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Including and excluding. Schools’ reputations: students, families and choices

Vieira, Maria Manuel,Almeida, Ana Nunes de,Ribeiro, Ana Sofia

Abstract

Schools are key institutions in shaping inclusion and exclusion processes impacting on individual identity and social mobility. If the promise of widening participation in education has brought educational opportunities for almost all, it is not true that those educational opportunities are the same. Increasingly, the quality of education matters more as a mark of distinction, and choosing a school that brings success has replaced the quest for access in the new educational markets. Attending a certain school can lead to good grades, instil appropriate values, allow entrance to or maintenance of desired social circles and foster life projects envisioned by many families. School choice (and, in particular, upper secondary school choice) is a decision based on several factors. Rational criteria, such as geographical proximity and affordability, are certainly weighty family concerns. Subjective aspects, however, such as school leadership, safety and tailored educational projects, also carry increasing value among families of all backgrounds. While choosing a school is currently a decision more in the hands of families, given the Portuguese demographic downturn and the excessive school supply, policies driven by territorialisation and evaluation have led schools to target specific audiences and to develop distinctive profiles that help parents recognise a school as a perfect match.

Full text

Including and excluding. Schools’ epu a ions: s uden s, amilies and choices Ma ia Manuel Viei a Ana Nunes de Almeida Ana So ia Ribei o 16. 384 ambiguous inclusions: inside ou , ou side in in oduc ion Schools a e key ins i u ions in shaping inclusion and exclusion p ocesses impac ing on indi idual iden i y and social mobili y. I he p omise o widening pa icipa ion in educa ion has b ough educa ional oppo uni ies o almos all, i is no ue ha hose educa ional oppo uni ies a e he same. Inc easingly, he quali y o educa ion ma e s mo e as a ma k o dis inc ion, and choosing a school ha b ings success has eplaced he ques o access in he new educa ional ma ke s. A ending a ce ain school can lead o good g ades, ins il app op ia e alues, allow en ance o o main enance o desi ed social ci cles and os e li e p ojec s en isioned by many amilies. School choice (and, in pa icula , uppe seconda y school choice) is a decision based on se e al ac o s. Ra ional c i e ia, such as geog aphical p oximi y and a o dabili y, a e ce ainly weigh y amily conce ns. Subjec i e aspec s, howe e , such as school leade ship, sa e y and ailo ed educa ional p ojec s, also ca y inc easing alue among amilies o all backg ounds. While choosing a school is cu en ly a decision mo e in he hands o amilies, gi en he Po uguese demog aphic down u n and he excessi e school supply, policies d i en by e i o ialisa ion and e alua ion ha e led schools o a ge speci ic audiences and o de elop dis inc i e p o iles ha help pa en s ecognise a school as a pe ec ma ch. We he e o e a gue ha epu a ion, a concep eme ging om he sociology o a , can make a use ul con ibu ion in un angling he di e se c i e ia ha guide educa ional op ions o pa en s and child en. Based on six case s udies o s a e and p i a e schools, ca ied ou in h ee con as ing se ings, we p o ide an accoun o objec i e and subjec i e mo i a ions leading o a gi en school p e e ence in Po ugal. The chap e begins wi h a con ex ualisa ion o educa ional policies in he global and na ional sphe e; i hen mo es o a ca e ul heo e ical ou line o he epu a ion cons uc , ollowed by an applica ion o i s ea u es o he educa ional sec o . A e a b ie me hodological sec ion, we illumina e he consensus and dissensus behind pa en s and child en’s mo i es, highligh ing inclusion and exclusion p ocesses. Concluding ema ks hen ocus on he alue o epu a ion in iden i ying gene a ional gaps among amilies. schools’ epu a ions: s uden s, amilies and choices 385 ecen ends in educa ion In con empo a y Wes e n socie ies, he ex ension o compulso