‘Shit shows’ or ‘like-minded schools’: charter schools and the neoliberal logic of Teach For America

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Over the past three decades, two neoliberal educational reform efforts have emerged in tandem–the charter school movement and Teach For America (TFA). This paper critically examines the relationship between these entities through the lens of TFA corps members placed in charter schools, and explores two types of schools described by interviewees, namely, ‘shit shows,’ and ‘like-minded schools.’ Grounded in corps members’ teaching experiences, this paper argues that even at its best, the close partnership between TFA and charters can create a mutually reinforcing educational subculture that is isolated from broader educational discourses and practices. At its worst, this partnership can result in the ill-advised ‘propping up’ of under-funded, mismanaged, ill-equipped charters that might otherwise struggle to find adequate staffing and, consequently, close. This paper suggests that these two tendencies–toward corps members’ insularity and poor placement–have the potential to conflict with the charter movement’s and TFA’s stated purposes of improving the quality of schooling for disadvantaged and marginalized students.

Department(s)

Education

Publication Title

Journal of Education Policy

Volume

32

Issue

3

First Page

357

Last Page

371

Publication Date

5-4-2017

DOI

10.1080/02680939.2017.1280184

ISSN

02680939

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