Education’s investment metaphor misses the point

By Grace Karram. Canada’s education news is currently being dominated by the protests of Ontario public school teachers amid fiscal cuts. But this has not stopped some determined post-secondary researchers from releasing reports on recent study findings. Not surprisingly the bulk of the reports suggest how institutions should spend limited financial resources during austere times. It seems that as money becomes scarce, post-secondary education advice is infused with investment metaphors: Should institutions invest in high-performing students, permanent instructors or high-enrolment programmes? This is problematic, as it presents a false sense that education funding is a zero-sum game in which administrators must finance the most lucrative venture. Read more...