ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to review the ideological substance of educational initiatives taken for the social and political education of 14-16 year olds, particularly under the Conservative government since 1979. It considers some of the political structures created to secure changes in the behaviour and attitudes of teachers, which have been characterized by an emphasis on national and local corporatism, the use of adults other than teachers in the educational process, and the mobilization of local resources for the development of relevant curricula. The new educational principles being called for to support the new industrialism are epitomised in the concept of the compliant-creative worker. Ideologies of educational content and practice have become increasingly fashioned around the view that the liberal humanist emphasis of British education has somehow failed the nation. The Schools Council Industry Project demonstrates how a bottom-up model of educational innovation can result in the depoliticisation of contentious material through its own organizational structure.
