TY - JOUR
T1 - The neoliberal straitjacket and public education in the united states
T2 - Understanding contemporary education reform and its urban implications
AU - Klaf, Suzanna
AU - Kwan, Mei Po
N1 - Funding Information:
1We are grateful to Nancy Ettlinger for her insightful suggestions and to three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this article. Suzanna Klaf would like to thank the teachers and administrators who participated in her doctoral research study, conducted in 2008, upon which this manuscript draws. She would also like to thank the AAG Urban Geography Specialty Group for an Urban Geography Graduate Student Fellowship, which partially supported this research. 2Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Suzanna Klaf, Department of Geography, The Ohio State University, 1036 Derby Hall, 154 North Oval Mall, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1361; telephone: 614-688-3936; fax: 614-292-6213; email: [email protected]
PY - 2010/2/1
Y1 - 2010/2/1
N2 - Education is considered key to economic growth and to the reduction of social inequality and disadvantage. Contemporary education policy reflects the ideals of a neoliberal agenda (i.e., reform and economic competitiveness). Given that the United States both recognizes and abides by the rules of the free market, public schools find themselves in a neoliberal straitjacket. This "one-size-fits-all" garment has "pinched" public schools. This study draws on a broadly post-structural perspective of space and geographical context, and utilizes insights from Foucault to flesh out issues regarding "taken-for-granted" education reform in the U.S. Specifically, this work looks at No Child Left Behind through a geographic lens, emphasizing the importance of local context and the differential effects of policy.
AB - Education is considered key to economic growth and to the reduction of social inequality and disadvantage. Contemporary education policy reflects the ideals of a neoliberal agenda (i.e., reform and economic competitiveness). Given that the United States both recognizes and abides by the rules of the free market, public schools find themselves in a neoliberal straitjacket. This "one-size-fits-all" garment has "pinched" public schools. This study draws on a broadly post-structural perspective of space and geographical context, and utilizes insights from Foucault to flesh out issues regarding "taken-for-granted" education reform in the U.S. Specifically, this work looks at No Child Left Behind through a geographic lens, emphasizing the importance of local context and the differential effects of policy.
KW - Neoliberalism
KW - U.S. education policy
KW - Urban schools
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U2 - 10.2747/0272-3638.31.2.194
DO - 10.2747/0272-3638.31.2.194
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:76849096299
SN - 0272-3638
VL - 31
SP - 194
EP - 210
JO - Urban Geography
JF - Urban Geography
IS - 2
ER -