The Politics of Differentiation in Schools

The Politics of Differentiation is concerned with how schools can provide a more socially just education in the current policy context. The book explores the ‘politics’ of various forms of differentiation within and between schools, particularly in relation to social justice. We contend that spaces for social justice within classrooms, schools and broader education systems will be opened by a politics of differentiation that recognises context and seeks economic, cultural and political justice. Such politics will need to be continually questioned to proliferate new lines of thought and enquiry.

In many English-speaking countries, teachers are encouraged to differentiate their classrooms, and in some cases, through various policy mechanisms. This encouragement is often accompanied by threats and sanctions for not making the grade. By exploring the ways in which one education system in Australia has mandated differentiation through an audit of teacher practices, this book provides a timely engagement with the relationship between differentiated classrooms and social justice. It covers tensions, for instance, between providing culturally-appropriate classrooms, including constructing engaging and relevant curricula, and lowering expectations for students who have traditionally been marginalised by schooling. The data for this book has been collected from the same group of teachers over a period of three years, and offers detailed insights into how a particular politics of differentiation has played itself out in the context of a ‘global reform movement’ that has focused on improving student outcomes.