Inclusion in the City : Selection, Schooling and Community

Inclusion in the City explores inclusion and exclusion in the context of policy and practice in one English city - Birmingham. Here, a commitment to redressing the inequalities experienced by many learners has been inhibited by difficulty in securing agreement to a definite policy for inclusion and, consequently, in sustaining initiatives for strengthening participation in community comprehensive education. Grounded in an understanding of inclusion as a political and moral project, the book presents a range of perspectives from policymakers and practitioners. Detailed case studies, based on research specially undertaken for this book, relate inclusion to key issues in contemporary education such as; the effects of selection by attainment; faith schools and their communities; single sex education and inclusive schools; participation in further education; and social mobility. Insightful, thought provoking and original, Inclusion in the City detaches processes of inclusion and exclusion from the language of educational reform. In so doing it highlights links between participation in education and poverty, gender and cultural background, as well as the absence of a link between urban and educational renewal.