Values and Ideology Fowler Ch. 5

1. Values and IdeologyFowler Ch. 5 Dr. Wayne E. Wright Royal University of Phnom Penh

2. Focus Questions • What values shape education policy? • How do these values relate to major political ideologies • How can educational leaders identify the values and ideological positions behind policies and policy proposals? • How can education leaders act both effectively and democratically in this environment?

3. Values and Ideology • School leaders must understand the political ideas around them in order to think intelligently about education policy • Ideas, beliefs, and values are important • They shape the way people define policy problems • They constrain people’s ability to perceive possible solutions to policy problems

4. Schools Leaders Should Ask … • What values led people to propose this policy? • Are any value conflicts inherent in it? • What assumptions about society, government, and economics lie behind it? • With what broader ideological position is the policy consistent?

5. Basic Values in U.S. Politics • Democratic Values • Liberty • Equality • Fraternity • Economic Values • Efficiency • Economic Growth • Quality • Self-Interest Values • Economic • Power • General Social Values • Order • Individualism

6. Self-Interest and Other Values • Human behavior is shaped by • Self-Interest • Other values • Commitments to ideological, philosophical or religious principles • One must always consider issues of self-interest when analyzing values underlying education policy

7. Self-Interest ValuesEconomic • Many people are motivated by their own economic interests • Or for the group with which they are affiliated • First steps to analyze an education policy is to ask • Who benefits economically from this policy? • Who is penalized economically by it?

8. Self-Interest ValuesEconomic • Types of Economic benefits • Salary increases • Increase in fringe benefits • Tax reductions/waivers • Increased demand for one’s services • Increase in available materials • Beneficiaries • Individuals • A broad class of individuals • E.g. Business people • An organized group • E.g., Teachers Union

9. Self-Interest ValuesPower • Individuals or groups also often act to increase their power • Questions to ask when analyzing education policy • Who gains power as a result of this policy? • Who loses power? • Power Plays are frequently well-hidden

10. Self-Interest ValuesPower • Types of Power Benefits • A new legal right • Representation in decision-making group • Veto power over decisions • Access to information • Access to channels of communication • Right to serve long terms • Authority to advise decision makers • Increase in job security

11. General Social ValuesOrder • People need and want to live in an environment where they are relatively safe and their property is relatively secure • Governments go to great length to maintain social order. • The need for order in schools is a high value for for most Americans.

12. General Social ValuesIndividualism • “individualism lies at the very core of American culture” • Valuing individualism means • Tending to consider the single-person and his or her needs before those of the group • Emphasizing self-reliance • The structure of the U.S. Education System is an expression of individualism • Thousands of small local school districts • Resistance to national standards, curriculum, and exams

13. Democratic ValuesLiberty • Also called freedom, independence, or choice • Fundamental principle of democracy • No freedom is unrestricted • Each freedom has limits • “Your freedom to swing your arm ends where my nose begins” • Ex: Teachers have freedom of religion, but do not have the freedom to proselytize students.

14. Questions to ask when evaluating the freedom issues of a policy • How does this policy affect political freedoms (speech, press, association, assembly) of teachers and/or students? • How does this policy affect the range of choices open to parents and/or students • How does this policy affect the religious freedom of students and/or faculty?

15. Democratic ValuesEquality • “All men are created equal” • Does not mean all have equal intelligence, physical strength, power, wealth, etc. • Means all are equally human, and thus • Entitled to an equal standing before the law • Equal opportunity to live their lives in a way not too remote from the norms of their society

16. Democratic ValuesEquality • Also called equity or social justice • Different meanings of equality: • Political equality • Equal right to participate in the political system • Economic equality • Equal wealth • Equality of results • Most Americans dislike because inconsistent with idea of individual achievement • Questions to ask – Figure 5.4

17. Democratic ValuesEquality • Equality of opportunity • All have the same chance to get a good education and decent job • Most Americans believe in it • U.S. has made good progress • 19th Century – every child access to elementary school • Early 20th Century – Expanded to secondary schools • Late 20th Century – Improve access for minorities, girls, and students with disabilities • But still many issues to resolve …