y schooling o highe le els o educa ion o e ecen decades e lec s a poli ical consensus abou he bene i s o p o iding ad anced aining o all. Mo e educa ion would con ibu e o mo e inclusi e and less unequal socie ies. Uni e sal schooling means elimina ing ba ie s when en e ing he sys em. Bu he li e a u e has shown ha massi e access goes hand in hand wi h mo e sophis ica ed di ides, now placed inside ha same sys em. Di e ences be ween schools and hei communi ies in oduce di e si y in a he e ogeneous landscape and hie a chies o p es ige and epu a ion eme ge. No all s uden s ha e access o all schools, s a e o p i a e. Inclusion and exclusion p ocesses a e a play and challenge democ a ic ideals on equi y and equal oppo uni ies. On he o he hand, he long- e m en olmen o a la ge numbe o s uden s wi h di e en needs and expec a ions b ings new challenges o schools, now acing con as ing demands. Wi h he inc eased di e si y o s uden s, managing a a dis ance complex social spaces, such as oday’s schools, has become mo e di icul in cen alised educa ion sys ems (among which is he Po uguese). Te i o ialisa ion appea s as a new pa adigm in educa ional policies ( an Zan en 2004; Ba è e 2006). I means ans e ing highe le els o au onomy and managemen esponsibili y o he local scale, based on he assump ion ha s akeholde s gene a e be e solu ions o p oblems di ec ly a ec ing hem. Thus, each school acqui es an unp eceden ed ele ance by becoming he co e managemen pilla o he educa ional sys em. The ele ance o he local e i o y in educa ional policies is one o he ac o s ha p omo es he di e en ia ion o he school wo ld. I each school is supposed o deal wi h speci ic challenges, i s educa ional p ojec should be dis inc om all he o he s. This s uc u al change pu s schools unde p essu e. How o combine educa ion o all wi h he need o mee he singula i y o each one? In ac , he ex ension o compulso y educa ion has widened he school wo ld’s “p inciples o jus i ica ion” (De oue 2000). In addi ion o hose associa ed wi h he “ci ic wo ld” (equal oppo uni ies, educa ion o all), which inspi ed he de elopmen o s a e educa ion sys ems, o he p inciples based on alues such as exp essi eness, e ec i eness, and ma ke ha e eme ged in ecen decades ( an Zan en 2004, 51-52). 386 ambiguous inclusions: inside ou , ou side in Following a la ge in e na ional end, ma ke -based alues ha e also pene a ed he Po uguese educa ional sys em, p omo ing compe i ion be ween schools (A onso 2010; Almeida e al., 2017; An unes 2008; Qua esma and Villalobos 2016). Two se s o condi ions a ou compe i ion, acco ding o an Zan en (2005): he dec ease in he demand o educa ion (ei he due o demog aphic ac o s, o o a sudden lack o in e es in a speci ic educa ional o e ); and he e o s, made by schools, o a ac “ he bes ” s uden s (bo h academically and socially) ( an Zan en 2005, 569). These wo se s o condi ions a e no only p esen bu in e wined in Po uguese socie y. The sha p d op in e ili y a es ha e a ec ed he dynamics o he demand (Almeida 2005). Wi h he s uden popula ion dec easing, some au ho s a gue ha he o me p e ailing coo dina ion o s uden lows h ough supply is now con on ed wi h he g owing in luence o demand ( Ba oso and Viseu 2003; An unes and Sá 2010). In u n, pa en s (seen as educa ion “consume s”), a e now mo e challenging. Since 2001, he annual elease o school ankings, based on he s uden s’ pe o mance in he na ional exams became, o pa en s and s uden s, an impo an na iga ion ool in he inc easingly mo e complex educa ion sys em and a s a egic ins umen o compa ison and compe i ion be ween schools (Melo 2009). Good g ades ob ained in a school a e a majo ac o in a ac ing s uden s (Gou eia 2017). La gely emphasised by con empo a y educa ional policies, he p inciple o e alua ion (o schools, o he quali y o lea ning, o eache s’ pe o mance, e c.) appea s hus as he o he side o he au onomy coin ( an Zan en 2004; Palha es 2014). Fu he mo e, e alua ion is s ongly linked o epu a ion, a wo d de i ing om he -La in epu a io, which means ponde ing, medi a ing, examining. “De ined in a minimal way, epu a ion is he esul o a se o e alua ions” (Chau in 2013, 132). The concep is explo ed in