The Politics of Policy in Boys’ Education

An accessible and original look into the education policy of Australia that considers how it came about, how it was steered to the political right, how some educators struggled to implement or resist it in their schools and how it applies to other systems.

"Weaver-Hightower s The Politics of Policy in Boys' Education is a model of rigorous, critical policy analysis. Focusing on the case of boys education in Australia, Weaver-Hightower excavates and explores the interplay between a wide range of stakeholders around a spate of events and public arguments that unfolded in Australia in recent years. While this is the story of a single policy, it tells a much wider story about the struggle over the future of boys and of masculinity in a uniquely dynamic context. It also provides an extended argument for the power of thinking about policy in ecological ways. I can t recommend this book highly enough." - Greg Dimitriadis, Professor, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

"Weaver-Hightower provides a research-based and exceedingly informative account of the development of national policies for boys in Australian schools during the period of the conservative Howard government. He also contextualizes these developments globally and comparatively with the more limited policy developments in the USA. This ecological policy analysis provides deep insights into the boy turn in education and offers hope for all those seeking a more gender equal society." - Bob Lingard, School of Education, The University of Queensland

MARCUS B. WEAVER-HIGHTOWER is Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations and Research at the University of North Dakota, USA.