MARKETIZATION & PRIVATIZATION IN EDUCATI

It has become commonplace for governments to partner with the private sector to deliver public goods and services; this is seen as a way to increase efficiency and decrease costs. Often, this privatization goes hand in hand with an adoption of market values. Nowhere are these trends more evident – or important – than public education. Arguments for educational privatization are often thought of in terms of economics – does it save money? – or limited measures of student achievement - does it raise test scores? In this course, we acknowledge these questions, but we also go beyond them to explore the political and social dimensions of privatization. We ask: Who wins and who loses when public schools privatize? What happens when market values are normalized and prioritized in our schools?

The following questions frame our explorations:

·How does privatization in education differ from privatization in other sectors? 

·What are the implications of educational privatization and marketization for democracy and the public good?

·Who profits from privatization and how does this support or interfere with educative goals?

·How are philanthropy, venture capital, and corporate partnerships reshaping the way schools serve students?

·Does privatization expand opportunities for marginalized students, deepen existing inequalities, or both?

·How does privatization affect the teacher workforce? How does it affect the nature of teachers’ work and student learning?

·How is privatization proceeding globally? How is privatization linked with global policy spread?

·What forms do resistance to privatization take? What ethical considerations should we take up around privatization?

This course includes an empirical research component which provides scaffolding and support for students who eventually plan to write a senior thesis.