Actualising Choice in Schools and Communities

Abstract

Oplatka (2004) and others have raised concerns about the core principles that underpin choice and marketisation. For example, some ‘institutional elements’ in schools are oversimplified as obstacles to diversity and improvement, and the market itself is assumed to be simple and neutral. Education markets consist of a supply side from schools and local authorities, and a demand side from parents and pupils. Oplatka (2004) suggests that these are characterised by some unjustified assumptions about choice, diversity of supply, competition and responsiveness:

• Choice. The core assumption is that parents select schools, within or outside their local neighbourhoods, on the basis of properly informed and appropriate criteria.

• Diversity. The assumption here is that the market differentiates schools from each other, and the ability of parents to interpret this diversity is what makes choice work.

• Competition and responsiveness. The assumption is that schools improve their own performance by striving to increase market share, and that this makes them more sensitive to market demands.