Episode Two: The Business of Education

Should a business model be applied to public education?

French philosopher Victor Hugo once observed that "he who opens a school door closes a prison". Education is a key underpinning of any successful economy. There are those in Canada who advocate applying a business model to the education system, and that means offering parents more choice, making schools compete and enticing teachers with merit pay. We're pushing the envelope in Alberta; it shows in our results, and it's being noticed by the rest of the world. On the other hand - a similar move in the US has pushed students right off the table. We'll debate some of these ideas and ask the question: are they innovative or destructive? That's this week on TYPE A, where we go in search of straight A's.

Monday, January 30 and Friday, February 3 on CBC Radio One

Listen to our show on education (pop up player)