The proponents of market-based approaches to education have sometimes invoked the need for community empowerment in educational decision-making to justify the reform of conventional state educational systems. Drawing upon examples from Australia, England and Wales, New Zealand and the usa, this paper explores the complex and contradictory ways in which the concept of community involvement is used in contemporary education policy. It further demonstrates that the role and impact of community involvement in schools are by no means straightforward. The paper concludes that, if community involvement is to be progressive in its effects, it will need to be articulated with a broader democratic politics of education.
Community; State; Market; Democracy; Education policy