Inequalities and (in)justices in education: a dialogue with Sally Power

Abstract

Within the framework of the EDUPLACES Project 1 , the arrival in June 2018 of the eminent teacher and researcher in education Sally Power from Cardiff University was an important opportunity, not only to benefit collectively from her presence as project consultant, but also, in a closer interaction, clarify some of her perspectives on the critical analysis on education and public policies. Sally Power works at WISERD (Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research Data and Method), where she directs WISERD Education, a research and training programme for Wales. Her main area of expertise is the relationship between education, civil society and inequality, as well as the relative success and failure of educational policies aimed at promoting greater equality of opportunity. She is particularly well- known for her work on introducing market reforms in England and in other countries, and on the relationship between education and the middle class. She investigates and publishes regularly on education policy, social mobility and intergenerational transmission; education in Wales; private education; longitudinal investigation. Her most recent publications also include research on the phenomenon of private tutoring and the relationship of third sector institutions with schools, higher education and the formation of elites. Her research activities include assessments for various policy makers (the Welsh Government, the Scottish Executive, the UK Government), voluntary sector associations (Shelter, Field Studies Council) and the UK Research Council (ERSC). Between 2011 and 2014, she directed the Network of Experts on Social Aspects of Education and Training (NESET/Network of Experts on Social Aspects of Education and Training), funded by the European Commission. Until this year, she was the editor of the British Educational Research Journal.