18. Democratic ValuesFraternity • Brotherhood, solidarity, social capital • Means the ability to • perceive other members of one’s society as brothers and sisters • To have a sense of responsibility for them • To feel that in difficult times one can turn to them for help • Developed through social interactions in small groups • Family, classroom, church, temple, community organizations, athletic clubs, local chapters of political party • Racial integration, inclusion of disabled students in classrooms • Questions to ask – Figure 5.5

19. Economic ValuesEfficiency • Making a profit is a central purpose of capitalism • Efficiency means obtaining the best possible return on expenditure or investment • Cost-effectiveness • An efficient education system • High levels of achievement • Relatively low expenditures • Policy makers always concerned about the cost of education • “do more with less!” • Leads to issues like state proficiency tests, monetary rewards for high scores, and merit pay for teachers • Questions to ask – Figure 5.6

20. Economic ValuesEconomic Growth • Capitalistic economies want economic growth • Increasing production • Stimulating domestic consumption • Expanding foreign trade • Education contributes to economic growth • Highly skilled workforce • Schools buy lots of stuff • Students are current and future consumers • Questions to ask – Fig. 5.7

21. Economic ValuesQuality • Excellence, high standards, world-class • Frequently touted by policymakers • Policies related to • improving quality of instruction • helping students develop critical thinking skills, • more advanced study of math, science, and technology • Questions to ask – Fig. 5.8

22. Values Interacting with Each Other • Cyclical Shifts in Dominant Values • Most Americans support all of these values • The difference is how they prioritize them • Real world of limited choices and resources • Cannot pursue all of the values at the same time. • The set of dominant values behind educational policy changes cyclically over time.

23. Cyclical Shifts in Dominant Values • U.S. educational policy tends to alternate between equality and economic values • 1945 – 1980 • U.S. became a superpower and after WWII • Segregation of African Americans was painfully embarrassing • U.S. urged other countries to adopt democratic constitutions and protect human rights, but lacked credibility because of its own record. • Major efforts to desegregate public schools and universities, and more opportunities for minorities, women, and disabled • Value Priority = Equality

24. Cyclical Shifts in Dominant Values • 1970s – present • Pendulum began to swing from Equality to the three Economic Values – Efficiency, Economic Growth, and Quality • Education Reform Movement • A Nation at Risk • School choice • Proficiency testing • Merit pay for teachers • Push for national curriculum and tests • Push for up-to-date technology • Words and phrases common in Educational Discourse of Policymakers • Choice for parents, educational freedom, accountability, world-class schools, more bang for the buck, greater productivity • The pendulum will eventually swing back to Equality again

25. Important Value Conflicts • The art of developing good policy involves finding a good balance among competing values • Conflicts involving Freedom • Any unrestricted freedom conflicts with other freedoms • Unrestricted freedom compromises all the other values • Ex: Order • Need to prevent chaos in schools means limiting freedom of students and teachers • Ex: Efficiency • One-Size-Fits-All is much cheaper than Freedom • Expensive for schools to offer wide variety of electives • Ex: Quality • If all teachers and students free to teach and learn or do whatever they want, it does not mean these will conform to high standards

26. Important Value Conflicts • Conflicts involving Freedom • Ex: Equality • Differences in individual students leads to different (unequal) outcomes • Unrestricted freedom can lead to a society with few very wealthy people while the rest live in poverty • Not compatible with political democracy • Equality imposed by law can result in complete lack of freedom • E.g. The Soviet Union • Goal of sound public policy is to NOT pursue either freedom or equality to the extreme, but to seek a judicious balance between the two

27. Ideology • Ideology • “A fairly coherent set of values and beliefs about the way the social, economic, and political systems should be organized and operated and recommendations about how these values and beliefs should be put into effect” (Issak, 1987) • People take their ideologies for granted • “It’s common sense!” • People typically react emotionally rather than rationally when someone challenges them • U.S. Educational Policy is very ideologically driven • School leaders must have an understanding of the different ideological positions they will encounter

28. Major U.S. Ideologies • Conservatism • Business Conservatism • Religious Conservatism • These constitute the core of the Republican Party • But major conflicts can exists between the two • (contributed to the defeat of McCain in 2008)

29. Major U.S. IdeologiesConservatism • Business Conservatism • Believe • people are motivated purely by self-interest • the achievement of material well-being is the central goal of society • Allowing individuals to compete freely in the marketplace will lead to strong economic growth • Want • Minimal government regulation of business and economy • deregulation • Tax reductions • Privatization • Reducing or eliminating welfare programs • Educational Policy Demands • High standards and accountability, testing, merit pay • Privatization of public schools – Charter schools, private schools, school vouchers • Many want to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education

