http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/1185210504

Meritocratic education and social worthlessness

This book critically examines the socio-cultural role of achievement within education, arguing that the increasingly global demand for measurable standards of academic achievement is an expression of political ideology and the aggressive, competitive reality of a neo-capitalist schooling system. The book explores how this burgeoning demand in education systems contrasts with the very foundations of education and educational common-sense, which should value achievement as a basis for developing a positive sense of worth for all students and for nurturing their potential. Instead, these systems are structured by consumerism, exploitation and marginalization, breeding a social-Darwinian atmosphere within school environments that results in many students feeling socially worthless and as though they have under-achieved.

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