Equity for sale: ethical consumption in a school-choice regime

Abstract

The promotion of equity in Australian education has come to present itself to parents in ways which are shaped by the marketisation and internationalisation of schooling. This paper argues that, as in other markets, ethical consumption has become a key model for both schools as providers and parents as consumers to engage with issues of equity. We identify how the phenomenon of ethical consumption is reflected in the promotional strategies of elite private schools, and how this framing of equity occludes a clear vision of inequalities in the distribution of resources and access across different educational sites. We reflect on the extent to which outreach and service programmes in elite schools fulfil their stated goals or are self-serving.

Keywords:

• school choice
• marketisation
• ethical consumption
• equity
• elite schools
• neoliberalism