Corporate Networks' Grip on the Public School Sector and Education Policy

Abstract

Public education is being abandoned as a public service in the United States. Corporate network proliferation in the public school sector erodes the capital of these schools. As social services become privatized public schools lose agency for protecting the common good. In today’s military–industrial complex, schools and universities are being rewired from the outside-in by external interest groups, including corporate giants. In this chapter, the public school sector and education policy are conceived of as a network, eliciting a picture of complex relationships among policy actors, corporate networks, and governmental entities. Using the Common Core State Standards, as a case, the researcher challenges the dominant political wisdom supporting this initiative and reveals the toll on social democracy in education. What is our responsibility for countering the for-profit, anti-intellectual mindset that damages schools? Networked policy governance and coalitions are put under a microscope and the sneak attacks on schools exposed.