Tag Archives: Democracy

Young people and the election

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

Are young people turned off politics? Will they vote? Do they care who wins the election? Are all parties the same? Are the candidates just hacks mindlessly parroting their parties’ approved slogans? This week’s general election hustings at Newham sixth … Continue reading →

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Roberto Unger on school as the ‘voice of the future’

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

In his excellent book ‘The Left Alternative’ the Brazilian philosopher and politician Roberto Unger proposes a new way for progressives to think about the future and start creating the good society. Unger suggests we should not give up on the central promise … Continue reading →

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Democratic emotions in the face of barbarism – Philippe Meirieu

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

In the aftermath of the massacre of 147 people at Garissa University College in Kenya on 2 April it is difficult to find any positive emotions to draw on. The slaughter of young people in their place of learning shocks … Continue reading →

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Paoli in London

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

He’s been called the Che Guevara of the 18th century. He was a freedom fighter, a democrat and an intellectual. He was celebrated by Voltaire and Rousseau for producing one of the first republican constitutions of the enlightenment era; one … Continue reading →

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Education 2020: market or system?

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Eddie Playfair

What will education in England be like in 2020? As the 2015 general election approaches, what are the possible futures for education in England? An election is a democratic moment where we are offered a choice of futures and we … Continue reading →

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Gramsci’s grammar and Dewey’s dialectic.

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

James Donald’s ‘Dewey-eyed optimism’ Over 20 years ago I read a short review article which re-examined the relationship between knowledge, skill, vocationalism and a broad liberal education. It helped me see that progressive educators could value knowledge and tradition as … Continue reading →

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The fruits of democracy

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Reclaiming Education (Nov 15th 2014) The theme of the excellent Reclaiming Education meeting in Birmingham on 15th November was ‘priorities for the next government’ and one of the key questions raised was: how do we ensure that our education system responds to … Continue reading →

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The bitter fruits of autonomy

Posted on November 15, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

In his speech on 12th November, schools reform minister Nick Gibb restated some of the key themes of this government’s education strategy and expressed his delight at seeing the ‘full fruits of autonomy in all their vivid abundance.’ To those … Continue reading →

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The oath and the compass

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

It sounds like the title of a medieval thriller; the brotherhood of educators send their top monks out to roam the world having sworn to serve learning and they solve all sorts of intractable problems with the help of a … Continue reading →

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Reading the education manifestos

Posted on October 4, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

What is the point of manifestos, whether for education or any other policy area? Are they even worth the paper they’re written on given that we are fairly desensitised to parties straying from their election pledges in the name of … Continue reading →

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London loses out in Headteacher Board elections

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

There was a national election before the summer to “improve the education of pupils across England” and “shape the future of the education system”. Missed it? You might be forgiven for this because only academy headteachers had a vote. Also, … Continue reading →

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Finding Labour’s Education Mojo

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Less than a year before the general election, has the Labour Party developed winning education policies? Tristram Hunt’s latest speech ‘The Choice in Education’ was a bit like a pre-tour band rehearsal. A range of material was tried out, some … Continue reading →

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Maxine Greene: resisting one-dimensionality

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Maxine Greene, the eminent American teacher, teacher educator and educational philosopher died last month aged 96. She is relatively little known in the UK and her passing doesn’t seem to have registered much in the British education media. It’s too … Continue reading →

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A pale shadow of democracy

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

The government’s new local arrangements for overseeing schools are a pale shadow of what we need. A new regional architecture is being created to oversee England’s schools and we are beginning to see its outlines. Mostly, it’s made up of … Continue reading →

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Headteacher Board elections: excitement mounts

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Eddie Playfair

Elections? This month? About education? With policies, candidates, proper voting and everything? Overseen by the electoral reform services? Cool! Yes, indeed, there are national elections taking place right now across England which will shape the education system in every part … Continue reading →

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