When and where: As part of LTED 609, last Wednesday in class. Maria Hopkins used the term neo-liberalism in a discussion on how current policies and practices are hindering the education of English language learners and diverse learners. She explained that part of the philosophy of neo-liberals is to boil everything down to facts and figures - in terms of education, that means students become facts and figures.
Level of familiarity: I had never heard this term before. I guessed that it was a new form of liberalism, since I know that "neo" means new. I thought that they would be a more extreme form of liberalism, since the newer conservative groups have been more extreme (like the Tea Party).
What it means: The Free Dictionary explains neo-liberalism as a political movement with emphasis on economics. I was unsatisfied with this definition - particularly because it didn't blend with my hypothesized definition or the one Dr. Hopkins used in class. CorpWatch explains neo-liberalism through 5 main points: 1) private business should have no restraints from government; 2) minimum payments from public for social services; 3) reduce government involvement in anything that can produce money (even environment and safety); 4) privatization of everything; and 5) ousting community and promoting personal responsibility.
This article from the New York Times Opinionator Blog (which makes some connections to higher education, but it is still applicable to high or middle schools) explains that neo-liberalism supports personal responsibility in all areas.
Reflective commentary: Thinking about neo-liberalism in schools, the focus seems to be on asking schools to take care of their own funding. It seems that these people would ask government to step back from the regulations that they are currently requiring. I still am confused about the connection between neo-liberalism and all of these state tests.
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