Rural Debt and Erasure: The Effects of Neoliberal Policy on Rural Education in Massachusetts

• In Event: When Rurality and Policy Collide

Abstract

Rural Massachusetts is disappearing both in terms of population and number of schools, a trend being hastened by the state. This paper employs a historical analysis of state policy in regards to rural communities and a critical analysis of current state education policy in an effort to show that the state government is actively indebting rural communities while pursuing a neoliberal education agenda that values economic growth and efficiency above the needs of communities. As a consequence, the state has forced rural communities to shut down their local schools and actively pushed young people out of rural areas. The paper ends with a discussion of the importance of rural communities and how they can regain democratic control of their schools.

Author

• Jason A. Cervone, University of California - Los Angeles