POLITICAL ECONOMY THEORY

The political economy of education focuses on finding the flaws in the ideals of the Functionalist education system. Marxists criticize the whole system, rather than criticizing the aspirations of the individual as they do in Functionalist theory. Marxists would argue that the schools system ensures failure for those who do not hold status in class, race or ethnicity.

Marxists would claim that schools are contradictory. They function within a democratic state system, yet are responsible for allocating roles in a strict economic system. Political Economy theory questions, how can schools be equal when they serve only to alienate students into roles based on social order?