Increasingly it is not just the state that determines the content, delivery and governance of education. The influence of external actors has been growing, the boundaries between internal and external have become blurred and their partnerships have become more complex.

This book considers how schooling systems are being influenced by the rise of external actors, including private companies, NGOs, parent organisations, philanthropies and international assessment frameworks.

It explores how the public, private and third sectors are becoming increasingly intertwined. Introducing new theoretical frameworks, it examines diverse sites — including Cambodia, Israel, Poland, Chile, Australia, Brazil and the US — to study the role of policies, institutions and contextual factors shaping the changing relationships between those seeking to influence schooling.