Privatising Public Schools via Product Pipelines: Teach for Australia, Policy Networks and Profit

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Privatising Public Schools via Product Pipelines: Teach for Australia, Policy Networks and Profit
Language: English
Authors: Emma Rowe (ORCID 0000-0002-3747-8070), Sarah Langman (ORCID 0000-0002-4175-1367), Christopher Lubienski (ORCID 0000-0001-7372-5801)
Source: Journal of Education Policy. 2024 39(3):384-409.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 26
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Public Schools, Privatization, Private Financial Support, Nongovernmental Organizations, Educational Finance, Decision Making, Democracy, Disadvantaged Schools, Governance
Geographic Terms: Australia
DOI: 10.1080/02680939.2023.2266431
ISSN: 0268-0939
1464-5106
Abstract: Drawing upon a long-term study of venture philanthropy and public schools in Australia, this paper focuses on Teach For Australia (TFA) as a major component of a venture philanthropic network, one that builds critical infrastructures and connections between non-government organisations and the state, creating a product pipeline into public schools. Utilising interviews with staff from Teach For Australia and venture philanthropic organisations, comprehensive and rigorous financial data, reviews, reports and website data, the analysis aims to identify the major philanthropic funders, individual actors and private foundations that leverage Teach For Australia, illustrating how this network develops for-profit pathways into public schools. In pushing a deficit framing of public schools, these networks incur privatisation effects, including flows of money, resources and key decision-making. They compromise the democratic principles upon which public schools are ideally based, in that the most disadvantaged public schools are opened up to 'entrepreneurial' and risk-taking corporate behaviour to test out teachers, products and services. By examining streams of revenue, partnerships and networks, we show how the purportedly non-profit Teach For Australia develops for-profit opportunities and business partnerships nested in corporate philanthropy, resulting in a privatisation effect on public schools.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1419980
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Drawing upon a long-term study of venture philanthropy and public schools in Australia, this paper focuses on Teach For Australia (TFA) as a major component of a venture philanthropic network, one that builds critical infrastructures and connections between non-government organisations and the state, creating a product pipeline into public schools. Utilising interviews with staff from Teach For Australia and venture philanthropic organisations, comprehensive and rigorous financial data, reviews, reports and website data, the analysis aims to identify the major philanthropic funders, individual actors and private foundations that leverage Teach For Australia, illustrating how this network develops for-profit pathways into public schools. In pushing a deficit framing of public schools, these networks incur privatisation effects, including flows of money, resources and key decision-making. They compromise the democratic principles upon which public schools are ideally based, in that the most disadvantaged public schools are opened up to 'entrepreneurial' and risk-taking corporate behaviour to test out teachers, products and services. By examining streams of revenue, partnerships and networks, we show how the purportedly non-profit Teach For Australia develops for-profit opportunities and business partnerships nested in corporate philanthropy, resulting in a privatisation effect on public schools.
ISSN:0268-0939
1464-5106
DOI:10.1080/02680939.2023.2266431