Knowledge, Policy and Practice in Education and the Struggle for Social Justice: Essays Inspired by the Work of Geoff Whitty

For 50 years, educator and sociologist Geoff Whitty resolutelypursued social justice through education, first as a classroom teacher and ultimatelyas the Director of the Institute of Education in London.

Theessays in this volume - written by some of the most influential authors in thesociology of education and critical policy studies - take Whitty's work as thestarting point from which to examine key contemporary issues in education andthe challenges to social justice that they present. Set within three themes ofknowledge, policy and practice in education, the chapters tackle the issues ofdefining and accessing 'legitimate' knowledge, the changing nature of educationpolicy under neoliberalism and globalization, and the reshaping of teacherworkplaces and professionalism - as well as attempts to realize moreemancipatory practice. Whitty's scholarship on what constitutes quality andimpact in educational research is also explored.

Together, the essays open awindow on a life in the sociology of education, the scholarly community ofwhich it was part, and the facets of education policy, practice and researchthat they continue to reveal and challenge in pursuit of social justice. Theycelebrate Whitty as one of the foremost sociologists of education of hisgeneration, but also as a friend and colleague. And they highlight thecontinued relevance of his contribution to those seeking to promote fairer andmore inclusive education systems.