Failing forward: public schools and new public management
This article analyses ongoing processes of neoliberalisation within the Australian public education system. Specifically it looks at how the recent incarnation of "self-managing schools" policy within Western Australia extends already entrenched elements of New Public Management, namely ma...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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John Curtin Institute of Public Policy, Curtin University of Technology
2012
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| Online Access: | http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=116439993407368;res=IELHSS http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/23718 |
| _version_ | 1848751227821621248 |
|---|---|
| author | Fitzgerald, Scott Rainnie, Al |
| author_facet | Fitzgerald, Scott Rainnie, Al |
| author_sort | Fitzgerald, Scott |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This article analyses ongoing processes of neoliberalisation within the Australian public education system. Specifically it looks at how the recent incarnation of "self-managing schools" policy within Western Australia extends already entrenched elements of New Public Management, namely market competition, managerialism, and performance management. The new dominant rationalities will have an uneven, yet overall harmful effect on the working conditions of teachers and principals, the largest segment of the state's public sector workforce, and will not prove to be beneficial for the majority of students. Indeed, while these policies may be based on the assumption that, with regards to school outcomes "demography is not destiny", the present policy has strong implications of growing social and spatial inequalities in Australian society. Rather than limiting the roll out process, the clear inadequacies and subsequent "failures" of the existing policy are likely to propel further processes of neoliberalisation in the education system. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:49:23Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-23718 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:49:23Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| publisher | John Curtin Institute of Public Policy, Curtin University of Technology |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-237182017-01-30T12:38:47Z Failing forward: public schools and new public management Fitzgerald, Scott Rainnie, Al This article analyses ongoing processes of neoliberalisation within the Australian public education system. Specifically it looks at how the recent incarnation of "self-managing schools" policy within Western Australia extends already entrenched elements of New Public Management, namely market competition, managerialism, and performance management. The new dominant rationalities will have an uneven, yet overall harmful effect on the working conditions of teachers and principals, the largest segment of the state's public sector workforce, and will not prove to be beneficial for the majority of students. Indeed, while these policies may be based on the assumption that, with regards to school outcomes "demography is not destiny", the present policy has strong implications of growing social and spatial inequalities in Australian society. Rather than limiting the roll out process, the clear inadequacies and subsequent "failures" of the existing policy are likely to propel further processes of neoliberalisation in the education system. 2012 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/23718 http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=116439993407368;res=IELHSS John Curtin Institute of Public Policy, Curtin University of Technology restricted |
| spellingShingle | Fitzgerald, Scott Rainnie, Al Failing forward: public schools and new public management |
| title | Failing forward: public schools and new public management |
| title_full | Failing forward: public schools and new public management |
| title_fullStr | Failing forward: public schools and new public management |
| title_full_unstemmed | Failing forward: public schools and new public management |
| title_short | Failing forward: public schools and new public management |
| title_sort | failing forward: public schools and new public management |
| url | http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=116439993407368;res=IELHSS http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/23718 |