Proficiency as Property: A Critical Lens on Neoliberal Education Reform (Poster 13)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Thursday 8:00 a.m.
  In Poster Session: Social Context of Education Policies, Mattering, and Praxis

Abstract

This qualitative case study focuses on the impact of neoliberal education reform (NER) on an urban school serving students of Color. This study has two main objectives: to examine how NER influences the actions of teachers’ data meetings (DMs) and engages in a formative intervention methodology to collaborate with educators in mediating assumptions around the ways of measuring what students know, paying attention to how teachers' language and decisions reflect neoliberal ideologies. Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) and an expansive learning cycle provide a framework to analyze data of teachers' actions in the context of NER. The study's significance lies in the potential for intentional teacher learning activities that challenge and transform the marginalizing effects of NER.

Authors

• Kathryn Rusnak, Purdue University

• Melissa Lee Zipper, University of Louisville