This article discusses the impact of resource reallocation by colleges and universities using Virginia Commonwealth University as an example. Alternative areas for creative reallocations noted include increased productivity/efficiency, quality improvement, growth by substitution, targeted fund raising, planned savings, categorical funding, tuition…

Describes the efforts of teachers and parents to open a charter school in Denver, which is being vigorously blocked by the school board. Discusses the pros (offer nontraditional teaching methods and institutional autonomy) and cons (drain public funds from poor schools) of charter schools. (LMI)

Compares the histories of Brazilian and U.S. federal government policies toward educational governance. Argues that current policies that apparently support decentralization and privatization actually ensure the continued hegemony of the state while relieving it of financial and social responsibilities related to efficiency and equity. Contains 47…

A continuation of colonialism, globalization's narrow focus on economics and free-market thinking reinforces modernist rationality and individualism and discounts how deeply all life is interconnected. Its effects on education are reflected in high stakes testing, emphasis on information technologies, and a discounting of non-Western cultures.…

Both public and not-for-profit private schools contract with private vendors for specialized services. Current advocates of the privatization of public education are looking to extend privatization into the areas of management and instruction. Describes experiences of the Edison Project and Educational Alternatives, Inc. Offers advice to school…

Presents a chronological history of the conflict between the Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, teachers' union and the school board. The board hired Alternative Public Schools, Inc, to manage Turner Elementary Schools and gave the company permission to hire a new staff at Turner. The state supreme court has ruled in favor of the school district. (MLF)

This paper examines the legislative framework developed in New Zealand over the last 15 years to facilitate greater parental choice in education. The discussion is set within the context of changes to admission practices in a number of education systems to advance the privatisation agenda, and outlines the resurgence of interest in the development…

This paper discusses privatization as policy tool to solve educational problems in Turkey. Turkey, as a developing country, is faced with many problems in education. Large class size, low enrollment rate, girl's education, high illiteracy rate, religious education, textbooks, curriculum and multicultural education are some of the important…

This article outlines how the commercialization of structures and management in education risks accelerating the intensification of corporate marketing in schools. It is argued that marketing promotes materialistic values which are harmful to children and US and UK examples are offered to demonstrate how companies seek to use schools as…

Globalizing trends--underscored by neoliberalism, privatization and imperial legacies--are changing the nature and purpose of education across the world. "With these rules of the capitalist game," a Colombian student argues, "the public university in Latin America has been played." Manifestations of these trends, however, vary…

The paper compares and contrasts higher education funding sources and systems in the U.S. and the UK. The issues raised in the paper pertain to the major challenge of academia: finding financial support in times of limited resources and enhanced competition. The issues discussed throughout the paper are: funding and quality assessment of…

This paper presents an overview of legislative developments and policy debates that occurred in Maryland during 1994-95 and their effects on school finance. These developments include: (1) the election, by a narrow margin, of a new Democratic governor who promised to restore state cuts in educational expenditures; (2) the increase of…

This book presents a diverse set of unusual and significant departures from customary educational policies and practices. These "radical" ideas range from calling for national standards, to enacting statewide legislative initiatives, to implementing decentralized local initiatives such as charter schools, local school councils, and privatization.…

To cut costs, some administrators are contracting with the private sector for such services as pupil transportation, facilities maintenance, and cafeteria operations. Proponents of competitive contracting assert that it can provide public schools with the kind of expertise, flexibility, and cost efficiencies not always available with inhouse…

Corporate involvement in public education is nothing new. This book offers a critique of the growing corporate control and commercialization of public schools. Chapter 1 describes the history of business influence on American education with a focus on the case of Wisconsin, in which the corporate-led restructuring of the American economy has…