Full Description
How has schooling functioned in the construction of meritocratic national systems historically? To what extent will these historical patterns and normative commitments continue in the new era of a global meritocracy? And ultimately, how can educators effectively balance the inherent tension between individual merit and standardized quality? Kariya and Rappleye explore the answers to these questions and more by focusing on the Japanese model, long recognized globally for being one of the most equitable and meritocratic systems in the world. Looking at the country's educational history and policy shifts, the authors point to the important comparative lessons for sociology and education research. They show how the Japanese experience can inform global approaches to educational reform and policymaking—and how this kind of exploration can reinvigorate a more rigorous discussion of meritocracy, equality, and education.
Book Features:
Rethink the complex relationships among meritocracy, education, and equality from a global perspective.
See how nations beyond North America and Western Europe have developed different, more equitable approaches to improve outcomes for all learners.
Explore the root causes of current problems in meritocracy through a look at the historical background of Japan's postwar experience.
Transcend prevailing stereotypes of Japanese education and society, and reconceptualize these differences as alternative approaches.
Understand how pedagogical approaches and funding mechanisms are fundamentally entangled through the authors' rich empirical detail.
Contents
Contents (Tentative)
1. Introduction: Rethinking Education and Equality in an Era of Inequality
Toward a Global Meritocracy? A Brief History of an Ideal
A Meritocratic Utopia? The Importance of Japan in the Discussion
Purpose and Aims of the Book
Outline of Chapters
2. The Japanese Story: Topography of Confrontation, Roots of the Problem
The Story Begins: Why 1958?
Why the Late 50s?
The Meaning of 'Reverse Course'
The Great 6-3 Experiment
Excavating the Problem: Descending Beyond Left/Right Confrontation
3. The Traumatic Prewar Legacy and the Roots of the American Model
Prewar Allocation of Education Resources
How to Solve the Problem
American Roots: the Scientific-Management Revolution
Individualization of Learning and the Logic of Educational Finance
4. Drafting the Postwar Blueprint
Beginning Again Postwar
Postwar Demands
World of Standard Means: the Japanese Approach to Equality
5. The Unknown Revolution: "Surface Equality"
Educational Finance Trends and Interregional Inequalities
The Silent Revolution': Homogenization of Educational Provision
"Surface Equality": Towards Greater Homogenization
6. The Ambivalence of Standardization
National Survey of Academic Achievement: A Reanalysis
Connections to Achievement
Surface Equality and Ambivalence: Homeroom, Collective Order, and Exam Competition
7. The Whereabouts of "Surface Equality" Today
Dismantling the World of Standardization? Policy Reforms 1995-2010
The Silent Growth of Inequalities
The Ease of Understanding the Object of Critique
Inflected Perspectives: The Optical Illusion of Individuality and Individualism
8. Conclusion: Drawing the Implications for a Global Age
Japan in the Global Conversation: Still the Meritocracy Frontier?
Revisiting Michael Young's Dystopia
Education and Equality 30 Years after Neoliberalism
References
Index
About the Authors
