand other parties to renew the comprehensiveideal will require the opposite – a very longpolitical memory that stretches back to themutualism, solidarity and reciprocity that wasat the birth of the labour movement. It has toinject this kind of memory into its concept ofwhat is meant by state education if it to becomea force for innovation and liberation and notfor bureaucracy. A long memory that goes backnot only 50 but 100 years reinforces a commitmentto pluralism, democracy and collective selforganisation– those things we should cherishand that we lost in statism. A long memory alsoprovides connections with the liberal traditionsthat also contributed to progressive change in thelate nineteenth century.58 | www.compassonline.org.uk