Privatization and the Exacerbation of Educational Inequality in Canada

Currently, over one-third of Canadian families have opted to enroll their children in private education. This shift is concerning as school choice has the potential to create homogenous student populations by segregating children of differing socioeconomic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Sele...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Jasmine Pham
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Canadian Society for Studies in Education 2022-12-01
Series:Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education
Online Access:https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cjnse/article/view/75351
_version_ 1811196780334809088
author Jasmine Pham
author_facet Jasmine Pham
author_sort Jasmine Pham
collection DOAJ
description Currently, over one-third of Canadian families have opted to enroll their children in private education. This shift is concerning as school choice has the potential to create homogenous student populations by segregating children of differing socioeconomic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Selective public schools also have the potential to become exclusive spaces for students among the social elite to obtain cultural capital that other students have no access to. In fact, the emergence of a more competitive and selective public schooling system has already created a new hierarchy of elite students in Canada. In the following position paper, I explore how the promotion of school choice and the rise of privatization have exacerbated educational inequalities in Canada. I also address how the rise in privatization has led to the weakening of Canada’s public education systems and the creation of homogenous school systems. Thus, it is imperative for educational researchers and policymakers to not only recognize how the rise of privatization and school choice has changed the landscape of Canada’s education systems, but also address the equity and quality concerns that have arisen as well.
first_indexed 2024-04-12T01:04:47Z
format Article
id doaj.art-99f575a020cc42e091d396e0ebf5be4a
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1916-9221
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-12T01:04:47Z
publishDate 2022-12-01
publisher Canadian Society for Studies in Education
record_format Article
series Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education
spelling doaj.art-99f575a020cc42e091d396e0ebf5be4a2022-12-22T03:54:18ZengCanadian Society for Studies in EducationCanadian Journal for New Scholars in Education1916-92212022-12-01132Privatization and the Exacerbation of Educational Inequality in CanadaJasmine Pham0Ontario Institute for Studies in Education Currently, over one-third of Canadian families have opted to enroll their children in private education. This shift is concerning as school choice has the potential to create homogenous student populations by segregating children of differing socioeconomic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. Selective public schools also have the potential to become exclusive spaces for students among the social elite to obtain cultural capital that other students have no access to. In fact, the emergence of a more competitive and selective public schooling system has already created a new hierarchy of elite students in Canada. In the following position paper, I explore how the promotion of school choice and the rise of privatization have exacerbated educational inequalities in Canada. I also address how the rise in privatization has led to the weakening of Canada’s public education systems and the creation of homogenous school systems. Thus, it is imperative for educational researchers and policymakers to not only recognize how the rise of privatization and school choice has changed the landscape of Canada’s education systems, but also address the equity and quality concerns that have arisen as well. https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cjnse/article/view/75351
spellingShingle Jasmine Pham
Privatization and the Exacerbation of Educational Inequality in Canada
Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education
title Privatization and the Exacerbation of Educational Inequality in Canada
title_full Privatization and the Exacerbation of Educational Inequality in Canada
title_fullStr Privatization and the Exacerbation of Educational Inequality in Canada
title_full_unstemmed Privatization and the Exacerbation of Educational Inequality in Canada
title_short Privatization and the Exacerbation of Educational Inequality in Canada
title_sort privatization and the exacerbation of educational inequality in canada
url https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cjnse/article/view/75351
work_keys_str_mv AT jasminepham privatizationandtheexacerbationofeducationalinequalityincanada