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'Don't Take It Personally': The Scandal of School and Democracy

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Title: 'Don't Take It Personally': The Scandal of School and Democracy
Language: English
Authors: Maarten Simons (ORCID 0000-0003-4694-0586), Jan Masschelein (ORCID 0000-0003-2850-1571)
Source: Journal of Education Policy. 2025 40(5):869-888.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 20
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Individualized Instruction, Power Structure, Democracy, Student Centered Learning, Profiles, Freedom, Equal Education, Educational Policy, Differences, Student Needs, Educational Theories
DOI: 10.1080/02680939.2025.2474940
ISSN: 0268-0939
1464-5106
Abstract: The personalization of learning was already high on the agenda of policy makers, but new digital technologies seem to offer the opportunity to realize it. Two things stand out: first, putting the 'person' of the learner at the center is argued to be tantamount to freeing the student from all sorts of norms that make real learning impossible; secondly, one cannot fail to notice that the school is constantly under discussion. The double aim of this article reflects these two observations. We first argue that 'the person' of the learner is the result of a new power configuration. This configuration is no longer dominated by norms -- as Foucault aptly described for modern institutions -- but by profiles. We use the term 'personalization' to articulate this new power configuration. Then, in a second part, we introduce the term 'school'. Not so much as a theoretical but as a polemic concept. By analogy with Rancière's use of the term 'democracy', we describe 'school' as the event of a specific mode of learning, that is, learning under the assumption of freedom and equality. Similar to 'democracy', perhaps 'school' is worth taking care of, also in educational policy studies.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1489810
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
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  Data: The personalization of learning was already high on the agenda of policy makers, but new digital technologies seem to offer the opportunity to realize it. Two things stand out: first, putting the 'person' of the learner at the center is argued to be tantamount to freeing the student from all sorts of norms that make real learning impossible; secondly, one cannot fail to notice that the school is constantly under discussion. The double aim of this article reflects these two observations. We first argue that 'the person' of the learner is the result of a new power configuration. This configuration is no longer dominated by norms -- as Foucault aptly described for modern institutions -- but by profiles. We use the term 'personalization' to articulate this new power configuration. Then, in a second part, we introduce the term 'school'. Not so much as a theoretical but as a polemic concept. By analogy with Rancière's use of the term 'democracy', we describe 'school' as the event of a specific mode of learning, that is, learning under the assumption of freedom and equality. Similar to 'democracy', perhaps 'school' is worth taking care of, also in educational policy studies.
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      – SubjectFull: Democracy
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      – SubjectFull: Student Centered Learning
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      – SubjectFull: Profiles
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      – SubjectFull: Freedom
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      – TitleFull: 'Don't Take It Personally': The Scandal of School and Democracy
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