Examines how three school districts handled privatization of school services, such as transportation, food service, and custodial. Contracting out may promote efficiency but will probably come with political heat. (LMI)

School boards considering contracting with a for-profit company should study the policy pitfalls that privatization might bring in the areas of personnel, finance, technology, program evaluation, negotiated contract waivers, program expansion, and student achievement. (MLF)

Two years into its new life as a private company, the Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae) is both creating a division to handle the processing and clerical duties of college financial aid offices and backing away from a short-lived move into the business of underwriting college bonds. The agency also originates government-subsidized…

Privatization in higher education is usually understood either as the surge of private institutions or as universities' growing reliance on private sources of funding or otherwise operating more like firms. Joining the growing literature on university entrepreneurship, this is a case study on the less examined problem of entrepreneurial…

Since the election of the Campbell government in 2001, teachers have experienced heightened conflict with the provincial government. An analysis of the discourse and power relations between the BC Teachers' Federation (BCTF) and government reveals a neo-liberal agenda on the part of government and anti-neo-liberalism on the part of the BCTF.…

This article focuses on economic analysis of privatisation policies and postprivatisation control devices in India's higher education. As a case study, the experiences of Karnataka State in collegiate education under general higher education are emphasised. A change in public financing, rather than a shift of public ownership and management to…

This guide offers an objective framework for deciding whether self-operation or contract management (also known as privatization or "outsourcing") will best serve the goals and objectives of an individual institution of higher education. The guide is organized into four chapters. Chapter 1 briefly outlines the evolution of contract…

This report addresses issues in the efforts of colleges and universities to reduce costs. First, some key findings are identified, including the rapid increase in tuition since 1981; decreases in academic library expenditures; increases in cooperative arrangements; use of more adjunct faculty; and increased privatization of services. Individual…

Spectacular contemporary growth in private higher education challenges the "new institutionalism" and its emphasis on "isomorphism." The growth brings great inter-organizational distinctiveness and is linked to technically rational competition. Findings about this growth and distinctiveness lead us to re-assess and revise…

A review of five sets of educational goals reveals an emphasis on academic and social goals over economic goals. This contrasts with current concerns for the economic utility of education and for increased accountability. Primary agents for achieving both academic and economic goals are strong central control of objectives but school-based…

The Grant-in-Aid (GIA) higher education sector in Karnataka, India, is examined as an example of a well-established public-private partnership (PPP). Interviews with senior officials in the Government of Karnataka, and in two contrasting Regions, centred around Gulbarga and Mysore, together with visits to GIA and private-unaided (PUA) colleges…

The following paper highlights the political, economic, socio-cultural, ethical, philosophical, legal, and practical aspects of the far-reaching theme of international trends in private higher education, in general. It also focuses on the driving forces, causes and consequences of the emergence of private higher education in India during the last…

Squeezed by federal and city belt-tightening, Superintendent Franklin Smith is looking for new ways to fund the District of Columbia schools. These include contracting out food services, reduction in force, and closing old schools with maintenance problems. (MLF)

Six forms of privatization of higher education are examined: universities run as completely commercial organizations; universities as nonprofit trusts; public universities receiving a significant portion of income from tuition; public universities receiving a significant portion of income from other private sources; public universities contracting…

The voucher model of financing schooling is becoming increasingly common throughout Latin America, with at least 12 countries using vouchers or voucher-like schemes. The present study focuses on the voucher models of Colombia and Chile, which have the most extensive programs of this type and those of the longest standing in the region. Using…