The Absent Presence of Race in Educational Reform

It would not be possible to fully understand the history, current status, and the multiple effects of current educational policy in either the UK or the US without placing ‘race’ as a core element of one's analysis. Arguing that race is a social construction, this essay examines the ways race may function as an absent presence in discussions of markets and standards. It argues that critical analyses in education devote considerably more attention to the politics of ‘whiteness’ that underpins both new social identities and important aspects of educational policy.