Aina Tarabini

The Role of PISA in Shaping Hegemonic Educational Discourses, Policies and Practices: The Case of Spain

The aim of this article is to analyse the direct and indirect effects that PISA generates in the orientation of educational policies and reforms in Spain and the ways in which PISA data and results are used in political discourses, at both national and sub-national levels. The main hypothesis of the article is that PISA results have played a key role in shaping Spanish hegemonic educational discourses, policies and practices, setting the framework of what is thinkable and doable in education. To explore this hypothesis, the article identifies two main mechanisms that have become a regular recourse in national educational policy discourse – selectivity and instrumentalisation – providing several examples of their use in recent Spanish education reforms.

Educational Targeting in the Fight against Poverty: Limits, Omissions and Opportunities.

Educational targeting has become one of the hegemonic mechanisms in the fight against poverty. Both international organisms and developing countries support targeting as one of the best strategies in order to simultaneously guarantee poverty reduction and economic growth, and consequently to tackle the challenges generated by globalisation. The main objective of the article is to point out some of the limits, omissions and opportunities of educational targeting as a priority strategy to fight against poverty. In doing so, it analyses the World Bank’s proposals in education, poverty and targeting and it presents one of the targeting pioneering programmes implemented in Latin America: the Bolsa Escola programme (BE). An analysis of the impacts of the programme is also included. This analysis is based on the results of an intensive qualitiative fieldwork containing more than 80 interviews with mothers and students who benefit from the programme as well as with teaching staff. The analysis demonstrates that although targeting could be a necessary and useful strategy, it is not sufficient either for ensuring school attainment or for reducing poverty.

Being Poor at School: Exploring Conditions of Educability in the "Favela".

This article explores how different ways of experiencing poverty affect the possibilities of poor children to make the most of their education. The study uses the concept of conditions of educability to reflect how the different dimensions of the experience of poverty facilitate or hinder the success of educational practices and the learning of poor students. In the first part of the article, the concept of conditions of educability is discussed in relation to the notions of capabilities and functionings, and a framework to investigate conditions of educability is presented. The second part of the article is based on the results of a study conducted in Belo Horizonte, the capital of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Through an analysis of interviews conducted with students, families and teachers, the different dimensions of the social experience of the children who inhabit the favelas are described. Two cases are presented and discussed as analytical examples of the conditions of educability of poor children. The last section of the article assesses some of the consequences of conditions of educability for the policy debate.

The politics of educational success: a realist evaluation of early school leaving policies in Catalonia (Spain)

ABSTRACT The objective of the article is to examine what is ‘taken for granted’ in the policies designed to combat Early School Leaving (ESL) in Catalonia, identifying their implicit ontologies, causal assumptions and logics of action. In order to do so, the realist evaluation is applied. Specifically, this methodology has been applied to compare the discourses, priorities and policies of two key agents in defining and implementing policies to combat ESL in Catalonia: the Catalan Department for Education (Regional Government body) and the Barcelona Education Consortium (Local Government body). In each case, systematic documentary analysis has been conducted as well as in-depth interviews with educational experts and policymakers. The results of the analysis allows opening up the black box of the political priorities defined by this two political agents, identifying two highly controversial logics to understand educational success and to consequently address ESL

Institutional habitus in context: implementation, development and impacts in two compulsory secondary schools in Barcelona

Abstract This article aims to revisit the relationship between school-level variables and students’ educational opportunities through the lens of institutional habitus. This approach is particularly well suited to explore the notion of school culture because it brings to the forefront the impact of social context, avoiding some of the limitations typically associated with the long-dominant perspective of school effectiveness research. Drawing on an ethnographic approach, the article explores how institutional habitus unfolds in two urban public secondary schools in the city of Barcelona. Breaking the notion down into three main components (educational status, organizational practices and expressive order), the analysis identifies two main types of institutional habitus – one based on action and inclusion, and another based on reaction and expulsion. Ultimately, these results give insight into the complex interplay of these three components, as well as on their combined impact on students’ educational opportunities.

La meritocracia en la mente del profesorado: un análisis de los discursos docentes en relación al éxito, fracaso y abandono escolar

The objective of the paper is to analyse the implicit conceptions of social class hidden in teachers’ discourses and practices when referring to their students’ processes of educational success, failure or drop out. The analysis is developed trough a qualitative methodology based on interviews to principals, pedagogic coordinators and teachers from different compulsory secondary schools in Catalonia. The results illustrate three main explanations regarding the students’ risk of educational failure and drop out: the student’s lack of commitment, the family deficit, and the patologisation of diversity. Summing up, they exemplify how the hegemonic meritocratic logic is embedded in teacher’s daily discourses and practices, thus, generating key effects in terms of educational equity and quality.

Factors in educational exclusion: including the voice of the youth

ABSTRACT The processes of educational exclusion are multiple and diverse. Research has shown that exclusion from school goes far beyond access. It is associated with crucial issues related to educational processes (belonging, recognition or representation) and results (knowledge or certificates). The objective of this article is to delve into the analysis of factors in educational exclusion, including the voice of the youth, as a key element in understanding these factors. The article begins with a literature review addressing the meaning, mechanisms and profiles of educational exclusion. It then presents qualitative fieldwork, consisting of six focus groups of young people (aged 14–24) who have been excluded from mainstream educational institutions in Barcelona, Spain. The results of the empirical analysis point to four critical elements in the process of educational exclusion as experienced by the youth: educational transitions; the role of teachers; the impact of grouping practices and disciplinary mechanisms; and the contrast between mainstream educational institutions and alternative learning arenas. By including the voice of the youth, the article provides a better understanding of the factors contributing to educational exclusion so as to advance in the construction of an educational system able to guarantee students’ right to learn and succeed in school.

Can educational engagement prevent Early School Leaving? Unpacking the school’s effect on educational success

Abstract There is growing evidence that school engagement, or more specifically disengagement, is a key indicator for predicting Early School Leaving. The aim of this article is to explore the impact of secondary schools in student (dis)engagement and subsequent opportunities to succeed in school. Drawing on data from a qualitative study in five secondary schools in Barcelona, the article discusses the role of school context in inhibiting or facilitating school engagement by exploring compositional effects, organisational and pedagogical practices, and teachers’ expectations. To do so a twofold perspective is adopted: firstly, we look at the main school features and their impact on students’ educational opportunities; and secondly, a systematic analysis of the dimensions of school engagement (behavioural, emotional and cognitive) is carried out. As a result, the article contributes to the identification of the most significant variables at school level that influence student engagement and their opportunities for school success.

Políticas de lucha contra el abandono escolar en España: hacia la definición de un modelo teóricometodológico

The aim of this paper is to present an analytical model designed to organize, analyze and compare policies to tackle Early School Leaving (ESL). The motivation for such systematization appears necessary after verifying the lack of a consistent and solid body for the various educational programs and policies to combat ESL. The analytical frame developed in this article is based on the theoretical and methodological approach of the Realist Evaluation (RE). The RE allows establishing the mechanisms that underlie explanatory logic programs and explain their different impacts based on the particularities of the contexts in which programs are carried out. Therefore, this article is a starting point for further analysis of specific educational programs to tackle ESL.

Book Review: Building Knowledge Cultures: Education and Development in the Age of Knowledge Capitalism

Michael Peters and Tina Besley have written an overview of a really burning issue. Can we define a sound theory linking current discourses on the knowledge economy and current concerns with development? Their thesis not only includes an affirmative answer but also defines the main relevant concepts, namely, knowledge, education and development. Basically, they remind the readers that the whole endeavour might miss the point if the philosophical discussion of language and knowledge was overlooked.