This book addresses a problem in higher learning, which is newly recognized in the academic spotlight: the overcommercialization of higher education. The book asks that you, the reader, think about the following: Did you go to a Coke or Pepsi school? Do your children attend a Nike or Adidas school? Is the college in your town a Dell or Gateway…

This article argues that administrators normally do a serious wrong when they contract with companies that market to children within schools. This is because in doing so, they violate the anti-commercial principle, which, in turn, is justified by the obligation schools have to facilitate the autonomy of their students. The author focuses…

School districts nationwide are experimenting with a range of reform options, one of which is private management of public schools. This General Accounting Office (GAO) report describes the early experiences of four school districts that contracted with private companies for management of their public schools. Specifically, the report describes:…

This document presents an overview of management strategies to help administrators make the most of available private-sector resources. The key is to view the private sector as a resource that can provide an infusion of expertise, accountability, and cost effectiveness into public education. Following the introduction, the second section examines…

Many countries have introduced a range of policies that attempt to reformulate the relationships among government, schools, and parents through the application of market forces. This paper looks at the hidden curriculum of marketization and explores the extent to which the recent trend toward quasi-markets in public education systems are…

Contracting in public education is not a new development. This book examines projects that transfer the management of entire schools or school systems to private firms. Chapter 1, by Rima Shore, is a comprehensive survey of the practice of contracting out in public education. It provides a broad historical background for the U.S. education system…

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…

Views about privatization's advantages and disadvantages vary widely in the educational research literature. These disparate views are shaped by reviewers' frames of reference and the evaluation criteria that they use. This book was written to help readers develop more refined lenses for viewing the privatization movement. Chapter 1 asserts that…

Subgroup B of the European Training Foundation's (ETF) Advisory Forum analyzed the role of the private sector in vocational education and training (VET) and focused on the role of the social partners in the transition process. A questionnaire on the role of social partners in the development of training in market economy was sent to 110…

This publication describes efforts in the United Kingdom (UK) to develop mutually beneficial, collaborative partnerships between businesses and communities that promote digital inclusion (access to information and communication technologies). Case studies of different kinds of relationships are listed, including UK online centers, schools, events…

Castigates the supposed "knowledge-based economy" as simply a public relations smokescreen covering up the free market exploitation of people and resources serving corporate interests. Discusses the many ways that private industry, often with government collusion, has controlled or denied dissemination of information to serve its own interests.…