he nex sec ion. epu a ion – some heo e ical ema ks The no ion o epu a ion is p esen in a ious social ields and is pa o he explana ions p oduced by he social sciences abou hem. Economics and managemen (Colonomos 2013; Fomb un 2015; Menge 2013; B own e al. 2006; Rao 1994), social psychology (G iske icius, Tybu and an den Be gh 2010), and communica ion sciences (Ca don 2013), apply he no ion o epu a ion o s udy such di e en subjec s as he inancial ac i i y o S a es, schools’ epu a ions: s uden s, amilies and choices 387 he e alua ion o companies and p oduc s, o he p ac ices o consume s and In e ne use s. In sociology, epu a ion has been adi ionally s udied in associa ion wi h he wo ld o a s, cul u e and hei indus ies (Becke 1982). In his pionee ing wo k, Becke ques ions he app oach o epu a ion as de i ed om inna e cha ac e is ics o he a is , opposing i o he idea o epu a ion as a social cons uc and p ocess. This heo e ical assump ion b ings new insigh s. Fi s ly, epu a ions a e he p oduc o he collec i e ac i i y o each speci ic ne wo k o in e dependencies (social wo lds) in which hey ac . Secondly, hey depend on c i e ia es ablished by c i ics/expe s, by which he epu ed en i y can be dis inguished and iden i ied. Thi dly, being a social p oduc – no a c ys allised ea u e o he epu ed en i y – epu a ion has a his o ical and a si ua ed dimension: i a ies om ime o ime and om place o place. Las ly, isibili y is an impo an aspec o epu a ion. In line wi h he same heo e ical app oach, poli ical sociologis s such as Ga y A. Fine (2007) ha e also explo ed he concep , namely wi hin he analysis o poli ical epu a ion. Beyond he social psychological claim ha “ epu a ion cons i u es a mo al ges al ha is linked o a pe son” Fine (2007, 3886) poin s ou ha hey a e also collec i e ep esen a ions, enac ed in ela ionships. His de ini ion o epu a ion b ings along he idea o ecogni ion: i e e s “ o he exis ence o a socially ecognised pe sona: an o ganising p inciple by which ac ions o a pe son (o g oup, o ganisa ion, o collec i es) a e linked in o a common assessmen (Fine 2007, 3886). In addi ion o “ ecogni ion” (conce ning he compe ence exhibi ed unde a commonly sha ed con en ion), i is impo an o s ess ha he epu a ion- making p ocess also includes he communica ional manu ac u e o a name, “ enown” ( e e ing o he public isibili y ob ained by he epu ed en i y) (Bo ges 2014). These wo aspec s a e well condensed in Chau in’s de ini ion o he concep : “Repu a ion can be de ined as a sha ed, p o isional and loca ed social ep esen a ion, associa ed wi h a name and esul ing om mo e o less powe ul and o malised social e alua ions” (Chau in 2013, 132). Embedded in social ela ions, epu a ion-making p ocesses hus in ol e e alua ion, judgemen s and communica ion. In e es ingly, he deba e on his opic may bene i om some o he a gumen s p oposed by p agma ic sociologis s. Bol anski and Thé eno ’s app oach o he way indi iduals jus i y hei ac ions o o he s, conside s se e al logics (“ci és”) as poin s o suppo o “jus i ica ion egimes”; ha is, g amma s used by indi iduals bo h o 388 ambiguous inclusions: inside ou , ou side in jus i ica ion and o c i ical pu poses (Bol anski and Thé eno 1991). Those g amma s, connec ed o epe o ies o pe inen objec s o each “ci é”, cons i u e di e en “wo lds”. One o hese – he “wo ld o ame” – main ains a close p oximi y o he phenomena o epu a ion. Acco ding o he au ho s, his is a “wo ld” whose g ea ness (celeb i y) depends on he opinions o o he s – ha is o say, i depends on he numbe o people who awa d hei alue and es eem o a pe son, g oup, o o ganisa ion. Howe e , beings in he “wo ld o ame” a e “big” inso a as hey di e ” (Bol anski and Thé eno 1991, 223). This is why communica ion is so impo an : in o de o become enowned, you ha e o make you sel known, ha e a name o , in he case o p oduc s, a ma k (Bol anski and Thé eno 1991, 225). In o he wo ds, beings only a ain g ea ness i g ea ness is made isible, i i can be iewed and compa ed by o he s. One impo an poin mus be unde lined. Wi h communica ion being a c ucial dimension o epu a ions, unequal access o isibili y may p omo e inclusion-exclusion dynamics. As Becke cau