Hidden privatization in education policy as ‘quick fixes’ by ‘hired guns’: contracting curriculum policy in Ontario

Abstract

Despite critiques of privatization in education, little investigation has been conducted surrounding how it occurs in education policy production. This article describes and analyzes the privatization of curriculum policy production in Ontario during the 1990s based on archival documents and interviews with 16 policy actors. When analyzed in light of democratic ideals, this privatization resulted in elitism, and a politicized and fragmented process that reified a culture of control. Though privatization allowed the government to complete a vast amount of policy work in a relatively short period of time, findings reveal a shortfall of democracy.

Keywords:

• education policy
• privatization
• curriculum policy

Notes

1. This research is strictly concerned with policy production as it relates to the democratic ideal. Investigation of policy text content and output are beyond its scope.

2. These were: The Praxis Group report, What People Said About High School Reform and Gregg, Kelly, Sullivan & Woolstencroft: The Strategic Counsel Inc.'s Report to the Ministry of Education and Training [sic] On The Secondary School Reform Meetings.

3. Other forms of democracy include liberal democracy, market democracy, and deliberative. Liberal democracy, present in much of the Western world, is very much a model of representative democracy, in which civic participation tends be the responsibility of elected officials, and citizen participation rarely goes beyond voting and the odd ‘town hall’ style consultation. Market democracy first appears in the work of economist Joseph Schumpeter during the mid-twentieth century (Pettit 2008), and relies on the idea that the spreading of markets and associated privatization constitutes spreading democracy (Barber 2003). Within the conception of market democracy, individuals in the electoral polity divide into consumers and producers, and interact within a ‘marketplace’ to arrive at policies (Pettit 2008). Thus, economic ‘choice’ and ‘consumption’ of public goods and services (including education) are taken to be components of ‘citizenship’. Another set of conceptions of liberal democracy are classified as ‘deliberative democracy’ models that have emerged in response to critiques of liberal. Conceptions of deliberative democracy focus on an approaches to citizen participation through deliberation, but unlike critical democracy, social justice is not a central concern.

4. In Canada, education policy is established at the provincial level.

5. In total, the Auditor General of Ontario (2003) reports that the cost of curriculum policy development (elementary and secondary combined) was approximately $16 million.

6. As a private sector enterprise, owned by Bank of Montreal at the time of this policy formulation process, MERX contributes to government privatization. Revenues from the cost of viewing ministry proposals went to MERX.

7. James is referring to several prominent and powerful non-governmental organizations who promoted a particular version of ‘quality education’ that advocate a ‘back to basics’ or ‘3 Rs’ approach. At the time of the policy process studied, these organizations were receiving a voice in the local newspapers, and were involved in consultations. Some policy actors interviewed for this research perceive that these quality education groups had significant influence on the political leadership.