ERIC Number: EJ1015716
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 12
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0160-7561
EISSN: N/A
For-Profit Charter Schools and Threats to the Publicness of Public Schools
Stitzlein, Sarah M.
Philosophical Studies in Education, v44 p88-99 2013
Media portrayals and education policies have combined with anecdotes about charter school successes to produce a favorable assessment of charter schools by two-thirds of Americans. Such media celebrations often group an array of charter school types together, thereby disguising their differences. Indeed, the public seems unaware there are significant differences amongst charter schools, including organization, oversight, curricula, and pedagogical approaches. Education Management Organizations (EMOs) are one noteworthy type of charter school, often treated interchangeably with others, which differs considerably from many charter schools in both nature and practice. The author of this article argues for pausing the rush uncritically to celebrate EMOs by offering a philosophical analysis of the ways in which they fail to fulfill and, at times, outright contradict and undermine the "publicness" of public education, for in large part such failure relates to the neoliberal ideologies that guide EMOs. She argues that citizens and policymakers should not so quickly endorse EMOs alongside other types of charter schools if they seek to preserve the public functions, benefits, and goals of public education. (Contains 33 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Charter Schools, Educational Policy, Educational Administration, Educational Philosophy, Public Education, School Organization, Management Systems, Neoliberalism, Organizations (Groups), Educational Objectives, Educational Benefits, Decision Making, Educational Finance
Ohio Valley Philosophy of Education Society. Web site: http://www.ovpes.org/journal.htm
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A