ions, no all po en ial epu ed en i ies (in his analysis, a is ic wo ks) ha e he same isibili y condi ions is- à- is po en ial audiences, which a ec s he (di e en ial) possibili y o access epu a ion (Becke 1982, 362-364). The e o e, “ he la ge p oblem has o do no wi h wha he epu a ion-making p ocess selec s, bu a he wi h wha i lea es ou ” (Becke 1982, 367). In sum, wo king on epu a ion in sociology means add essing a se o di e en bu complemen a y issues. I means accep ing he social and ela ional na u e o epu a ions, ha is, o e use essen ialis app oaches. I means iden i ying he c i e ia ( he o ganising p inciples) o e alua ing he compe ence wi h which a gi en epu a ion is associa ed ( Ca don 2013). Mo eo e , i equi es un a elling he “ epu a ional wo k” ha indi iduals, g oups, o ganisa ions o collec i es de elop o c ea e, main ain and ex end con ol o e hei epu a ion – which can be manipula ed (Colonomos 2013; Go man 1982). Las , bu no leas , his heo e ical cons uc implies de e mining he ime and he spaces/a enas o a gi en epu a ion’s ci cula ion, namely he ans e abili y o epu a ion associa ed wi h a name o o he en i ies/con ex s (Chau in 2013). schools and hei epu a ions The leading ole o educa ion in con empo a y socie ies makes i ele an o ex end he analysis o epu a ional p ocesses o he school wo ld i sel . schools’ epu a ions: s uden s, amilies and choices 389 Po ugal is a pa icula ly in e es ing case: he educa ional sys em displays a qui e signi ican libe alisa ion o selec ion and admission p ocedu es (excep a highe educa ion le el), and “school ma ke ”/ compe i ion be ween schools seems o be aking impo an s eps (Lima and Melo 2016; Ta a es and Ca doso 2013). Fu he mo e, he annual elease o ankings – hie a chy o schools based on he s uden s’ pe o mance in he na ional exams – p oduced con as ed images: “ endy schools”, on he one hand; “junk schools”, on he o he ; he as majo i y o schools in in e media e posi ions would be ela i ely un ouched as a as hei image is conce ned (An unes and Sá 2010, 106). This hie a chy gi es mos schools a ma gin o image imp o emen , bu may also p o oke c i icism and esis ance eac ions o his kind o e alua ion c i e ia (accused o no being uly “objec i e”) – and epu a ion making (Ba è e 2006; Melo 2009; Zoia 2009). As s a ed be o e, epu a ions a e a collec i e ac i i y enac ed in ela ionships. The e o e, he epu a ion o a school is a social p ocess in which a la ge communi y (school au ho i ies, eache s, s a , s uden s, amilies, educa ional expe s, and media) pa icipa es. Al hough he epu a ion-making p ocess in ol es se e al scales o ac ion, in a complex ne wo k o social ela ions – om he mac o le el (e. g. public policies, educa ion expe s) o he mic o le el (namely, schools, pa en s and s uden s) – he la e is he one ha bes illus a es hese complex dynamics. Ac ing in an in e connec ed local ne wo k o schools in compa ison wi h each o he (Ba oso and Viseu 2003), he demand (unde s ood as he numbe and he social a ibu es o pa en s and s uden s) exe s a clea in luence on he epu a ion o each o hem. Howe e , i is impo an o ealise ha his demand has a sha ed na u e (be ween s uden s and pa en s) and, in uppe le els o he educa ion sys em, pa en s and adolescen s do no always ag ee in hei assessmen s ( an Zan en 2004). I epu a ion is de ined as he a ac i e di e en ial o a school (Cos a and Koslinski 2011), he c i e ia and p inciples on which i is based a y – namely, acco ding o he pa en s’ educa ional p io i ies. The e o e, hose c i e ia a e plu al, complex and di e se; and ambi alen , as hey o en in ol e objec i e and subjec i e dimensions. Al hough a school epu a ion is composed o mo e han one a ibu e, using “school choice” c i e ia as a p oxy o epu a ion c i e ia is a way o iden i y he main a ac i e di e en ial e ealed by pa en s o s uden s. Some con ibu ions o his opic, p i ileging adul s’ pe spec i es, ha e been pu o wa d in he 390 ambiguous inclusions: inside ou , ou side in li e a u e. The pe cep ion o a sa e and pleasan lea ning en i onmen appea s o be a key quali y (ma k) pa en s ecognise in a “good school” (oecd 2015). Academic excellence (based on objec i e c i e ia, such