Connections between Neo-Liberalism, NeoConservatism, and Critical Democracy in Education

Abstract

In a global society, where an emphasis on equality and social justice is important, equality of opportunity is of high importance especially for minorities. Policy makers are often influenced by ideology, and this is true of those in education too. Two currently popular ideologies are neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism. Although both seek to create opportunities for citizens, they use slightly different means and their impact on education may hamper creating positive outcomes for citizens. In particular, their emphasis on marketization and privatization of the education system can be potentially problematic for the development of critical democracy in a society. This paper will examine how neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism influence attempts to implement critical democracy in education, and why an emphasis on critical democracy regardless of the underlying ideology is better for education.