Understanding third sector participation in public schooling through partnerships, collaborations, alliances and entrepreneurialism
| Published date | 08 July 2019 |
| Date | 08 July 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-07-2019-223 |
| Pages | 318-321 |
| Author | Nina Kolleck,Miri Yemini |
| Subject Matter | Education,Administration & policy in education,School administration/policy,Educational administration,Leadership in education |
Guest editorial
Understanding third sector participation in public schooling through
partnerships, collaborations, alliances and entrepreneurialism
In the last decade, an increasing involvement of third sector organizations (in particular
non-governmental organizations (NGOs)) in public education systems has been observed in
different countries. This tremendous growth in external voluntary and philanthropic
organizations in schools is associated with a global trend toward decentralization,
commodification, privatization and neoliberalism. As those new actors are becoming more
prominent and visible within education systems worldwide, questions concerning the
associated risks and/or benefits for students and schools arise, especially within the global
discourse of education’s role in facilitating equal opportunities and fostering quality. However,
despite considerable research on involvement of such external agencies in schooling in
developing countries (e.g. Edwards, 2015), and a flourishing research on for profit providers
worldwide (Lubienski, 2013) in developed countries the engagement of third sector
organizations in schools and the interactions between public schools and non-state actors
have been researched scarcely (for few exceptions, see: Eyal and Yarm, 2018; Honig, 2009;
Kappauf and Kolleck, 2018; Kolleck, 2016, 2017, 2019; Kolleck et al., 2015; Reckhow and Snyder,
2014; Sagie et al.,2016;Yeminiet al., 2018; Yemini and Sagie, 2015).
This special issue addresses this gap of research by bringing together leading scholars in
the field of school-third sector interactions. It joins contributions with innovative theoretical
conceptualizations and recent empirical findings, maps the conceptual, methodological and
empirical consequences on the increasing involvement of third sector organizations in
public education systems and contributes to further theory-building. More specifically, the
contributions in this special issue empirically and theoretically examine the interactions and
social relations between public schools and third sector organizations in various countries
and educational contexts and further outline avenues for future research. In doing so, the
special issue aims to provide a comprehensive resource for the study of the involvement of
voluntary and philanthropic organizations in schools as well as a valuable source for
educational practitioners and policy makers concerned with the opportunities and
challenges of third sector organizations in public education worldwide.
In the last decades, third sector entities have become a central social power in western
countries. Many of them function within the field of education (Berkovich and Foldes, 2012),
and in recent years they have become significant players in public schools (Bulkley and
Burch, 2011). The growing involvement of these organizations within education derives
mainly from such organizations’ability to address the state’s failure to effectively and
efficiently deliver services (DeStefano and Schuh Moore, 2010). Third sector organizations
play a variety of roles in supporting education service delivery. Some of them are primarily
involved in advocacy, pressuring governments to fulfill their commitment to education for
all. Some aim to improve the quality of public education through “school adoption”
programs. Others are directly involved in education provision, primarily with the goal of
providing educational opportunities to those students excluded from formal government
schooling. In any case, in recent years, various organizations’roles in education have shifted
in significant ways, as they have become more closely intertwined with the daily operations
of public education (DiMartino, 2014).
Yet the growing involvement of non-governmental actors in the provision of public
service also presents disadvantages. Politicians and public officials perceive a threat
of reduced governmental control inherent in non-governmental involvement in the delivery
Journal of Educational
Administration
Vol. 57 No. 4, 2019
pp. 318-321
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0957-8234
DOI 10.1108/JEA-07-2019-223
318
JEA
57,4
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