Education policy and the sociology of education

Abstract

This article reflects upon current trends in education policy and education research to suggest that they often lose sight of the broader context of educational practice. Marketisation policies and school improvement programmes are seen as examples of this danger. The paper argues that contemporary social theory and sociologically informed empirical research still have an important role to play in making sense of the changing relationships between the state, civil society and schooling. While recognising that sociological insights cannot prescribe the detailed direction of education policy, it seeks to identify a more modest role for the sociology of education in the future development of education policy. © 1997, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.