Commercialism in education

Commercialism has transformed education into product and students into consumers. Lloyd Thacker asked the conference participants to identify these billion dollar industries that affect education. Test prep, enrollment management consultants, a consultants for kids industry, and a “how to beat the system” industry were shouted out by attendees. What have been the results of this commercialization? More money spent by colleges to self-promote, more public cynicism, more hype, more social stratification, and a drastic shift in financial aid from those most deserving to those most desirable.