UC Merced

In this thesis I will use a critical policy analysis approach to examine US education reform and its effects on social inequality. I situate my analysis within the rise of neoliberal ideology which prioritizes market-driven values, champions individualism, diminishes social responsibility, and promotes deregulation. I seek to answer research questions such as: how does the United States’ neoliberal agenda create, maintain, and reproduce the marginalization of low-income students of color? How is the neoliberal agenda embedded in US education policy and law at state and federal levels? And, how might students of color conceptualize themselves within the larger framework of neoliberalism? As evidence I draw on theory, policy analysis, and existing empirical data on one of the most underperforming public schools in San Diego, California, with most of the students being minorities and low-income: Abraham Lincoln High School.