The rise of external actors in education shifting boundaries globally and locally

The role of external actors in shaping education policy has received considerable critical attention (Ball and Junemann, 2012; Ball, 2012; Henry et al., 2001; Reckhow, 2013). Offering a significant contribution to the existing literature, The Rise of External Actors in Education: Shifting Boundaries Globally and Locally is an extensive and insightful edited collection which scrutinizes the blurred boundaries between the diverse bodies and the changing power relations of actors in education policy, considering the ‘geographic, demographic, institutional, political, historical’ contexts where old and new players are acting (2). Lubienski, Yemini, and Maxwell draw our attention to the boundaries of the concept of neoliberalism as ‘a complex and multidimensional phenomenon, an apparatus dedicated to the interests of free market- based economics that engages various macro and micro processes promoting privatisation and decentralisation’ (3) in order to eliminate any ambiguity that may arise throughout the book.

However, much of the research up to now on the role of external actors in education policy and practice has been mostly restricted to certain countries, particularly the USA, the UK and Australia perhaps because of the increasing role of the neoliberal character of educational policies. This book has challenged such a narrow regional understanding and broadened the geographical scope to include Israel, Cambodia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Denmark, Poland, Brazil, and Chile. The volume also challenges the traditional classification of external actors as either profit or non-profit, as that can hinder our understanding of the diverse nature of external actors. Thus, the term ‘external actors’ in this book has been used to refer to ‘entities, people and organisations’ which are not governed by the state and have some control over education policy (2).

The authors of this book have made a useful and practical contribution to the research literature on the education policy-making process. Addi-Raccah opened up new horizons regarding the liminal position of collective parental involvement to enhance educational services (chapter 1). Le and Edwards emphasised the hybrid capacity of teachers by illustrating that teachers, who tend to be portrayed as internal actors, could also be understood as external actors through their provision of private tutoring (chapter 2). Gulosino and Ciamarra analysed the cross-sectoral collaborations which are based on public-private partnerships in the management of charter schools. They observe that charter schools have formed a partnership with both for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. In particular, having directors from the education sector on charter school boards is instrumental in mitigating resource limitations such as hiring more highly qualified teachers and having lower student-teacher ratios (chapter 3). In addition to its practical contribution, the editors of this volume also aim to theoretically contribute to improving local educational outcomes. In this regard, Oplatka has offered a conceptual framework called a ‘communitarian approach’ in which local values and practices have been taken into account, future plans have been built on the community identity and culture, and community approval has been received at each stage. By doing so, it is aimed to somewhat improve the educational investments made by non-governmental organizations which generally impact the educational needs of local schools without considering the local setting’s cultural, social, and organizational structure (chapter 4).

In chapter 5, Lewis and Lingard illustrate how the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] has created a profitable niche by designing the Programme for International Student Assessment [PISA] for schools, thereby guiding the education agendas of member states, and expanding its policy network globally. Ydesen, in chapter 6, sought to identify the fluid role of educational testing practices by engaging with the historical perspective. Herbst’s historical analysis of external actors in Poland, where NGOs have only recently been involved, draws attention to the similarity of the functioning of external bodies with the historical development of external actors in other nations, for instance, the discussions of privatization in education in Poland have similar characteristics to those in the United States (chapter 7). Moreover, in chapters 8 and 9, the active role of philanthropic involvement has been extensively examined by Avelar and Rowe respectively in regard to educational policy, governance, and networks. Canales and Díaz provide an in-depth and compelling analysis of the ‘knowledge actors’ that are strengthening their influence on education reform and policy through scholarly research, new discourses, and narratives in the specific context of Chile (chapter 10).

This edited collection is not only unpicking the financial desires of external actors focussing on privatisation within education, but it also unveils the different factors and motivations provoking the rise of external players based on policy, politics, and national context. Depending on the distinct context, the impact of external factors on education policy also alters, so that the reader has the opportunity to see the fundamental motivations of non-governmental bodies. These enquiries into the positionality of the actors showed how the boundaries between internal and external actors become blurred. Some external players discussed in the book, for example: family involvement, a teacher’s role, the knowledge actors, and philanthropic involvement are personally very inspiring and stimulate my own interests for future research. Although the analysis in some chapters discussing the rise of external actors from historical and theoretical perspectives is quite descriptive by its very nature the contextual understanding is significant in its own way. This book will enable readers to engage with the relevant literature from a comprehensive perspective and gain a rich depth of understanding and extensive insights.