Partnerships and Charter Schools: Contrasts in Canadian Reform

Abstract

This paper draws on European views of partnerships that stress policy implications for change rather than financial contributions to an existing system. In North America, critics rant against business influences, but partnerships can transform an inner-directed system. Charter schools need to be related to partnerships. In Canada, unlike the United States, charter schools are strongly resisted by education professionals. Cultural traditions account for the drastic differences between Canadians’ and Americans’ reaction to charter schools and the varying perceptions of partnerships between Europeans and North Americans.