This book looks at the privatization of education as an ideological construct. In exploring and assessing the concept of privatized education, it focuses on the debate over private choice and school vouchers. It also looks at the development of private curriculums and educational materials created by corporations, various scholarship-funding…

Private education in the United States has endured pressure from all sides. However, religious schooling has not only survived but is growing and thriving. The paper examines the impact of private education on trends such as quality, decentralization, and consumer choice, and outlines four private school issues that remain unresolved. (SM)

Trends fostered by globalization have increased pressures for school choice in westernized nations. A review of international research indicates that policies that increase school choice can balance the tensions inherent in simultaneously educating for diversity and social cohesion, but only if carefully designed and monitored. Civil society must…

Examines the potential consequences for Scottish local education authorities of current social and political trends and Conservative government policies, particularly devolution of managerial functions to the schools. Discusses the effect of school performance indicators and parental choice on educational equity. Contains 38 references. (SV)

Argues that both state and local politics are more influential than current theory, educational research, and practitioner craft knowledge in shaping the initial conceptualization and subsequent implementation of reform initiatives in the Chicago (Illinois) public schools. Messages for other school systems are highlighted in the Chicago…

Arizona allows charters to be granted by local school boards, the state board of education, or gubernatorially appointed boards. Regulatory loopholes allow multiple campuses, private school conversions, and outside-of-district charters. Market-based choice depends on political support, a strong state government, and enormous parental and teacher…

Discusses the introduction and implementation of the 1988 Education Reform Act for England and Wales. Traces the attempts of several existing private schools to become grant maintained (eligible for various forms of government support). Most private and faith-based schools have not been successful in this endeavor. Discusses the reasons for this.…

This special issue journal on the politics of urban education contains the following articles: (1) "The Politics of Urban Education as a Field of Study: An Interpretive Analysis" (K. K. Wong); (2) "Urban Education as a Field of Study: Problems of Knowledge and Power" (J. G. Cibulka); (3) "Knowledge and Power in Research into the Politics of Urban…

This brief examines how No Child Left Behind (NCLB) dollars flow from the federal government through states and districts and into the coffers of companies, mostly for-profit companies. The brief makes the case that the law enriches many private companies and individuals, especially those close to President George W. Bush and his family. The brief…

Throughout the English-speaking world, and now Western Europe and parts of East Asia, parental choice and educational markets are being seen by politicians and policy advisors as the panacea to problems of low educational standards and social exclusion. This book tests the key assumptions underlying the faith in markets by linking an analysis of…

Challenges the following assumptions: (1) parental choice will motivate schools to improve programs to compete more effectively for students; (2) private not-for-profit schools will respond to marketplace incentives; (3) research indicates an advantage of private over public organizations; (4) public choice theory promotes school improvement; and…

Analyzes educational practitioners' responses to the fundamental reforms proposed in President Bush's America 2000 educational reform initiatives. Considers national support for and resistance to three proposal essentials (accountability, choice, and deregulation). Discusses the efforts' possible derailment in favor of headline grabbing…

Neoliberalism claims that privatization, marketization, uniform standards, and accountability--some important dynamics surrounding globalization in education--increase choices and quality in education. However, numerous studies show that the market has consistently devalued alternatives; increased the power of dominant models; and exacerbated…

Jeb Bush campaigned for Governor on a clear and bracing set of education reforms in 1998. Having won office, he immediately pursued a dual track strategy of education reform: standards and accountability for public schools, choice options for dissatisfied parents. Florida lawmakers followed these reforms with additional measures, including…

Designed for undergraduate and graduate courses in education, this book covers education developments and trends beginning with the Colonial experience through the present day, placing an emphasis on post-World War II issues such as the role of technology, the standards movement, affirmative action, bilingual education, undocumented immigrants,…