30. Major U.S. IdeologiesConservatism • Religious Conservatism • Increasing influence of the “Religious Right” • Protestant (Christian) expression of fundamentalist mentality • Believe • All humans created in the image of a good God • All humans are sinners, and fall short of God’s will • Christians should make moral decisions based on religious teachings • The U.S. was once a Christian nation, but has now rebelled against God and Christian values • Solution is to wage a “cultural war” against forces of moral corruption to win the country back for God • Must work through the political system to restore traditional values, like traditional family values • Impose by law if necessary

31. Major U.S. IdeologiesConservatism • Religious Conservatism • Educational Policy Demands • Support school choice • Many want to abolish the Department of Education • Empower parents to right to raise their children without interference • School prayer • Oppose sex-education • Oppose teaching of evolution, or demand the inclusion of “intelligent design” in the science curriculum • Oppose any curriculum deemed as “secular humanism” and/or anti-traditional Christian values

32. Major U.S. IdeologiesLiberalism • Dominant ideology of the Democratic Party • Two variants at conflict with each other • New Politics Liberalism • Emphasis on overcoming past discriminations against oppressed groups (minorities, women, disabled, gays, etc.) • “Race and gender identity politics” • Believe that most problems in the U.S. result from the history of discrimination and oppression based on factors beyond individual control • Make it easier for members of oppressed groups to get a good education and good jobs. • Fight for equal access to quality education for all children regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or disability • Major Values – Equality and Fraternity (solidarity with oppressed groups)

33. Major U.S. IdeologiesLiberalism • Two variants at conflict with each other • Neoliberalism • Believe race-and-gender identity politics alienates working-class citizens and largely ignores growing economic inequality in the U.S. • Believe in equality but want to approach it in different ways • Mostly value Economic Growth and Fraternity • Educational Policy Demands • National and community service • National curriculum standards and assessments • Vocational and technical education • Improve education and spur the economy • Policies which build a sense of national unity

34. Other Ideologies • Extreme Ideologies in the United States • Left-wing Extremism • Blame social problems on large corporations, the military, modern technology, or on the institution of private property • Want to withdraw from society and set up their own ideal or utopian communities (communes) • Opposed to war, but can be violent • E.g., use violence against the “military-industrial complex” to protest war or other policies • Right-wing Extremism • Blame social problems on racial, religious, or ethnic groups • Restrict immigration • Restore the (mythical) “White Christian Nation” • White Supremacy Hate groups (e.g., Klu-Klux-Klan)

35. Schools at Contested Terrain • School leaders are caught in the ideological crossfire • Schools are major sites of ideological conflicts • Policy debates are often ideological debates • Different groups want schools to do, and not do, many things consistent with their own ideological views • School leaders must be able to recognize and understand the underlying values and ideologies of these demands

36. Dealing Effectively with Ideological Conflicts • School leaders must recognize their own Ideological position • Activity • Rank order the 8 values • Most important ones first • Least important ones last

37. Dealing Effectively with Ideological Conflicts • Activity • Look at your top four values • If equality is in the group, you probably lean towards liberalism • Especially if both equality and fraternity appear • If two or more of the economic values are listed, you lean more towards business conservatism • Especially if both liberty and individualism appear together • Religious conservatives – likely have Order, and also fraternity and liberty

38. Dealing Effectively with Ideological Conflicts • Recognize Ideological conflicts • Obtain information about an Ideological Issue • Opening the Democratic process • Don’t cave into the demands of any angry group • Best response is to open the democratic process • Let all groups have a voice in the process • Study issue, seek out different groups, hold meetings with them • Sometimes angry groups are strong and loud, but small • Represent a minority view • Allowing all to weigh in and give opinions can lead to better policy changes • Can allow others to hear and understand the perspectives of others • Can lead to compromises

39. Discussion Questions • Which of the values discussed in this chapter are also values present here in Cambodia? • Which values appear to be the values prioritized by the current government and educational leaders? • In your opinion, what is the major cause of current social, economic, and political problems in Cambodia and how do these effect the Education system?