In this article I use the concept of "re-agenting" to explore and explain the role of non-state agencies, principally private companies and business entrepreneurs, as key instruments in the government's transformation of the school system in England. Their role takes both for-profit and not-for-profit forms. The outsourcing to private…

The goal of this article is to move beyond the more traditional question, "Does business have a role in public education?" A historical overview of education suggests that the involvement of the private sector is not a new phenomenon and is not likely to end in the near future. Here, the authors argue that a much more fruitful line of…

Prior to 1991, all higher education institutions in the Soviet Union were state institutions. There were some 900 higher educational institutions in 1990, including only 70 major universities, still referred to as VUZy, from the Russian "vysshee uchebnoe zavedenie". This acronym is popularly used to refer to all types of higher education…

Homeschooling has developed from a small, isolated, parent-led effort to a vibrant national movement to lobby for and legalize K-12 education at home in all 50 states. Although a majority of homeschool families are Evangelical Christians, the others come from a variety of religious and nonreligious backgrounds, giving homeschooling a broad…

In 2003, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) provided Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) with a $3.5 million grant to design and implement a faith- and community-based program for incarcerated juveniles. Florida's experience developing a completely new program has provided valuable lessons regarding…

The e-mail system at Monte Cassino School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is more than just e-mail. It is the cornerstone of an evolving, collaborative online community the preK-8 Catholic school relies on to involve parents in their children's education. When the system was hit six years ago by a major virus attack, the school turned to a Cupertino,…

This colloquium discusses recent trends where early childhood education and care has shifted from being a community service to that of big business. Years of neo-liberal reform have created market conditions favourable for large corporations to provide childcare within Australia. This situation raises some issues and concerns, particularly in…

The House of Representatives requested that the Health, Education, and Human Services Division (HEHS) examine privatization of child support enforcement programs in the United States. HEHS was to determine: (1) advantages and disadvantages of privatization, and the extent of these programs currently; (2) terms of contracts; (3) legalities of…

This collection of essays builds a case against those who see children as customers or workers and those who want to turn learning into a business. Following an introduction, The 500-Pound Gorilla by Alfie Kohn, section 1, Commercialism in Schools, contains: (1) Buy Me! Buy Me! (Alex Molnar and Joseph A. Reaves); (2) Commercialism in U.S. Schools…

The National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) are among the most powerful interest groups in the nation, affecting the way public policy is made. They are the primary political opponents of all forms of privatization, and overwhelmingly support Democrat candidates for public office. Chapter 1 is an…

This paper presents findings from a case study of a single charter school operated by Edison Schools, Inc. (The particular school remains anonymous.) The study, grounded on the assumption that privatization improves efficiency, was done to document the relationship between the theory and practice of school privatization. The study relied on…

This book explores the connections between infrastructure reform and poverty alleviation in Latin America based on a detailed analysis of the effects of a decade of reforms. The book demonstrates that because the access to, and affordability of, basic services is still a major problem, infrastructure investment will be a core component of poverty…

This report details the seven categories tracked by the Center for the Analysis of Commercialism in Education (CACE) between 1990 and 1999-2000: sponsorship of programs and activities, exclusive agreements, incentive programs, appropriation of space, sponsored educational materials, electronic marketing, and privatization. The 1999-2000 report…

Summarizes Meira Levinson's argument that parental choice by and large reduces autonomy and, therefore, ultimately reduces the liberty of each succeeding generation. Recommends that all public educators read this book to grasp the magnitude of the potential effects that privatization of education may have on liberty and choice of future…

Beginning in the late 1970s, state governments slowly, but steadily decreased the level of support for higher education (privatization), as illustrated in the example of Montana. As state support declined, student tuition rose. At the same time, the rationale for higher education changed from public to private benefit. A public policy issue of…