State and Education Policy: The Academies Programme

Helen M. Gunter is Professor of Educational Policy, Leadership and Management at the University of Manchester, UK.

‘This is an incredibly important book on an issue deserving of close scrutiny. It offers precisely the kind of deep analysis that should be mandatory before ill-considered strategies are embarked upon by ideologically-driven governments. It raises crucial questions central to the role of the state, civil society, and the place of private interests in educational policy and school reform.' John Smyth, Research Professor of Education, University of Ballarat, Australia

• Preface Francis Beckett; Introduction: Radical Educational Reform Helen M Gunter; Part I: Academies at Work; 1. Academies and the Law David Wolfe; 2. Setting Up an Academy: Control and Contestation of the Local Policy Process Richard Hatcher; 3. Giving Birth to School Academies: Power, Politics and Community Voice John Elliott; 4. Academy Consultation Meetings: Local discourse on a national policy Kirsten Purcell; 5. Academies in the Public Interest: A contradiction in terms? Alan Dyson and Harriet Rowley; Part II: Perspectives on the Academies Programme; 6. From Reality to Vision David Daniels; 7. How do Academies Affect the Interests of those Involved? Martin Rogers; 8. What Works? An empirical assessment of strengths, weaknesses and next steps for the Academies initiative David Armstrong, Valerie Bunting and Judy Larsen; 9. The Chimera of Structural School Improvement Stephen Gorard; 10. Rapidly Improving Results': Penetrating the hype of policy-based evidence Terry Wrigley; Part III: Debating the Academies Programme; 11. Academies and the State: the bigger picture Stephen Ball; 12. Academies: A case study in English Educational Governance Ron Glatter; 13. The New Enterprise Logic of the Academy School Brian J. Caldwell; 14. International Perspectives on Academies: Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Opportunities for At-Risk Children and Families Ellen Goldring and Madeline Mavrogordato; 15. Policymaking and Evidence Denis Gleeson; Conclusion: Public Education and Academies Helen M Gunter; Index.