Ann Matear's Analysis of Education Policy and Marketization in Chile

Ann Matear's Research on Chilean Education Policy (2007)

Study 1: Equity in Education in Chile

Publication Details

• Title: Equity in education in Chile: The tensions between policy and practice.
• Year: 2007

Context and Objectives

This study examined education policy in Chile during the 1990s, following the return to democracy, specifically through an equity perspective. Policies were designed to encourage national development, social mobility, and equitable access to a quality educational system.

Methodology and Data Sources

Information was gathered from the Ministry of Education website, utilizing national statistics to demonstrate:

• Student enrollment trends.
• Levels of state and private investment in education.
• The changing distribution of educational establishments (municipal, semi-private, and fee-paying private categories).

Population Studied

All teachers across the country.

Assessment and Findings

Data concerning the quality of education in Chile were obtained from the System for Measuring the Quality of Education (Sistema de Medición de la Calidad en Educación, SIMCE). These tests are designed and administered by the Curriculum and Assessment Unit within the Ministry of Education, which also publishes the results.

Study 2: Tensions Between State and Market

Publication Details

• Title: Tensions between State and Market: Policy and Context
• Year: 2007

Context and Objectives

The research analyzed how the relationship between the state and society was reconfigured due to the partial withdrawal of the state from providing social services and its subsequent replacement by the market.

Methodology and Data Sources

Materials and data were primarily drawn from official sources:

1. Statistics from the Ministry of Education were used to demonstrate student enrollment trends.
2. Data on the quality of education in Chile were obtained from the SIMCE.

Population Studied

English teachers.

Key Findings on Privatization and Quality

• Within the privatization of education, some schools developed different internal systems.
• Students from various schools were examined by the SIMCE.
• Private schools achieved better results in the SIMCE compared to municipal schools.
• Municipal schools scored lower average results in the core subjects of mathematics and language compared to subsidized private schools.