The Impossibility of Undoing Neoliberalism: AERA Sessions, 12:36 PM

• In Event: e-Lightening Ed-Talk Session 8

Abstract

"This ethnographic case study of the San Francisco Voucher School (SFVS) shows that once an education system has suffered from extreme forms of privatization and marketization, policy reforms aiming to foster inclusion and democratization of schools face difficulties, even in contexts where individuals are committed to building an egalitarian system. This case study of a Jesuit, social justice-oriented Chilean school illustrates the turbulent journey of a voucher school that, until 2012, embraced a neoliberal educational model by charging family copayment and selecting students for enrollment but moved toward becoming an inclusive and democratic space for its new population of emergent multilingual students of African descent (EMISAD).
Using the Zone of Mediation and Critical Race Theory frameworks, this research critically analyses the organizational transformation that the school underwent by highlighting the neoliberal forces that influenced how the school community mediated these changes. Ultimately, it explores how these forces influenced the educational experiences of EMISAD.
First, I provide an overview of the neoliberal forces that prevent SFVS from achieving its educational goal. Second, I describe the forces or obstacles imposed by the Voucher Management Organization, acknowledging that this organization is shaped by the neoliberal ideas prevailing in Chile. Finally, the poster presents five cases of educators who have deep connections with the students they serve. I explore their lived experiences, values, and beliefs to understand the efforts and sacrifices these individuals have made to resist the repressive educational context in which they live."

Author

• Maria Eugenia Rojas Concha, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso