ABSTRACT
This chapter describes education privatization and outlines the many policy reforms. It reviews the research evidence on privatization, recognizing that many reforms are so new that evidence which might yield definite conclusions is only just being amassed. The chapter addresses the controversies surrounding privatization and its underlying ideologies, indicating why privatization provokes strong opposition or support, and what controversial issues are emerging and likely to emerge. It looks at the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, and how it undermines public education. The chapter considers who benefits and who loses in the privatization of education. The NCLB Act is the federal administration’s response to the problems that have plagued the public school system for decades. At the core of NCLB is accountability through a system of standardized tests that serve as the basis for the Adequate Yearly Progress or individual school report cards. “America’s public schools represent a multibillion dollar industry and the privateers desperately want their share.”