as school pe o mance and s uden s’ esul s) is o many pa en s ano he c ucial aspec in building a school’s epu a ion (An unes and Sá 2010). The educa ional alues p omo ed – ei he eligion-cen ed, o secula , non-denomina ional inspi ed – a e ano he ac o (Qua esma 2014). Besides, c i e ia o assessing he a ac i eness o a school a y acco ding o speci ic eaching cycles. In p ima y schools, he p inciple o exp essi i y (meaning an indi idualised pedagogy, an en iched cu icula o e allowing s uden s’ exploi a ion o skills), may be an impo an ac o in pa en s’ judgemen ; whe eas in seconda y schools, academic esul s can be a mo e alued p inciple ( an Zan en 2009). Ye , esea ch also poin s ou ha no all pa en s assign p io i y o ele ance o he epu a ional e alua ion when choosing a gi en school o hei child en (An unes and Sá 2010); o he p agma ic c i e ia such as home/school dis ance o he exis ence o collec i e anspo a ion o school ake he lead (Co dei o 2014). The dis inc i e quali y (ma k) ha makes a school epu a ion also a ies acco ding o he s uden ’s pe spec i e. Less explo ed in academic li e a u e, he c i e ia and p inciples mobilised by s uden s o assessing a school’s epu a ion may ma ch pa en al c i e ia bu also di e ge in dimensions no e en conside ed by adul s. Recen esea ch on highly academic achie ing s uden s a ending a local well-known seconda y s a e school, e ealed ha he main easons o choosing ha pa icula school ma ched hose hei pa en s would p esumably ad oca e – “demanding and quali y eaching”, “school p epa es well o highe educa ion” and “good lea ning en i onmen ” (To es 2014, 37). Howe e , aking in o accoun sociological li e a u e on adolescen s ( B e iglie i and Cicchelli 2007; Ca alli, Cicchelli and Galland 2008; Pappámikail 2013), o he kinds o easons may also be en isaged. F iends mo ing o he same school, “you h ibes” p esen a a gi en school, o he deg ee o au onomy and eedom o ci cula ion awa ded may be impo an c i e ia o assessing a pa icula school’s a ac i eness. In any case, closely linked o e alua ion, epu a ion leads o classi ica ion – and hus, o a hie a chy o beings, objec s o ins i u ions. In he case o schools, di e en ia ed epu a ions p omo e, simul aneously, in eg a ion and exclusion. In ac , he highe he school’s a ac i eness, he g ea e he abili y o selec and exclude candida es. Exclusion ba ie s a he en ance ein o ce, o he elec ed ones, he sense o belonging o a p i ileged lea ning communi y. schools’ epu a ions: s uden s, amilies and choices 391 This chap e discusses “school epu a ion”, by explo ing school ac o s’ na a i es abou he subjec . Con as ing he oices o s uden s wi h hose o pa en s, an in-dep h analysis o he c i e ia o e alua ing he compe ence a gi en epu a ion is associa ed wi h is ca ied ou . Wha is he o ganising p inciple ha unde lies he iden i ica ion o a school’s “ epu a ion”? Wha (in o ma ional) esou ces do indi iduals use o access he epu a ion o a school? Gi en he sha ed na u e o demand, do adul s (pa en s) and adolescen s (s uden s) choose he same c i e ia in es ablishing a school’s epu a ion? Do he same epu a ional c i e ia mean he same o e e yone? These a e he heo e ical ques ions guiding he empi ical analysis unde aken in he nex pa s o he chap e . me hodology Conside ing he ela ional, con ingen (in ime and space) and la gely subjec i e dimensions o epu a ion, an induc i e app oach and a quali a i e me hodology a e he mos app op ia e ways o empi ically app oach he c i e ia and p inciples behind i . Da a p esen ed in his chap e is d awn om in e iews conduc ed wi h pa en s and om ocus g oups o ganised wi h s uden s1 o six Po uguese seconda y schools. They a e pa o a la ge esea ch p ojec commissioned by he Gulbenkian Founda ion ca ied ou by a eam a he ics/ulisboa (2014- -2016) (Almeida e al. 2017). Agains he backd op o a se ious inancial c isis and he ex e nal in e en ion o he so-called T oika (a g oup o med by he Eu opean Commission, he Eu opean Cen al Bank, and he In e na ional Mone a y Fund), his s udy aimed a answe ing a ques ion: how we e non- highe educa ion schools managed and who paid o hem in Po ugal? This chap e is based on he quali a i e phase o he p