Abstract
Frenkiewich and Onosko (2020) maintain that American public education has functioned as a pillar of democracy and a force for progress for most of the twentieth century, but they worry that a major turn to school privatization in recent years will undermine the democratic mission and vision of public schooling and harm society as well. The authors contend that school privatization is the latest attempt by federal and state officials to fix the seemingly intractable problem of “unsatisfactory student performance.” They contend that there is a well-funded and organized effort by neoliberals and privatizers to create and multiply charter schools and education vouchers that undercut public schools, meritocracy, and educational opportunity. This response and discussion highlight the cause of the rise of school privatization and its relationship to the neoliberal “failure” narrative.
Response to Article
Jeffrey Frenkiewich and Joseph J. Onosko, Public Schools At-Risk: Examining a Century of U.S. Media Coverage of "Unsatisfactory Student Performance" and the Rise of School Privatization
Recommended Citation
Tell, S.
(2021).
Education “Failure” Narrative Indispensable to Failed School Privatization Schemes Organized by a Failed State. A Response to "Public Schools At-Risk: Examining a Century of U.S. Media Coverage of 'Unsatisfactory Student Performance' and the Rise of School Privatization".
Democracy and Education,
29
(2), Article 6.
Available at:
https://democracyeducationjournal.org/home/vol29/iss2/6