Commercialism in Canadian Schools: Who's Calling the Shots?
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2006 Copies of the report Commercialism in Research Team Canadian Schools: Who’s Calling the Shots? Bernie Froese-Germain – Canadian Teachers’ Federation (2006) can be obtained from the sponsoring organization websites. Colleen Hawkey – B.C. Teachers’ Federation Alec Larose – Fédération des syndicats de l’enseignement Patricia McAdie – Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario Canadian Teachers’ Federation Fédération canadienne des Erika Shaker – Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives enseignantes et des enseignants www.ctf-fce.ca Cover design: Dirk Van Stralen www3.telus.net/vanstralen Layout: Nadene Rehnby www.handsonpublications.com School Commercialism Workgroup Members Bernie Froese-Germain – Canadian Teachers’ Federation Colleen Hawkey – B.C. Teachers’ Federation www.policyalternatives.ca Patricia McAdie – Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario Paul McCormick – Nova Scotia Teachers Union Noreen O’Haire – Canadian Teachers’ Federation Erika Shaker – Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives www.fse.qc.net Donna Swiniarski – Alberta Teachers’ Association Tim Yee – Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation Detailed provincial and territorial data and comparisons are available from the CTF. Acknowledgements ISBN 0-88627-488-5 Patricia McAdie (ETFO) and Colleen Hawkey (BCTF) carried out the painstaking work of creating a national data fi le and subsequently doing the statistical analysis. Jim Clifford and KC Brisson-Laroque spent many hours completing the data entry. We would like to extend our appreciation to the teacher organizations across the country which assisted with survey distribution, promotion and, in some cases, data entry and analysis. Thanks to the CTF for translation and printing, and to the CCPA for arranging production of the cover and content design. 3 Introduction 6 Survey Methodology 7 Summary of Findings 7 Response Rates 7 Advertising in Schools 8 Partnerships and Sponsorships 10 Incentive Programs 10 Corporate-Sponsored Educational Materials 11 Sale of Services 11 User Fees 12 Fundraising 13 Monies Raised Through All Activities 14 Policies on Commercial/Corporate Involvement 19 Discussion 24 Conclusion 26 Notes 27 Sources 30 Appendices 30 Appendix 1: Tables 35 Appendix 2: Survey 39 Appendix 3: Response Rate 40 Appendix 4: Regional Classifi cations and Acronyms 2 Canadian Teachers’ Federation | Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives | Fédération des syndicats de l’enseignement Introduction Education, particularly delivered through the government and increase the role of business in “…too many children have school system, has a mix of both public and all facets of public services. Coupled with this is been transformed into private benefi ts. Labaree (997) identifi es three a general push towards valuing the importance miniature consumption major goals of education: democratic equality, of private decisions and advantage over public machines who keep where education is a public good, preparing peo- rights and goals. Writing in 995, Barlow and swallowing the corporate ple for citizenship; social effi ciency, also situat- Campbell comment: message that meaning comes ing education as a public good, preparing people Canada today is dramatically diff erent from acquiring and a sense for the work world; and social mobility, viewing from the Canada of twenty years ago. Th at education as a private good, giving individuals change has not been caused primarily by of self-worth from owning. a competitive edge in the market. It is this last uncontrollable forces beyond our borders, You don’t have one? What a goal that sees parents and students as consum- although that has been an important fac- loser.” ers of education. tor. It is the result of such deliberate policy Belfi eld and Levin (2005) note that diff erent decisions as deregulation, privatization, — Conlin, 2004 types of schools have diff erent mixes of private free trade, monetarism, and their many off - and public characteristics, from home-school- spring. (p. 4) ing being the most private in nature, to private Some have characterized this movement or schools, charter schools, and public schools. shift as a corporate takeover, being stimulated In Canada, public education has been an im- by whatever means are at hand, inventing or ex- portant part of our social programs, programs aggerating crises to further an agenda towards designed to ensure a just society. In many ways, privatization (Calvert, 984, Monbiot, 2000). public education was a precursor to our legacy Labaree (997) notes that the shift towards see- of public, universal programs. Even before Can- ing education more as a private good has had a ada was offi cially founded, Egerton Ryerson was negative impact on support for our public in- working to ensure that education became uni- stitutions: versally accessible – as a right for all regardless But the biggest problem facing U.S. schools is of circumstance. “On the importance of educa- not the confl ict, contradiction, and compro- tion generally we may remark, it is as necessary mise that arise from trying to keep a balance as the light – it should be as common as water, among educational goals. Instead, the main and as free as air.” (829) threat comes from the growing dominance Over the last couple of decades, however, of the social mobility goal over the others. … public education in Canada as in other countries We fi nd public schools under attack, not just has come under attack. Th is has, in part, been because they are deemed ineff ective but be- fuelled by a general push to lessen the role of cause they are public. After all, if education Commercialism in Canadian Schools: Who’s Calling the Shots? 