The market masquerade : a rising tide sinks leaky boats

Because school systems are rarely evaluated as part of the larger ecology of a city, we know little about how schools contribute to or detract from inclusive growth and justice oriented equity in the larger community. In fact, few studies seek to explain the broader socio-political context, or the economic imperatives that imbue both the education sector’s and a city’s ‘redevelopment.’ This study addresses this critical gap by examining what happens when district-level school reform is linked to the larger project of economic development within a city. More specifically, it explores how the politics of race and power, and a subscription to traditional economic theories at the federal, state, and local level, shaped the post-Katrina rebuilding of New Orleans and the attendant sweeping school reform. Drawing on critical policy analysis and theory from human, community, and sustainable development, this study uses a new multi-disciplinary framework for policymakers and education leaders to evaluate the relationship between school choice reform and urban ‘revitalization.’ The framework centers around four domains: mobility and opportunity, well-being, agency, and trust, all of which must work in concert to reduce systemic inequality and empower communities. This study investigates the market-based redesign of New Orleans at the city and school level, using a qualitative case study design that includes document and policy analysis, twelve semi-structured and five informal interviews, and observations. Findings show that the policies driving the city’s redevelopment stripped power from the black community to build a new system that consolidated control and tended to conform to white, neoliberal models of economic success. Further, the long-term equity tradeoffs of redevelopment were not taken into account during the policy creation and initial implementation process. This study contributes to several fields of education research. It broadens the scope of school choice theory, making a case for looking beyond the individual consumer to the broader context and community impact. It also marries critical theory to the principles of sustainable, human, and community development, pushing policymakers and advocates center reforms around justice-oriented equity. Finally, it answers growing calls to situate education policy analysis within larger socio-cultural and political contexts