If It Walks/Talks/Looks Like a Voucher...
Location
School Choice and Educational Opportunities - Preston 2
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
It would be fairly safe to declare most Americans, if not all, would prefer having choices over being restricted to single options without variety or individual uniqueness. Since the ‘free-market’ has overhauled our economy, and neoliberal ideals are hidden in every corner, America is the homeland of choice, competition and individuality. Making choices is one of the most neoliberal practices Americans can employ, and the capitalist market and consumerism takes full advantage of our desire to choose. The neoliberal framework, when employed in other institutions such as education, will exploit minority and/or disadvantaged groups while perpetuating the hegemonic agenda. The practice of providing more and more choices ends up creating restrictions and a power struggle between those with the power and privilege to freely choose and those who do not. In this context, when education becomes subject to the idealistic notions of neoliberalism, it becomes a private good rather than a social good for the development of individuals and society as a whole; and voucher policies are at the forefront of this competition. Georgia's 2019 General Assembly introduced yet another example of an exploitative voucher bill, and history tells us this is likely not the last.
Keywords
Neoliberalism, Vouchers, Critical-Postmodern, Georgia Education Policy
Professional Bio
Erin Scussel is a PhD student at Georgia State University in the Education Policy Social Foundations Program. After nine years of teaching in Georgia’s public schools, she decided to go back to graduate school full time to pursue a degree that would provide insight into American policy making and analysis. She is interested in the repercussions neoliberal policies have on public education including school choice, vouchers, curriculum, standardized testing, accountability policies, and teacher evaluation systems.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Scussel, Erin C., "If It Walks/Talks/Looks Like a Voucher..." (2019). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 25.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2019/2019/25
If It Walks/Talks/Looks Like a Voucher...
School Choice and Educational Opportunities - Preston 2
It would be fairly safe to declare most Americans, if not all, would prefer having choices over being restricted to single options without variety or individual uniqueness. Since the ‘free-market’ has overhauled our economy, and neoliberal ideals are hidden in every corner, America is the homeland of choice, competition and individuality. Making choices is one of the most neoliberal practices Americans can employ, and the capitalist market and consumerism takes full advantage of our desire to choose. The neoliberal framework, when employed in other institutions such as education, will exploit minority and/or disadvantaged groups while perpetuating the hegemonic agenda. The practice of providing more and more choices ends up creating restrictions and a power struggle between those with the power and privilege to freely choose and those who do not. In this context, when education becomes subject to the idealistic notions of neoliberalism, it becomes a private good rather than a social good for the development of individuals and society as a whole; and voucher policies are at the forefront of this competition. Georgia's 2019 General Assembly introduced yet another example of an exploitative voucher bill, and history tells us this is likely not the last.
