Neoliberal Issues In Education

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to discuss the underlining issues in education formulated through neoliberal concepts. Neoliberalism is embedded into Australian culture through social, economic and political policies. It is a concept, which creates a classed based division in society. It achieves this through economic and political policies that fund big corporations and disempower the working class (Martin Eigenberger, 2011). Neoliberal ideologies typically operate to achieve measured outcomes for the wealthy whilst placing added burden onto the lower classes (Martin Eigenberger, 2011). This report aims to provide a clear argument that addresses the implementation of neoliberalism in the learning environment and the competitive

Regressing from collaborative, open learning experiences, towards conservative, and sobering test preparation may negatively impede on students. Thompson and Harbaugh (2013, p. 302) discuss the pedagogical changes teachers in America working under neoliberalist policy and corporate run schools endure. They highlight that teachers feel the stress of producing high performers and are reduced to lecturing students in order to achieve high scores. Importantly, they highlight the negative effects on students such as lack of motivation, loss of creativity and loss of higher order thinking skills (Thompson and Harbaugh (2013, p. 302). As to not be accountable for low grades, teachers are changing their pedagogy in order to meet political ideals that reflect a standardised production of

Through the use of data and technology, a schools performance is made accessible to the public. Ball (as cited in Meadmore, 2004, p. 28) explains the use of data and technology to report school achievements. Referred to as performativity, schools are ranked by their test scores which Ball likens to business marketing strategies. He discusses performativity as an analysis of data that produces a rewards-driven culture (Ball, as cited in Meadmore, 2004, p. 28). In other words, how well a school fares in state-wide testing will rank the school and make them more appealing to investors, and prospective students. Moreover, performativity in education drives a competitive, data-driven culture derived to rank students and schools. Meadmore (2004, pp. 29-31) likens the practice of performativity to surveillance practices. They explain that governments can keep track of how students and schools are faring from a distance in order to compare and produce evidence against expected norms (Meadmore, 2004, pp. 29-31). Performativity likens education to business and politics in that schools are judged and compared and ultimately competing to gain