New Managerialism in Education Commercialization, Carelessness and Gender

This book, now in paperback, examines the impact of neo-liberal discourses and practices on the traditional caring and development ethos of public services such as education. Drawing on intensive case studies of the appointment process and the experiences of newly appointed senior managers in the education sector in Ireland, the book explores the gendered nature of neo-liberal reform from the perspectives of both men and women in each of the main education sectors. Using feminist and egalitarian theory, it highlights the structural and cultural impediments which undermine attempts to break through the glass ceiling of senior management appointments. It explores how organizational cultures combine with 'local logics' in the appointment process of senior managers, as well as universal trends in what 'counts' as effective managerial practice. The book also highlights the stresses, strains and identity conflicts among newly appointed senior managers as they seek to marry broader vision for education in an increasingly competitive and performance driven environment and evaluates the implications of such practice for the wider educational culture and its capacity to combine care and family with the demands of the leadership role.

Kathleen Lynch is Professor of Equality Studies at the School of Social Justice, University College Dublin, Ireland. She has published many books and papers on education and is the co-author of Equality: From Theory to Action and Affective Equality: Love, Care and Injustice. She is an Advanced Research Scholar of the Irish Research Council.

Bernie Grummell is a Lecturer with the Departments of Education and Adult and Community Education in the National University of Ireland Maynooth.

Dympna Devine is a Professor in the School of Education, University College Dublin, Ireland. She is Deputy Director of the UCD Childhood and Human Development Research Centre. She was a Fulbright Scholar in 2013-14 at CUNY where she undertook transnational research on migrant children.

Introduction

PART I: GOVERNANCE IN IRISH EDUCATION

1. New Managerialism as a Political Project: The Irish Case

2. The Culture of Governance in Irish Education

PART II: APPOINTING SENIOR MANAGERS

3. Research Preface: The Case Studies

4. Homosociability, Local Logics and Authenticity in the Appointments Process

5. Assessing Applicants: The Care Rules

PART III: BEING A SENIOR MANAGER

6. Leading Educators: The Emotional Work of Managing Identities

7. Crafting the Elastic Self: Gendered Experiences

8. The Careless Rules of the Game: Pregnancy, Child Care and Management

PART IV: LIVING AND FRAMING MARKETIZATION

9. New Managerialism, Carelessness and Gender

10. Framing Educational Agendas for Managers: The Role of the News Media