Policy and the search for explanations for the gender gap in literacy attainment

an article by Gemma Moss published in Literacy Volume 45 Issue 3 (November 2011)

Abstract

This paper considers how policy-led processes of education reform have reshaped the space in which to think about gender and literacy, both in England and elsewhere. In many jurisdictions, the discourse on quality in education now focuses almost exclusively on numerical outcomes, whether they derive from the school, and/or at local or national level.

A heightened focus on performance data has brought new attention to the contrasts in the relative patterns of girls’ and boys’ attainment in literacy, whilst also changing expectations about what should be done about them. This paper highlights the politics that ensue as these data enter public discourse using examples of policy texts published in England, Ontario and Wales. It examines how these documents mobilise different explanations for the gender gap in the performance data that are then used to guide future action.

What kinds of explanations for gender differences in literacy attainment have most purchase in different policy contexts?

Which are most useful from a feminist perspective?

These issues are considered in relation to the changing policy context in England, which is rapidly moving from a highly centralised system of directed support for school improvement to much more fragmented provision. This creates new conditions in which to act.

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