ojec , gi ing pa en and s uden oices a p ominen place. Six schools, publicly o p i a ely un, o e ing seconda y educa ion we e selec ed in he con inen al pa o he coun y, illus a ing dis inc educa ional con empo a y endencies in he Po uguese sys em. I ’s wo h men ioning ha 3 ypes o school a e a ailable in Po ugal: s a e, p i a e and cha e 1 Focus g oup s uden s we e appoin ed by he school di ec o . Fo e hical easons, we do no indica e hei school o o igin o gua an ee hei absolu e anonymi y. 398 ambiguous inclusions: inside ou , ou side in The school/home dis ance. The e is anspo , he e a e connec ions o his school [Pa en s’ associa ion ep esen a i e, Mon ado (s a e) School] I chose his school because i was close o my house. I li e wi hin i een minu es’ walk om he e. [João, s a e school] Rega ding ime ables, one o he schools in ou s udy e en es ablished special ime ables o allow p o essional spo s’ p ac ice, show a willingness o ca e o pa icula s uden needs. On he o he hand, a g owing cause o conce n o amilies is hei child en’s sa e y. The school is hei main socialising space and all so s o encoun e s a e possible inside i . The e o e, he school en i onmen mus eassu e pa en s: Pa en s pu hei child en he e because hey look o secu i y. My pe sonal in e es is also he collec i e in e es o he school, which is, o know who my child en a e wi h… [Pa en s’ associa ion ep esen a i e, Whi e (p i a e) School] We ha e child en ha come om p i a e schools. They ge ou o hose schools, some o economic easons, and look o his school because i is clea ly he mos simila o wha hey a e used o. They don’ go o o he schools, hey wan o come he e. The social class ha you see he e is highe han in o he schools, igh ? And ha makes all he di e ence. [Pa en s’ associa ion ep esen a i e, Tejo (s a e) School] Rega ding secu i y, p i a e schools (a leas , hose included in his esea ch) seem o o e addi ional con olling ules posi i ely e alua ed by pa en s, as e e ed o by s uden s My pa en s pu us he e mainly o sa e y easons. I has secu i y sys ems, i has locks… hey ind a way o con ol us he e. [João M., p i a e school] We a e in a dome he e…no, inside a bubble! [Manuel, p i a e school] The pa en al demand o secu i y and sa e y is hen cons i u ed as an a gumen o exclude many o he s, conside ed “undesi able” in he school en i onmen , due o hei di e en socio-economic s a us, beha iou o alues. Pa en s wan o keep hei child en sa e om a p esumably dange ous schools’ epu a ions: s uden s, amilies and choices 399 wo ld. No su p isingly, he secu i y issue is no sha ed by pupils, who label i as “con olling” and e en “imp isoning”. In ac , young s uden s show qui e ambi alen eelings owa ds con ol: on he one hand, hey ag ee ha i is a legi ima e pa en al conce n; on he o he hand, hey eel ha his aspec limi s hei willingness o explo e ou side spaces wi hou adul con ol, as a legi ima e adolescen aspi a ion: No, ha ’s he way i is… I hink ha , o example, he younges , he li le ones (…) canno go ou alone, bu we hink we ( he eldes ) could ha e a li le mo e eedom. [Tiago, p i a e school] Anyway, i was a change o scene y ( om p i a e school o his s a e school) and i ’s impo an , because I was always in an en i onmen ha I hink was a bi closed. We used o say we we e in a bubble. And i was a bi ue. We did no ha e much eedom, e en a school, and some imes we we e a li le disgus ed by i . Because some imes, in adolescence, we wan … o be ou sel es. [Tomás, s a e school] Schools can be spaces o social igilance and exclusion, as Foucaul once ad oca ed (Foucaul 1975). Howe e , as much as s a e schools a e pe cei ed as mo e inclusi e, hey can also exclude s uden s by no paying a en ion o hei pa icula educa ional needs – a key a ibu e in p ima y educa ion o mos pa en s. Repu a ion c i e ia can be hus iden i ied in con as o wha a school should no be, as exp essed by he ollowing mo he : [In his i s yea ], my son wen o a s a e school, bu a e h ee mon hs, he esul was e ible. He had a eache ha a Ch is mas s ill didn’ know his name, didn’ know his ace, and he e we e good eache s in ha school. And so, a he end o he i s e m, my son was cha ac e ized as someone ha ing lea ning di