Private Companies in Education

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on November 20, 2009 at 10:24:04 am

Introduction

Although the participation of private companies in education is expansive, this Wiki site has been designed to focus specifically on the presence of Education Management Organizations (EMOs) in American K-12 education. EMOs are for-profit management companies that manage schools receiving public funds (Molnar, Miron, & Urschel, 2009). For-profit EMOs differ from non-profit management organizations in that they operate in an effort to return a profit to their company and investors through providing services.

Table of Contents.

History | Policy Research | Contemporary Politics | Policy Analysis |Private Companies in Action: A Glimpse into Philadelphia

History

EMOs began to form during the early 1990's as wide spread interest in market-based reform proposals gained popularity. The basic premise is to bring an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit and competitive edge to education by forcing public schools to compete with privately managed schools to either improve student achievement or cease operating (Molnar, et. al., 2009). The emergence of EMOs was primarily in response to efforts to repair academically troubled schools in districts and occurred as the charter movement began.

Policy Research

Contemporary Politics

Education Management Organizations (EMOs) have been seen as controversial throughout their history by many players in the education world; there exists support and opposition around the notion of privatization in education. As EMOs continue to grow in different contexts, whether it be making profits through online programs, or managing schools it is important to look at the political context of these issues.

Policy Analysis

Private Companies in Action: A Glimpse into Philadelphia

References | Appendix | External Links | Additional Resources