• ECCE
  • School Edu
  • Higher Edu
  • Edu Tech
  • Skills
  • Jobs
  • Advertise
  • Login
[t4b-ticker]
  • Home
  • Latest
  • Spotlight
  • Perspective
  • Interview
  • Videos
  • Events
  • Shop
  • Student Kiosk
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Latest
  • Spotlight
  • Perspective
  • Interview
  • Videos
  • Events
  • Shop
  • Student Kiosk
No Result
View All Result
Education21
Home Latest

Schools’ surge in marketing to attract pupils fuels inequalities globally, new research reveals

A pioneering global study has revealed how schools worldwide are using a raft of marketing techniques to attract higher performing pupils and climb the league tables

education by education
February 16, 2023
in Latest, School Edu
0
Schools’ surge in marketing to attract pupils fuels inequalities globally, new research reveals
0
SHARES
25
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The research, published on Feb 16 and led by the University of Bristol, shows how the increasing trend of parents being able to choose which primary and secondary school their child goes to has resulted in greater rivalry, driving an industry of marketing activity in both public and paid-for schools, sometimes at the expense of improvements to education.

A team of marketing, policy and economics experts set to analysing all the published evidence available. This involved reviewing dozens of research papers about the marketing practices of primary and secondary schools, studying data from 16 countries, including the UK, America, Canada, Australia, and Taiwan.

The findings uncovered a prevalence of concerning practices, such as targeting certain households to boost academic performance and using misleading imagery in promotional materials. Marketing through the careful management of information presented to parents is being used as a quicker more cost-effective substitute for real academic and operational changes. There were also instances of pupil recruitment taking priority over the quality of teaching in the US and Australia, where teachers were actively involved in community outreach events, canvassing and social media campaigns.

The report therefore calls for further research into the nature and impact of school marketing combined with much-needed regulatory reform to ensure such methods support equitable access to better education.

Corresponding author Agnes Nairn, Professor of Marketing at the University of Bristol Business School and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement, said: “The full extent of school marketing and what forms it takes has largely fallen under the radar . This is the first-ever systematic review of all studies and the findings are rather worrying.

“Instead of raising their game and making tangible improvements, which can be costly, riskier and take more time, schools all over the world are deploying various marketing methods to attract pupils. Worse still, we discovered evidence of this activity being exploited to in effect exclude disadvantaged children deemed less likely to be high academic achievers and more troublesome to teach. Rather than helping to level up performance and reduce social inequality, marketing practices induced by school choice programmes inadvertently exacerbate these issues.”

Ironically, the report findings suggest schools with the most to legitimately shout about were less active with marketing because they are often fully subscribed. Meanwhile, schools performing poorly in the league tables have a greater incentive to go into marketing overdrive to attract enough pupils to stay open.

Many of the research papers criticised the usage of imagery and words in publicity material, observing that rhetoric, unverified claims, and specific imagery were deployed to enhance the school’s reputation and appeal to different social classes.

First author Dr Ellen Greaves, Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute in Italy, said: “Choosing a school is an important and difficult decision for parents. Schools’ current marketing practices are unlikely to help parents in this process, as they often provide only unsubstantiated or unverifiable claims. This includes explicit and implicit assertions about the educational performance and pupil composition of the school.”

The report also identified a growing body of research demonstrating how techniques such as market segmentation and targeting were being routinely used to screen, select, and exclude prospective students. In the US, households in affluent Downtown areas were favoured over those from remote neighbourhoods, thereby worsening social and racial segregation. For example, a recent study of some 6,500 schools operating under choice-based systems in the US revealed application information was provided selectively, with schools being less responsive to enquiries from students regarded as harder to teach or from certain nationalities.

Activity to target pupils perceived as easier to teach and more likely to get higher grades was also found in the UK.

Co-author Professor Deborah Wilson, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences at the University of Bath, said: “Targeting marketing in particular neighbourhoods or to types of parents is a form of covert selection by schools. Covert selection has been banned during the school admissions process in England, but not during schools’ marketing campaigns.

“Evidence from around the world suggests that schools in many contexts have an incentive to recruit certain types of pupils, and that marketing currently remains a legitimate way to do this. Policymakers and regulators need to find a way to help schools focus on improving the quality of education they provide, rather than the quality of their marketing campaigns.”

In Taiwan, the level of competition between schools was so intense it has led to unethical, even illegal, practices such as bribery of teachers at feeder schools, who would serve as publicity tools, to recruit top performing pupils.

