ABSTRACT
Neoliberalism in schools has meant that the experience and subject knowledge of teachers becomes a secondary priority in a world where curricula are increasingly shaped by the needs of industry and the changing economy instead of the needs of educators and pupils or school communities. This chapter analyses the way in which neoliberalism threatens educational authority and the ties of trust that sustain it. It offers a critical reflection on the obstacles to authority within education in a society that is dominated by neoliberal values and expectations. The chapter describes the ideology of ‘utility’, which invites both educators and the educated to invest in the educational process only when there is a specific purpose, seen in terms of material or symbolic gain. It aims to highlight the possibility of reconfiguring authority and trust to achieve a fairer education, with an education system that goes above and beyond neoliberalist ideas.
