ABSTRACT
The 1988 Educational Reform Act for England and Wales was designed to bring about dra-matic change throughout the educational system. This Act fundamentally restructured the organization and content of education in schools, colleges, and universities and was seen as the culmination of a series of smaller Education Acts throughout the 1980s. In practice, although it must be seen as a milestone in the history of English and Welsh education, further legislation followed that of 1988-in part designed to deal with inadequacies in the 1988 and earlier Acts. Sociologists of education have been active during the 1980s and early 1990s in their critique and appraisal of these policy changes. Sociologists have contributed to the intense debate and controversy that surrounded almost all of the policy changes, and have now conducted extensive research on the policy implementation process, the nature of the changes, and their effects on minority or underprivileged groups.
