Audit Culture
Data provided from the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), in which studies students from 172,000 pupils from 32 different countries, were tested in the areas of Reading, Maths and Science, [http://www.oecd.org/pisa/] scores are given at five different levels. Unfortunately it is only reflective of the majority OECD countries with a few non OECD's , and this is in line with the economic climate of the world. The tests have helped to reinforce the audit culture, but on a global scale, as one country can be pitched against the other in an economic power struggle, as todays students are tomorrows workforce. These tests reinforce globalism and with this as Durkhiem explores, the social solidarity of society,
'each organ, in effect has it's special physiognomy, its autonomy. And moreover, the unity of the organism is as great as the individuation of the parts is more marked' [Durkheim, 1893] ,
and as Bourdieu [1986] discusses, leads to cultural capital being directly converted into economic capital, just in the case of PISA it is done on an international scale.
This audit culture is apparent in the UK today with the National League tables being published each year, using GCSE and A level results as basis to judge a schools performance and the pupils within it [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11950098]. This causes two problems for equality, first it pitches one school against the other for funding as the better the results the more funding they will recieve, it can be argued that this is a good thing as it will push the standard of teaching to a higher level. Unfortunately what is all too often the case for the schools with lower attainment and therefore lower funding is they are unable to get out of the low attainment bracket, because of the lack of funding. The second problem that arises from this audit process is that of elitism, those with more economic capital can move close to schools with high attainment. It follows that those with less economic capital, are less likely to be able to send their children to schools with better attainment, as they will lack the resources to do so.
'each organ, in effect has it's special physiognomy, its autonomy. And moreover, the unity of the organism is as great as the individuation of the parts is more marked' [Durkheim, 1893] ,
and as Bourdieu [1986] discusses, leads to cultural capital being directly converted into economic capital, just in the case of PISA it is done on an international scale.
This audit culture is apparent in the UK today with the National League tables being published each year, using GCSE and A level results as basis to judge a schools performance and the pupils within it [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11950098]. This causes two problems for equality, first it pitches one school against the other for funding as the better the results the more funding they will recieve, it can be argued that this is a good thing as it will push the standard of teaching to a higher level. Unfortunately what is all too often the case for the schools with lower attainment and therefore lower funding is they are unable to get out of the low attainment bracket, because of the lack of funding. The second problem that arises from this audit process is that of elitism, those with more economic capital can move close to schools with high attainment. It follows that those with less economic capital, are less likely to be able to send their children to schools with better attainment, as they will lack the resources to do so.