ABSTRACT
This paper seeks to unravel the different ways in which social justice in education
might be fostered or hindered through the involvement of the public and private
spheres. Within contemporary analyses of education policy, the politics of educa-
tion is often presented as a battle between left and right, the state and the market.
In this representation, the public and the private spheres are neatly aligned on
either side of the line of battle and social justice is commonly seen as the preroga-
tive of the public sphere.
