Public-private partnerships in continuing professional development in a context of deregulation

Abstract

Continuing professional development (CPD) is a niche market for the participation of private actors. The presence of these actors requires an analysis of how their relationship with the public administration is configured and what pedagogical approaches they try to inoculate in training policies. Through the study of six private entities divided into two groups—'traditional private agents' (Movimientos  de Renovación Pedagógica, Proyecto Atlántida and the Congregación de Escuelas Católicas) and 'new private educational initiatives' (ESADE, COTEC and ExE)—and of the state (Ministerio de Educación) and regional (Consejería de Educación de Madrid) administrations, we analyse the  pedagogical rationalities and the agreements established between the entities and the administration, as this region constitutes a context of deregulation in the Spanish educational system. The results reveal a shift between traditional and new agents: while the traditional ones have tended to focus their activity on teachers, the new ones seek to influence public policy. They also show a hollowing out and neoliberalisation of the pedagogical project. The results show the need for a public project that guarantees the quality of teacher training and delimits who should participate in a framework that prioritises democratic budgets over business incentives.