Given the total current lack of marketing regulations for schools globally, the report urges the International Chamber of Commerce to intervene and kickstart a process of reform to help combat widespread bad practice.

Prof Nairn said: “Marketing and advertising regulations in this area are much overdue as it is clear that false and exclusionary marketing practices are taking place. Clear measures must be introduced so parents and pupils are protected, and to help reverse the social injustices this activity has further entrenched.”

Paper

‘Marketing and school choice: a systematic literature review’ by Greaves et al. in Review of Education Research

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS Feed
Previous Post

Applications open for OMEDK- Uni-GAUGE Entrance Exam for UGET 2023

Next Post

Former Edu Secy Anita Karwal’s book ‘The Power of Curiosity—in and beyond classrooms’ to hit stores in June

education

education

Related Posts

Career Mosaic announces CSR Initiatives aimed at Education Access and STEM Learning for Underserved Students
School Edu

Career Mosaic announces CSR Initiatives aimed at Education Access and STEM Learning for Underserved Students

by education
August 6, 2025
Delhi Govt’s Bill to Regulate School Fees introduced in Assembly, Critics warn of limited Parent Voice
Latest

Delhi Govt’s Bill to Regulate School Fees introduced in Assembly, Critics warn of limited Parent Voice

by education
August 6, 2025
PM Modi’s Pariksha Pe Charcha 2025 conferred with Guinness World Record for most registrations in one-month
Latest

PM Modi’s Pariksha Pe Charcha 2025 conferred with Guinness World Record for most registrations in one-month

by education
August 4, 2025
Extramarks launches ‘Extra Intelligence’ AI-powered education suite aimed at schools
School Edu

Extramarks launches ‘Extra Intelligence’ AI-powered education suite aimed at schools

by education
July 30, 2025
The inaugural CaseQuest for high school students AI by BITSoM and CreatED sees students work on digital products
School Edu

The inaugural CaseQuest for high school students AI by BITSoM and CreatED sees students work on digital products

by education
July 30, 2025
Next Post
Former Edu Secy Anita Karwal’s book ‘The Power of Curiosity—in and beyond classrooms’ to hit stores in June

Former Edu Secy Anita Karwal’s book ‘The Power of Curiosity—in and beyond classrooms’ to hit stores in June

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS Feed

Useful Announcements

  • All
  • Useful Announcements

Nagaland University launches New Interdisciplinary MA in Language and Culture

August 4, 2025

Tech firm, Nothing, announces Nothing Incubator competition for India’s young innovators

July 31, 2025

Contentstack launches Techsurf 2025 Hackathon

July 31, 2025

IIM Kozhikode is the Convener for CAT 2025 as key deadlines revealed, Registrations start Aug 1

July 30, 2025

IIT Roorkee launches Full-Stack AI Certification for Modern Marketers

July 30, 2025

Registrations for NMAT by GMAC™ Exam Open August 1, 2025; exam available across 86 test centres

July 30, 2025
Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra’s dance drama ‘KRISHNA’ show from Aug 12-16 at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi

Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra’s dance drama ‘KRISHNA’ show from Aug 12-16 at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi

July 30, 2025

NIT Rourkela calls applications for DASA 2025 and CSAB-Special Round Starting 30th July 2025 via Common Admission Portal

July 29, 2025

TechnoStruct Academy becomes partner of buildingSMART International

July 29, 2025

Vidyamandir Classes announces Vidyamandir Intellect Quest (VIQ)

July 29, 2025

Download current issue Not available

https://online.pubhtml5.com/jlyo/bxvr/

Monthly Magazine : Feb 2024

Interactive (Quizzes/Surveys)

Start Monthly Quiz
Education21

An initiative in continuation of Curriculum Magazine, Education21.in, is a platform for New India that aspires to be a valuable innovator, partner and collaborator for a just and sustainable world. Continuing with our steady and 360 degree coverage of education system and skills landscape, we are here more oriented towards learner community.

Useful Links

  • About us
  • Team
  • Contact
  • Editorial opportunities
  • Subscriptions
  • Job Opportunities
  • Features

Important Links

  • Blog
  • Archives
  • People
  • Careerwise
  • Resources
  • Downloadable
  • Old issues

Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS Feed

Copyright © 2020 All rights reserved. Education21.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Latest
  • Spotlight
  • Perspective
  • Interview
  • Videos
  • Events
  • Shop
  • Student Kiosk

Copyright © 2020 All rights reserved. Education21.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In