icul ies by no being able o coun o en, when he had le kinde ga en knowing all he basic numbe s. [Pa en s’ associa ion ep esen a i e, Whi e (p i a e) School] Al hough he s a e schools mission is o p o ide educa ion o all, hey canno gua an ee pe sonal a en ion o e e y pupil and, in ce ain cases, p i a e educa ion appea s as a mo e inclusi e op ion. In u al en i onmen s, howe e , some small size s a e schools ac simila ly o p i a e ones, in p o iding close a en ion o i s popula ion’s indi idualised needs. F om he pa en s’ pe spec i e, his capaci y may well compensa e o he lack o o he 400 ambiguous inclusions: inside ou , ou side in asse s (e. g. good acili ies, di e si y o educa ional o e ) ela ed o he absence o a local school ma ke : Wha de ines success, nowadays, a e esul s, un o una ely – o o una ely o some hings (…) -, bu o cou se, his school has a g ea ad an age: i is a small school, compa ed o many o he s. As i is a small school, ob iously, he eaching s a is s able; i has been he e o many yea s (…). O cou se, no e e y hing is pe ec , bu he e a e many good eache s he e in his school. [Pa en s’ associa ion ep esen a i e, Mon ado (s a e) School] Al hough pa en s and child en iden i y mos ly he same c i e ia as pieces o he school epu a ion puzzle (con enience, secu i y, quali y o con en and alues), hey can ake on di e en meanings, and/o p o oke di e gen in e gene a ional a i udes. As no iced be o e, a epu a ion has a ela ional dimension, in he sense ha wo d o mou h and pe cep ion o pee s coun s a lo in he judgemen s uden s hemsel es make abou hei own choices. Bu epu a ion is also posi ional, an a ibu e ha is mo e isible in ankings, which s uden s in e p e as solid e idence o he quali y o a school, when compa ed o o he s. Howe e , pa en s in ou s udy endo se a mo e c i ical opinion on hese esul s, e en ques ioning he c i e ia used in da a collec ion: Some schools ha e a enewed in as uc u e and appea in ankings wi h g ea esul s, bu we know ha hei s uden s ha e a lo o p i a e u o ing ou side he school [Pa en s’ associa ion ep esen a i e, Mondego (s a e) School] The ankings, you know, compa e a s uden om one social backg ound wi h a s uden om a di e en social backg ound… They compa e a school ha has Ma hs, Po uguese and F ench wi h ano he school ha has Ma hs, English and Japanese (…). Some include he se en disciplines ha s uden s a end, o he s jus include he h ee speci ic ones ha allow hem o en e highe educa ion…all newspape s g ab he same da a and use hem applying o ally di e en me hodologies (…) bu in he end, he message ha comes ou is he message ha emains, do you unde s and? [Pa en s’ associa ion ep esen a i e, Whi e (p i a e) School] Al hough he Minis y o Educa ion does no publish o icial league ables, he p ess p oduces ankings based on he esul s o school exams and o he da a (such as he socio-economic s a us o pupils and e en ion a es). They p o ide a quick o e iew o wha a success ul school is, as i he “ quan i ica ion” o schools’ epu a ions: s uden s, amilies and choices 401 such a subjec i e and shi ing a iable as epu a ion was he decisi e elemen ha appeals o s uden s (and o he o he audiences as well). Being a he op necessa ily excludes hose ha a e a he bo om, and ankings ope a ionalise he hie a chy e e y e alua ion p ocess en ails. inal ema ks Uni e sal educa ion and longe schooling ajec o ies o all a e main gains in Wes e n socie ies. They a e a igh o all. Meanwhile, he democ a ic openness o he sys em a he en ance has been associa ed wi h an enla gemen o he social o cul u al ange o child en and young people now a ending school. The inne di e si y o pupils poses a new ques ion o schools: how o deal wi h i ? Two endencies ha e been a ou ed by na ional policies. Te i o ialisa ion, on he one hand, has ans e ed a numbe o a eas and managemen au ho i y om he cen al S a e o schools, embedded in ce ain social con ex s and now bene i ing om some deg ees o au onomy. Placed a he cen e o he sys em, schools ace he injunc ion o become pa icula and unique, o disco e and e eal hei a ac i e di e en ial, a shi indeed ein o ced by he inc easing impo ance o ma ke alues and he eme gence o compe i i e scena ios. Agains