It’s not uncommon to hear that our schools need to be run more like businesses. That argument holds a lot of appeal to some people (including, but not limited to, people who might make a profit out of it).
I thought I’d bring together a few resources that provide a counterpoint to those beliefs. I’m starting off with a short list, and hope that readers will provide additional suggestions in the comments section of this post.
Here are my choices for The Best Posts & Articles Explaining Why Public Education Should Not Be Run Like A Business:
My Sacramento colleague Alice Mercer has written an excellent post titled The Business of Education. Here’s a short excerpt:
While I think there are some things that can be learned from best practices in other fields, trying to adopt reform models from business on a “wholesale” basis ignores some basic differences between the function and ecology of public education, and a for-profit business.
Diane Ravitch provides a good response to the third question (which is on the topic of business models and schools) in this Public School Insights interview.
Nancy Flanagan points out that schools might be able to learn some things from businesses, as long as we look at the right businesses.
Why schools can’t be run like a business is a post from A Year In The Life Of A Teacher that tells a well-known story illustrating that point.
I’ve written a post about some of the consequences hospitals are experiencing in their efforts towards creating more “efficiency” and its implications for schools. It’s titled Should “Efficiency” Really Be The Driving Force In Hospitals (And Schools)?
“The Price Is Double” — Two Stories About School Reform & Money is another related post I’ve written.
Turning the Tide: Taking Competition Out of School Reform comes from Edutopia.
Déjà vu all over again: A lesson from the history of school reform is by Mike Rose and appeared in The Washington Post.
Business and Education Don’t Mix is by Walt Gardner at Ed Week.
What Do Teachers “Produce”? is by Diana Senechal and appeared in the Core Knowledge Blog.
I made some revisions to my book excerpt that appeared in Education Week recently, and it was just published in The Washington Post. My small changes connected the idea of helping students motivate themselves to school reform, and how perhaps making schools adopt what some see as business practices might not be a good idea.
Students & Their Families “Are Not Consumers”