Students as human resources in the corporatised school

Abstract

The transfer of Human resource management (HRM) practices from the corporate business context into schools has taken a novel turn. No longer restricted to the management of school teachers, HRM techniques are now being applied to the management of students. HRM views the student as a human resource to serve the school, and seeks to systematically regulate students’ identities in order to align them with school values and goals. The paper introduces the Uncommon Schools model as an exemplar of student centred HRM. The case study demonstrates how student-centred HRM is being operationalised in schools and concludes by exploring the potential of this systematic innovation in student management. The paper is informed by critical management theories and argues that student centred HRM constitutes a radical shift in the relationship between school and student.