3 is a private good, then the next step … is to into a consumer commodity” (p. 52). Further, he withdraw public control entirely and move maintains that we need “to demonstrate how this toward a fully privatized system of educa- eff ort has already done considerable damage to tion. (p. 5) both school and society – by undermining learn- Robertson (2005) delineates four ways priva- ing, reinforcing social stratifi cation, and promot- tization has aff ected public education. ing a futile and wasteful race to attain devalued credentials.” • Privatization by design, including ideo- School commercialism is part of a trend of logues who believe that private is better aggressive marketing to children and youth. In “Pro-kid marketing means (for example, the Fraser Institute), and the United States, annual corporate spending on privateers who are in it for the money. we have a foundation for marketing to kids has grown substantially, from a wonderful relationship • Privatization by stealth, where public edu- $00 million in 983 to $5 billion (U.S.) current- between brands and children. cation takes on the characteristics of the ly. In addition to commercials, this encompasses private system, “acting like the market” We can all remember brands increasingly sophisticated and subtle approaches (for example, competing for students, for such as covert peer-to-peer marketing (Schor, from our childhood that we partnerships or sponsorships, and fund- 2004). remain fond of to this day. raising). Targeting the youth market is not limited to Pro-kid marketing does not • Privatization by default, arguing that the U.S. – Canadian children and youth have sig- mean that we have placed public education has failed and therefore nifi cant spending power and considerable infl u- ourselves in an austere prison privatization is the solution. ence on their parents’ spending patterns. Accord- ing to the 2005 YTV Tween Report, Canadian that prohibits interacting • Privatization from the inside out, high- kids aged 9 to 4 spent $2.9 billion of their own with kids. We can play with lighting that privatization is not just money (up from $. billion in 995), and infl u- them. We can run package about market share, but mindshare, not enced at least $20 billion in purchases by their just products, but ideas (for example, cur- promotions featuring their parents, a factor YTV calls “kidfl uence.” riculum units developed by corporations favourite things. We can As public schools are increasingly courted by or others that promote particular prod- deliver fun as well as great private interests or forced to go outside the con- ucts or ways of looking at the world). products. We can encourage fi nes of an insuffi cient public funding base in the Molnar (2004), researching commercial- pursuit of private money, organizations on both them to learn about their ism in education in the U.S., talks of “selling to sides of the border have begun to monitor the sit- roles as consumers in society. schools, selling in schools, and fi nally, the selling uation. Using media references, the Commercial- We can enrich them.” of schoolsschools andand ofof educationeducation asas a marketablemarketable com-com- ism in Education Research Unit (CERU), based at — Hastings, 2005a modity.” Education in the U.S. has become a part Arizona State University, has tracked school com- of big business, a source of profi ts, and schools mercialism in U.S. schools for nearly a decade. are the place to capture the loyalty of students, People for Education, an Ontario parent viewed as “consumers in training” (Molnar, group, has tracked a number of trends in On- 996). As the CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises in tario’s elementary and secondary schools for the the U.S. said, “Th e school system is where you past six years, including money raised through build brand loyalty” (Molnar, 2004). fundraising. Th eir latest report estimates that el- Th e push toward privatization is not unique ementary schools in Ontario raised $4.5 million to education. Many parts of our lives are be- in 2004-05. Th e average per schools is $0,800, up ing seen through a private lens. Private inter- from $7,200 in 998-99. Over half of the schools ests, according to some, are more important indicate that this money is being used to purchase than our collective goals. Labaree (997) states basics such as textbooks, computer software and the “privatizers are only the latest example of hardware, and classroom supplies (www.people- a long-standing eff ort to transform education foreducation.com).