ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the language and ideology of these reform efforts epitomize the norms of hegemonic masculinity, resulting in the maintenance of the status quo rather than change. It examines several characteristics — power and control, aggression, competition, and technical competence — looking at how the language and ideology of educational reform efforts epitomize these norms. The chapter also argues that one result of the masculinization of school reform is the maintenance of structures of unequal schooling that privilege those with power and authority through legislated competition, aggression, and control. It considers the notion of standardized measures of K-12 student learning. The chapter shows "the institutional expression" of masculine power, including in the current school reform legislation and rhetoric surrounding it. It also shows that as long as school reform legislation and rhetoric rely on hegemonically masculine standards and characteristics, they too come at a high cost that will be lethal for many of America's schools and students.
