What's Left for Education?

Neoliberalism's core tenets of free market ideology, unfettered individualism, and choice translated into the education sector sees the development of global metadiscourses or what Stronach (2010) describes as "hypernarratives which constitute the first global language of Education and allows politicians the world over to talk nonsense about educational outcomes, while singing from the same hymn sheet".

The common narrative is one of market force determinism, privatisation, deregulation, high stake testing, and a narrow focus on literacy and numeracy that collapses and destroys a broad and progressive curriculum. Reforms are called for on the back of government claims of a crisis in education that can only be repaired by market forces.

Charter schools, heavy state investment in private schooling sit alongside an ever decreasing funding of core services in state schools, especially in special education provision. Teachers are held responsible for children not achieving in national and international testing, and outside factors including poverty and inequality impacting on student success are largely ignored or trivialised.

The return of a National minority government in the election pressages a further dismantling of the state's role in education. How the Left should or could respond is the topic of this forum led by Professor John Morgan and Associate Professor Peter O'Connor.