Globalization and the Commodification of Public Education in British Columbia: A Case Study

Abstract

The focus of this case study is the impact of the current orientation of educational policy in British Columbia towards the commodification and marketization of public education on the nature of teachers’ and school districts’ work. I will examine the policy’s origins and adoption along with the significant shift in the images of public education it conveys. I will assess both the process and the substance of the policy within the context of the province broader plan to restructure public education to reflect the need to be internationally competitive and the imperatives of fiscal restraint. I will then explore the BC’s education! al policy context within the changing global policy perspective in education. The final sections of the study focus on the policy implementation process and impact on the working environment of two public school districts. The analytical scheme used in this case study is derived from a comprehensive review of recent policy and educational research with emphasis in the fields of policy studies, globalization and its impact on policy-making, commodification and marketization of public education.