Education Commons^™

The Purpose Of Education: A Case Study On Accountability And Latina Teachers In A Midwest Charter Network, Alexandra Irma Cruz

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The struggle to provide all children with an equitable education remains one of the most concerning and significant social, political, and moral problems in our nation. Although neoliberal accountability reform efforts have been set in place to alleviate such gaps, inequalities persist and disproportionately affect historically marginalized groups. This dissertation in curriculum studies aims to understand the perspectives of Latina teachers, an underrepresented group both in teaching and in educational research, on the effects of neoliberal accountability measures. This qualitative, multisite instrumental case study was guided by the following research questions: 1) When thinking about education under the effects of …

Framing Teaching In Retrospect: A Qualitative Study Of Educational Philosophies And Teacher Socialization Through The Teach For America Experience, Angela Marie Kraemer-Holland

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the capacity of neoliberalism and organizational socialization to shape alternatively certified teachers’ preparation and understanding of their teaching roles within the context of Teach for America. Using theoretical lenses of both neoliberalism and organizational socialization, I conducted a qualitative study on Teach for America teachers’ previous educational experiences, participation in the program, and the impact of this preparation on their careers post-teaching. None of the five participants are currently classroom teachers. Data collection included semi-structured interviews and critical discourse analysis of program documents. Findings reveal how participants’ educational and program experiences challenged their initial conceptions of teaching …

The Rise Of Neoliberalism - A Transrational Analysis: Towards A New Vision For Urban Education, Dennis Kevin Gregory

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

I was driven to this study by witnessing dramatic changes in urban education in recent years and began to ask the questions: What is going on? And why now? This dissertation will show that an extremely powerful and pervasive global ideology known as neoliberalism is at the core of the answers to these questions. As a result, understanding the Rise of Neoliberalism has become a passionate mission for me.

Ferguson (2009) argues that a different approach to the study of neoliberalism is needed because the current scholarship is unsatisfactory; generating common pejorative and unsurprising conclusions like ‘it is bad for …

Chicago’S 2013 School Actions: An Investigation Of Post-2008 Racial Neoliberal Policy, Sonya Mohini Roy-Singh

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Under the threat of a $1billion budget deficit, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) declared a "utilization crisis" and in 2013 closed 50 public schools, slated five schools to be turned around and declared the co-location of 23 schools in 11 buildings. This utilization crisis model, marketed by politicians as a cost cutting effort, has been implemented in many large cities across the United States. There are two commonalities across cities closing public schools deemed underutilized. First, these cities have gradually increased charter schools over the last decade. Second, the closing of schools deemed underutilized disproportionately impacted low-income, African American students. …

Colonialism, Neoliberalism, Education And Culture In Cameroon, Mary C. Diang

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Neocolonialism and neoliberalism are all offshoots or veiled forms of colonialism. The history of independence for colonized peoples in the late 1950s to mid1960s was a farce. In this work, I argue that colonialism only changed phase, switching into its more insidious form. This has had a very negative effect on education and culture in Cameroon, which has largely remained dependent on the West, singularly France, Britain, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, and Italy. Neoliberalism has brought destitution and deprived the people of their right to dignity as human beings. While I request that the West and America take their hands off …

An Analysis Of Two Education Reform Policies: Obama's Race To The Top And Promise Neighborhoods Programs, Alecia S. Person

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

In this analysis, I examine the relationship between neoliberalism and public education in order to provide context for the education policies laid out by the obama administration, specifically focusing on Race to the Top and Promise Neighborhoods. I will discuss how market discourse and shifts in the political climate have made way for a neoliberal education agenda based on privatization, strict and punitive assessments and accountability practices, and standardized high-stakes testing. A portion of this paper will analyze education policy documents and related literature to identify policy trends and give historical context to current national education policy reform agenda. This …

Privatization And Democratization: The Usages Of Democracy In Chicago's School Reform Discourse, Erin Dyke

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Since the start of Renaissance 2010, an initiative that is in the final stages of privatizing one-fifth of its over 600 schools, Chicago's public schools have undergone a massive transformation. The problem driving this inquiry is the opacity of the language and meaning of democracy and democratic principles within the context of the recent push for school privatization in Chicago. Using a framework of discourse analysis, I target the specific discursive formation in which democrary slips into a marketized version of itself in relation to Chicago's school privatization efforts. Through an analysis of scholarly articles, news media, and organizational literature …

Privatization And Cyber Charter Schools, Tammy Meyn-Rogeness

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Until recently the resources available to students have been limited to the boundaries of their school district. Due to technological advances in web-based curriculum, more and more students are opting to enroll in virtual schools. Virtual school models vary, but the most controversial type is the cyber charter school managed by for-profit companies. Supporters of cyber charter schools maintain that the schools are an efficient method for education children who do not wish to be a part of the mainstream public school system. Critics see cyber charter schools as the newest trend in privatizing education. Educational management organizations use federal, …