Private sector involvement in public schools : an analysis of policies of educational organisations in British Columbia

Debate about the appropriate role for the private sector in public education is a recurrent theme in the education literature, yet it remains an issue that is both poorly defined and inadequately analysed. Controversy revolves around the incongruence between the expectations of the private sector to reduce costs and maximise profit while training students for the workforce, and the expectation that a public school system has loftier goals such as the betterment of society and the attainment of each student's full potential. At the heart of the matter lie questions about the purposes of public education and contentions about who should control curriculum and its delivery in the schools. Various groups involved in public education in British Columbia have formulated guidelines and policies to address concerns regarding sponsorships, partnerships, and the provision of teaching resources. This study explores and critiques the current policies of school boards and the Ministry of Education in British Columbia, providing commentary on the role of the private sector as it relates to the delivery of public education. The three main goals of this study are: • to identify what kinds of private sector involvements are recognised by school boards and the Ministry in British Columbia during the 1998/99 school year; • to clarify what these educational organisations define as the purposes and perceived benefits of private sector involvement in public education; and, • to identify what problems these organisations wish to preclude or issues they intend to address through the implementation of policy. It was found that three waves of policy have developed since the early 1980s. The first wave of policies was from the 1980s, the second from the early and 1990s, and the third from 1997 to the present. These three waves are differentiated on the number and complexity of school/business types, purposes, and issues that are dealt with. The first wave policies that are still in existence are from small and rural districts, whereas the third wave policies are from large and urban districts that are facing pressures for resources due to increased student enrollment and diversity of student needs and backgrounds. The latter policies spoke to seven purposes for involvement, seven types of involvement, and four sets of anticipated issues.Education, Faculty ofCurriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department ofGraduat