Public Education in an Era of Neo-Liberal Globalization: The Broken Promise of No Child Left Behind

Abstract

This chapter examines the federal 2001 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and discusses neo-liberal global ideology that informs NCLB. I review data from the state of Missouri and find that NCLB has not met its goal of improving the academic achievement of students from ethnic minority and lower socioeconomic groups. Minority students represent a large and growing proportion of the school age population; and they are failing disproportionately compared to white students. I also discuss the major focus, accountability, which requires states to annually assess and report progress made by different subgroup of students on standardized tests in the State of Missouri. This neo-liberal globalization education reform agenda is designed to meet the needs of free market capitalism.In spite of the rhetoric of equality of educational opportunity and the value of diversity in America, we find ourselves in the midst of an ultraconservative set of federal policies that is shifting resources from the “have-nots” to “have-mores.” (Joyce Payne)

Citation

Eferakorho, J. (2006), "Public Education in an Era of Neo-Liberal Globalization: The Broken Promise of No Child Left Behind", Brown, F. and Hunter, R.C. (Ed.) No Child Left Behind and other Federal Programs for Urban School Districts (Advances in Educational Administration, Vol. 9), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 249-262. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1479-3660(06)09013-5