ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the neoliberal ideology that elevates the market, competition, choice, individualism, and privatization. Neoliberalism extends classical liberal thought into late capitalism and aims to undo social democratic liberalism. Rather than democracy and equality, neoliberalism promotes profits as the central goal. Neoliberalism provides the rationale for the current education reform efforts focusing on choice, markets, standardized testing, and accountability. It also provides the rationale for political efforts to reduce governmental spending on social services and everything else other than the military as well as reducing taxes on corporations and the wealthy. The chapter suggests the teaching profession is under attack partly because neoliberals want to negatively portray unionized professionals so that people can, as Thatcher and Reagan did, reduce the power of unions and the amount of funding social services receive. It then describes neoliberalism and some of its effects on economic and education policy. Neoliberal education and economic policies promote few ideals that undermine overall social welfare.
