Compulsory Schooling in Australia : Perspectives from Students, Parents, and Educators

In an examination of the impact of education policy on Australia's diverse student population, this book asks if increasing the years of compulsory schooling can make the positive social impact its proponents claim. The authors' analysis reveals a policy disjuncture wrought by competing agendas of increased school leaving age and school choice.

Increasing the school-leaving age is seen to be a panacea to a range of problems related to health, welfare, and the human capital of nations in much of the developed world. This book examines whether or not increasing the years of compulsory schooling can make a difference in the most diverse region of Australia: South-Western Sydney. The authors reveal the desires and disappointments of students and parents and the impact on schools and teachers'' work. Special attention is taken to uncover the link between neoliberal imperatives governing teachers'' work and the opportunities afforded students and families. The authors show how the social relations of ability, gender, ethnicity, race, and class are implicated in response to challenging school contexts. They draw on recent sociological analysis of families becoming market negotiators and reveal the striking policy disjuncture framing the work of teachers and the lives of students and their families.