The aesthetics of association: business, education, and the growing discourse of corporate social responsibility

Abstract

The last few decades have seen an unprecedented transformation in business involvement in education, particularly in Western industrialized societies where privatization, commercialization and neo-liberal discourses continue to dominate educational thinking and practice. This paper foregrounds the growing perception of math and science as ‘economic subjects’, and discusses that within the context of school–business partnerships. Focusing primarily on the United States, and using the current No Child Left Behind (NCLB) policy as an example, the paper examines the changing purposes of schooling and explores the role of businesses in that regard. Business involvements in education are located within the emergent business practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The contradictions in purpose and practice of business involvement in schools are highlighted. In the end, the paper questions how narrow economic rationalities, as pursued by businesses in schools, could contribute to education for sustainable development.

Keywords:

• education
• business
• sustainable development
• partnership
• policy
• power
• ideology
• discourse
• corporate social responsibility

Notes

1. World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the United Nations Global Compact for business are two main organizations purposely put in place to direct and guide the roles of businesses in sustainable development.