Explaining publicness : a typology for understanding the provision of schooling in contemporary times

[Excerpt] ‘Public’ education systems are among the most obvious achievements of modern societies. In many nations, the first few decades of the 20th century consolidated a systemic approach to mass, compulsory schooling for increased populations. Historically, these public school systems were often advertised and defended as state- funded, secular and open to the children of all citizens within a given community. However, in recent decades, this popular notion of what characterises a school as ‘public’ has been challenged by structural and political reforms. In many Anglophone countries, the rollback of the Keynesian welfare state in favour of economic rationalism and market fundamentalism has led to policy approaches designed to ‘open public schools up’ through competition. Vouchers, school choice and school autonomy are just some of the policies pursued in various jurisdictions. The effect of this has been to deliberately alter some of these taken for granted characteristics. For example, many public school systems include schools that select students based on characteristics such as academic performance, schools that charge parents fees for core services such as curriculum levies and perhaps most significantly, schools such as ‘charter schools’, ‘academies’, ‘free schools’ and ‘independent public schools’ that operate in more autonomous ways.