Privatization

Privatization, generally, is the withdrawal or shifting of the government's assets, functions, activities, and possibly entire institutions to the private sector. In education, privatization occurs when local, state, and national policies are enacted that support free market entry into the public domain of schooling. Four types of educational policies can result in privatization: (1) the cessation or disengagement of the government from responsibilities in providing educational goods and services, (2) the explicit transfers of public school assets to private ownership, (3) the financing of private educational services through contracting-out or vouchers, and (4) the deregulation of entry into activities, previously restricted to public providers, to private entities. Although the various forms of private reforms fall under the heading of privatization, there is no single privatization ...