Contours of neoliberalism in US empirical educational research

Abstract

Neoliberalism has an enormous influence on P-12 education in most industrial societies. In this integrative, theoretical literature review, we surveyed the journal articles on neoliberalism in US-based educational research to better understand how neoliberalism has been conceptualized in this body of work and to offer implications for future research on neoliberalism and education. We drew on Foucauldian discourse theories to conduct an analysis of peerreviewed studies of American P-12 contexts to consider how researchers' depictions of neoliberalism have shaped the discourse of neoliberalism in education and contributed to particular ways of thinking and responding to neoliberalism in the U.S. The resulting analysis describes the topics addressed in the data, the definitions of neoliberalism presented across the studies, the application of neoliberalism to phenomena, and the depth of attention to neoliberalism in the research. The authors contend that future research must consider and document how historically situated and contradictory elements of a "rascal" discourse like neoliberalism interacts with existing discourses to impact life in ways that subjugate but may also create recuperative spaces for hope and creative resignification.

Policies and People: A Review of Neoliberalism and Educational Technologies in P-12 Education Research

“…Indeed, this research reviewed here has largely focused on policy documents and has been communicated through critical commentary, with less attention given to actually existing neoliberalism as it manifests in the behaviors and dispositions of teachers and students. Schmeichel et al (2017) drew a similar conclusion from their review of research on neoliberalism and education, arguing that absent a growing body of empirical scholarship, there is potential for the effects of neoliberalism on people to be exaggerated, distorted, or under-appreciated. Given the degree to which techno-evangelistic discourses like the Silicon Valley narrative (Waters, 2015) suggest that ed-tech supports equitable education, neoliberal critiques of corporatebacked ed-tech reforms are an important means by which scholars and educators can remain vigilant of persistent structural inequalities, particularly as they may be perpetuated by educational technologies.…”

“…This relatively small sample prompted me to expand my search to two other databases: PsycINFO (two duplicate results) and SOCindex (one duplicate result). Although there is a considerable body of research around neoliberalism and P-12 education in general (see Schmeichel et al, 2017), scholarly attention to the specific role ICT played-and continue to play-in the neoliberalization of education continues to emerge.…”

“…For example, one cannot simply point to examples of standardized testing within schools and attribute them to neoliberalism, as such testing regimes existed in schools long before the emergence of neoliberal policies in the 1970s (e.g., the Scholastic Aptitude Test). In their review of research on education and neoliberalism, Schmeichel, Sharma, and Pittard (2017) argued that a given phenomenon should only be attributed to neoliberalism:…”

The everyday traumas of neoliberalism in women teachers’ bodies: Lived experiences of the teacher who is never good enough

“…The takeover of schools by neoliberal corporate policies and practices over the last 20 years (e.g. Klein, 2007; Ravitch, 2013; Schmeichel et al., 2017) including the mandatory use of standardized testing has created a workplace that further diminishes women’s autonomy and professionalism in the classroom. These mandates, rooted in high-stakes testing practices, create hard-and-fast expectations of teachers that ironically keep shifting and changing and sedimenting into new targets for success (Pittard, 2015), creating anxious working conditions where teachers are constantly thinking about the tests and other mandates rather than being with the students in front of them.…”

Cultural work: Whitepower-normalcy and knowledge-power intersections in special education practice and scholarship

“…Ideologies are part of this sociocultural context, yet, in part due to the challenges of making ideas concrete and measurable, the philosophies, beliefs and assumptions that undergird our practice are neglected in educational discourse. Today's educational context is one of neoliberalism, with its competition, individual accountability, and need for quantified data as proof of progress; this serves to stifle and distract inquiry involving ideologies of Whiteness or Normalcy (Schmeichel, et al, 2017). This dissertation intends to interrupt that distraction, by focusing on the ideological constructs, as well as their cultural processes and their practical, day to day impact on people within the culture .…”