The author of "Risky Business: Private Management of Public Schools" examines privatization efforts by Educational Alternatives Inc. and the Edison Project. Privatization actually represents two different interests: a conservative ideological crusade and a nonpartisan exercise in pursuing good government. Most arrangements have not…

Describes how the Conestoga Valley School District in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, privatized its food service division in a way that allowed the district to benefit from the profits. The school district established a nonprofit foundation, which served as a middleman to purchase the stock of a corporation. The corporation's profits and dividends were…

Discusses the outsourcing of campus services from the view of a business affairs administrator and a career services officer. Considers the areas of services which can be privatized, the pressures to move towards privatization, some of the issues in privatization, critical issues to consider in these efforts, economic concerns, and the…

In response to stagnating economic conditions, the Swedish government introduced numerous "reforms," including a voucher scheme for approved independent schools. Since 1992, enrollments in independent schools have increased only 1%, segregation and interschool disparities have increased, and supports for special-needs children have…

Describes decentralization and privatization policies in El Salvador's education reform plan and assesses their potential success and limitations. The EDUCO program, in which nonprofit parents' associations in poor rural communities administer community schools, has expanded rural access to education. However, EDUCO also has potential to…

Draws from the implementation of reform policies in Michigan to examine both the politics and political economy on the effects of schools as instruments for serving consumer preferences--a perspective referred to as instrumentalism. Contends that instrumentalism emphasizes individual private purposes and nonpublic forms of governance and…

Rather than a public good that is freely shared, Canadian university research is increasingly privatized and commercialized and thus rendered accessible only to those who can pay for it. The effects include erosion of collegiality, institutional democracy, curiosity-driven basic research, objectivity, and consideration of disadvantaged groups. All…

Thirteenth Bracey report on the condition of public education begins and ends with the No Child Left Behind Act. Includes commentary on vouchers, charter schools, high stakes tests, Edison Schools, and educational assessment. Includes recipients of Bracey Golden Apple Awards, such as "The Breath of Fresh Air, Geoffrey Nunberg Award."…

Herrnstein and Murray's "The Bell Curve" claims that IQ is hereditary and that African Americans consistently score 15 points lower than other racial groups. Coolly received by academics, the book is being warmly embraced by Republican politicians endorsing fiscal austerity and social mean-spiritedness. The book rationalizes a…

A New York State school district employed a management company to privatize the food-service program with the goal of enticing all students to eat lunch. Expertise in marketing, menu planning, and food-service operation turned the program around. Suggests questions to ask when selecting a management company. (MLF)

Discusses value and the economy and examines the changing definition of educational value regarding higher education. Trends in instructional technology resulting from changes in expected educational value are described, including resource sharing, specialization, market expansion, privatization, easier human-machine interfaces, feedback systems,…

Argues that, with the trend toward viewing reference librarians as information brokers and the reification and privatization of information, the traditional goals of libraries and librarianship are being lost, i.e., providing free and open access to books and information to promote informed democracy and the public good. (63 references) (EAM)

Curriculum differentiation for students with special educational needs is examined in the context of Great Britain's move toward a market system for education and its impact on policy and practice. Issues considered include the vulnerability of particular groups, the ideals of entitlement and empowerment, values inherent in governmental policies,…

Explores factors that have contributed to recent interest in the privatization of public education and reframes questions about the crisis in public education. The privatization issue has too often been seen as a technical matter, but it should not be pursued without full consideration of the social costs and benefits. (SLD)

Proponents of charter schools hope to break the logjam that has stymied school reform. Some school districts issue charters to groups of interested teachers, parents, or community members and hold them accountable for administering a school and achieving specific student goals. However, charter schools may fail to deliver high-quality programs or…