Privatization in and of Public Education

This book explains how education is becoming more privatized around the world to fit local economic and political needs. Privatization in and of Public Education categorizes different types of privatization as traditional or non-traditional. Traditional policies give more rights to private companies to provide education, while non-traditional policies make public schools more like businesses. The authors show that privatization can lead to more efficient schooling, but it can also create a trade-off between efficiency and equity or inclusion. The book presents a range of perspectives on the impact of privatization, including structural, ethical, and subjective effects. The book also covers a range of countries and regions, including both developed and developing countries. This helps readers understand how privatization is playing out in different contexts around the world.

List of contents

• Foreword by Stephen Ball


• Introduction by A. Santalova and K. Põder


• Section 1. Overview: Educational Diversification and Public Preferences


• Chapter 1: Is the Common School Dead? Dilemmas of Plural Public Spaces


• Bruce Fuller


• Chapter 2: The Moral Economy of Diversity in Educational Options in Four European 'Choice' Countries


• Triin Lauri, Kaire Põder


• Section 2. Privatization of Education: Exogenous Forms


• Chapter 3: Measuring the Efficiency of Private Schools: Conceptual Issues and Empirical Evidence


• Tommaso Agasisti and Simona Ferraro


• Chapter 4: Privatisation by Default: The Global Expansion and Implications of Private Supplementary Tutoring


• Wei Zhang and Mark Bray


• Chapter 5: The Growth of Private Schools in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: Drivers and Implications


• Susan M. Kippels


• Chapter 6: Shared and Contested Views of Education Professionals on the Forms of Privatisation within Comprehensive Schooling in Finland


• Nina Nivanahoa Mikko Haavistob, Tuire Palonenb, Sonia Lempinena, Piia Seppänena


• Chapter 7: Privatization in Children's Extracurricular Education Sector: the Case of Russia and the Post-Soviet Context


• Sergey Kosaretsky, Ivan Y. Ivanov


• Section 3. Privatization in Education: Endogenous Forms


• Chapter 8: School Financing and Equal Educational Opportunity: A Review of Policy Interventions


• Kristof De Witte, Mike Smet and Ruben Van Assche


• Chapter 9: State Advances, Min Retreats: Recentralisation of Minban Education in China


• Raymond K.H. Chan, Ying Wang


• Chapter 10: School Autonomy as a Form of Privatization in Public Schooling in Post-Soviet Republics of Central Asia--Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan


• Antonina Santalova


• Chapter 11: Where the Public was Always Private: Going Beyond Privatization in/of/through Education and Policymaking in Post-colonial Contexts


• Mauro C. Moschetti, D. Brent Edwards Jr., and Alejandro Caravaca


• Chapter 12: COVID-19 and the Commercialization of Finnish Schooling: a National 'Digileap' and a Global Re-imagining of Digitalized Public Schooling


• Iida Kiesi and Anna Hogan


• Section 4. Conclusion: Patterns and Policies


• Chapter 13: Patterns of Privatization in/of Education


• Antonina Santalova


• Chapter 14: Policies: The Way Forward for Privatization


• Kaire Põder

About the author

Antonina Santalova is Academic Dean, Glion Institute of Higher Education and Associate Member, Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford.

Kaire Põder is Professor of Economics at Estonian Business School and a member of the Expert Group of Quality Investments in Education and Training, European Commission.

Summary

Privatization of education has become a prevalent global trend, representing a significant shift from viewing education as a public good to considering it as a private commodity. This transformation is closely tied to the modernization of the state under the principles of neoliberalism. A comprehensive analysis, as presented in this book using Ball and Youdell's framework, sheds light on the diverse patterns of privatization in education, categorizing them into two types: exogenous and endogenous. The term "exogenous" refers to policies that grant the private sector increased rights and authority to deliver education services. On the other hand, "endogenous" pertains to policies aimed at making public schools operate more like businesses. This paradigm shift encompasses various elements, including parental school choice, inter-school competition, accountability to parents, and increased autonomy for schools. Still, the book shows that advantages of education privatization are evident, such as heightened efficiency and the ability to cater to the diverse needs of the public schooling system. However, it is crucial to recognize that these benefits come with an inadequately addressed trade-off between efficiency and equity or inclusion. This trade-off stands as the most pressing contemporary challenge of education privatization, affecting various contexts and cases explored within the book.

Prominent researchers in the field present a multi-faceted view of the forms and consequences of education privatization. Privatization in and of Public Education encompasses a wide range of countries and regions, including both developed and developing nations, offering valuable case studies that illustrate how privatization is unfolding across the globe. By examining the driving factors behind education privatization, such as economic, political, and social influences, the authors provide a comprehensive understanding of this global phenomenon.

Additional text

Societies are evolving to become more inclusive, diverse, and pluralistic. Education systems are also changing, moving away from the traditional, uniform models publicly provided through common schools to allow for different curriculums, management practices, and teaching methods. This increasing diversity in schools, with private providers playing a more significant role, can widen education disparities between the wealthy and the poor. With a future characterized by growing income disparities driven by technological progress and globalization, Privatization in and of Public Education is a stepping stone in the long-overdue agenda of reinventing education systems to fulfill their promise of being a force for equality and economic mobility.

Product details

• Authors: Antonina (Academic Dean Santalova
• Assisted by: Kaire Põder (Editor), Antonina Santalova (Editor)
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 20.06.2024
• EAN: 9780197673508
• ISBN: 978-0-19-767350-8
• No. of pages: 352
• Series: International Policy Exchange
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Education > Social education, social work; Education, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Social Work, EDUCATION / Finance, Social welfare & social services, Social welfare and social services, EDUCATION / Schools / Types / Charter