Neoliberal Progressivism: Charter Schools as Claims to Urban Space, Asian American Self-Determination, and Multiracial Solidarity

Abstract

Much of the scholarship on charter schools has examined the reform through the lens of neoliberalism, rightly critiquing it for its negative effects on democracy, public schools, and marginalized communities. While we have developed important understandings of how progressive values are often repurposed toward strengthening neoliberal projects in education, I argue for a serious exploration of the possibilities of using neoliberal tools as a way of advancing progressive aims. Using the case study of a charter school in Philadelphia’s Chinatown that was founded expressly as a claim to urban space, Asian American self-determination, and multiracial solidarity, I show how some of the progressive aims we hope to achieve can come from unexpected neoliberal techniques.