he backd op o a se e e e ili y d op, unde p essu e o main ain o o enla ge hei popula ion, compe i ion be ween hem is c i ical. On he o he hand, quali y e alua ion p ocedu es (unde public sc u iny) ha e been imposed as common ou ines. Building a epu a ion has u ned ou o be a p io i y. This concep , adi ionally used by sociology in e e ence o he wo ld o a s and cul u al indus ies, can be an in e es ing ool o explo e e i o ial and social dynamics in he school sys em. School choice is e y o en dependen on he epu a ion a school is able o gain in a e i o ial ec ui men a ea. Wi h Becke (1982), we ad oca ed ha epu a ion, applied o schools, is a social and ela ional cons uc , engaging ne wo ks o ac o s such as amilies, pee s and media embedded in local se ings. Mo e quali ied and in o med pa en s, he in luence o pee g oups and o wo d o mou h o ms o communica ion allied o he annual display o na ional ankings by he media pu p essu e on schools o s and ou om he whole. Following p agma ic sociologis s (Bol anski and Thé eno 1991), we en e he “wo ld o ame” in 402 ambiguous inclusions: inside ou , ou side in ull, as epu a ion mos ly in ol es in o ma ion and subjec i e judgemen s, expec a ions o ideals. Bu amilies a e no homogeneous. We can an icipa e ha hei capaci y o be in o med and o engage success ully in he school game, closely associa ed wi h hei social o igins, is e y di e en . Te i o ialisa ion, he e o e, has ce ainly con ibu ed o ein o ce social inequali ies be ween hose who ha e and hose who ha e no he needed in o ma ional esou ces and a wide ange o educa ional o e s o choose om. Meanwhile, e en i school choice seems o p oceed om a sha ed decision be ween pa en s and hei child en, hey e y o en di e ge in he p io i isa ion o c i e ia ha de ine a “good school”. Gi ing oice o s uden s e idenced gene a ional di e ences. O e all, complex and sub le inclusion/exclusion p ocesses a e deployed a he local le el, be ween di e en ly epu ed p i a e and s a e schools, and e en be ween s a e schools hemsel es. The exclusion endency is a i s peak in densely popula ed u ban cen es whe e a school ma ke uly exis s ( he cases o Lisbon and Coimb a in ou sample). And i eaches i s minimum in he depopula ed ageing coun yside ( he case o he sou he n Cen al Alen ejo). The school epu a ion analysis in his chap e aimed a answe ing wo main ques ions: how is ele an in o ma ion ga he ed by pa en s and s uden s? And which c i e ia makes a school’s epu a ion? Using school choice a ionales as a p oxy o epu a ion c i e ia led us o ou line he s anda ds ha make schools isible o hei audiences. Fo pa en s, i ’s he scien i ic and pedagogical quali y, along wi h a s able and a ailable eaching body, ha ounds a school’s ecogni ion. The iden i ica ion o a di e en ia ed school p ojec is a c i e ion ha is used o selec , mo e han o a ac , as p i a e school cases ha e illus a ed, in con as o s a e schools ha a e cons ained o ollow widening pa icipa ion alues ha sui a as majo i y o social g oups. Fo pupils, a speci ic educa ional p ojec is no men ioned as a p emise o epu a ion, al hough eaching quali y is a mus . Logis ical conce ns a e also sha ed by pa en s and s uden s, since hey enable he pe o mance o complemen a y educa ional and leisu e ac i i ies ha would o he wise be impossible. The g ea es in e gene a ional clea age eme ges a ound he secu i y issue, ega ded as a p io i y o pa en s bu conside ed as a cons ain o young people, who eel dep i ed o hei au onomy (pa en in he daily libe y o lea ing school una ended, o ins ance). Finally, while pa en s occasionally e e o ankings, bu in a a he c i ical way, ecalling ha p i a e u o ing and di e se me hodologies make hei esul s no so schools’ epu a ions: s uden s, amilies and choices 403 us wo hy, ankings a e pe cei ed by young people as isible e idence o he quali y o a school. Uni e sal school access would appa en ly depic an equali a ian landscape. Howe e , e en i social di ides a e no so sha p a he main en ance ga e, ine clea ages a e p og essi ely in oduced inside he sys em, wi h ins i u ional di e en ia ion ope a ing as a seg ega ion ool. 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