Educational capitalisation: a co-formational feminist framework for conceptualising investment in for-profit education within the racialised and gendered political economy

Abstract

This paper examines the processes through which education becomes valued as capital within the racialised and gendered political economy. Using the empirical case of venture capital (VC) investment in for-profit education companies, principally education technology companies and for-profit school chains, it puts forward the concept of educational capitalisation. We conceptualise it as the set of uneven processes, practices, and socio-spatial relationships through which value is extracted from educational processes and practices, and, thus, education is valued in terms of expected monetary return on investment. While our conceptualisation focuses on VC investment, this framework could be used to outline other processes of extraction and valuation in education, including private equity, investment banking, venture philanthropy, and public-private partnerships. We conclude with a co-formational feminist framework for guiding future research, policymaking, and educational decision making that considers the financial, socio-technological, learning & teaching, and political-legal aspects of educational capitalisation, with ethical considerations embedded within each of these domains.