ABSTRACT
One of the most important ideas that we hope to convey in this chapter is that the ways in which schooling is structured and carried out daily are not natural, normal, or neutral. Th at is, schools are structured, policies are adapted, and practices are implemented to serve broader political, social, and economic purposes (Gillborn 2005). Recall our discussion on liberalism where the political discourse of equality has been used to serve the interests of the more powerful in society. School practices, like education policies, which are presented as neutral or objective serve to legitimate (i.e., justify) the disadvantage of students who are unequally impacted by these inherently biased practices and policies.
