Changing the educational climate: children, citizenship and learning contexts?

Abstract

The changing climate of children’s education at the turn of the twenty‐first century through sociocultural and global political changes is my focus of attention. I will discuss the changing social context and environments for research on children and education, considering various transformations in the social and policy contexts that have led to new forms of research, new ethical procedures and the ways that social diversity has influenced research and policy on equity questions. One key context is how the British New Labour Government from 1997 to 2006 attempted to transform the education policy agenda towards personalization or individualization and children’s services and rights, with new discourses about teaching and learning, social exclusion or inclusion and equality. I will also address the changing sociocultural climate of increasing social diversity and how new moral responsibilities and political values underpinning these personal, private and public issues are addressed within education. However, I will conclude that these policy measures remain ambivalent about wider sociocultural changes and the evidence amassed from research about how to improve teaching and learning. Policy developments sustain traditional political values rather than empowering children and young people.