ABSTRACT
The election of Donald Trump represents the next and perhaps final stage of neoliberalism as authoritarian neoliberalism in which the state is reconfigured ‘into a less democratic entity through constitutional and legal changes’ that undermine political discourse and processes. This chapter describes many socially liberal Democrats who claim to support gender, racial and economic equality, such as former president Barack Obama and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, have been strong supporters of the neoliberal agenda in education. It suggests that families, educators and communities may oppose Trump and Betsy DeVos’ authoritarian neoliberalism by building on the rising resistance to high-stakes testing and privatisation to reclaim schools as the centres of their communities and sources of critical thinking and democracy. Working towards educational equality requires creating social and economic equality and developing schools rooted in their communities, with teachers, parents and students respected for their culture, experience and knowledge.
