Problems and Possibilities of Neoliberal Education Reforms: Accountability, High-Stakes Testing, and Inequality

Author:   Dr Mustafa Toprak (Sharjah Education Academy in the United Arab Emirates)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN:  

9781350375796


Pages:   200
Publication Date:   25 June 2026
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained


Our Price $59.99 Quantity:  
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Problems and Possibilities of Neoliberal Education Reforms: Accountability, High-Stakes Testing, and Inequality


Overview

Neoliberal education reforms promise (but often don't succeed) to improve student outcomes and provide more equitable educational opportunities to students with different backgrounds. They hold schools accountable for their performance through high-stakes testing and linking performance to rewards and sanctions, and by empowering parents. This book presents a critical and objective appraisal of these neoliberalist education reforms. Mustafa Toprak considers the practical elements of neoliberal reforms, including voucher systems, choice, accountability, competition within and between schools, educational inequalities, and high-stakes testing, and in doing this, contributes to social justice debates and the idea of education as a common good. He uses reforms in Chile as a case study and offers a critique of its neoliberal educational reforms. Rather than discrediting all the central tenets of neoliberal education, Toprak considers the pros and cons of these reforms for students, teachers, schools, and societies and proposes new reforms to ensure that policies accurately and responsively address the needs of all stakeholders.

Full Product Details

Author:   Dr Mustafa Toprak (Sharjah Education Academy in the United Arab Emirates)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9781350375796


ISBN 10:   1350375799
Pages:   200
Publication Date:   25 June 2026
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained

Table of Contents

Introduction Part I: What is Neoliberalism? 1. Introducing Neoliberalism 2. Neoliberalism in Education Part II: Battlefronts 3. Education as a Common Good 4. School Choice and Inequalities 5. High-Stakes Standardized Testing 6. Educational Accountability Part III: Evidence From the Field and New Directions 7. Chile: What Has Gone Wrong 8. How Should the Future Look? Conclusion References Index

Reviews

""Toprak unveils the drivers behind neoliberal education reforms, analyses their failures, and charts an alternative pathway that inspires hope. This book is essential reading for educators, and everyone invested in the future of education."" --Melanie C. Brooks, Edith Cowan University, Australia ""Unlocking the nuanced complexities of neoliberalist education reforms, this book pioneers a balanced approach, dismantling the simplistic good/bad dichotomy. It offers a valuable resource for educators and scholars navigating diverse ideological landscapes in the current educational discourse."" --Mehmet Karakus, Coventry University, UK


Toprak unveils the drivers behind neoliberal education reforms, analyses their failures, and charts an alternative pathway that inspires hope. This book is essential reading for educators, and everyone invested in the future of education. -- Melanie C. Brooks, Edith Cowan University, Australia Unlocking the nuanced complexities of neoliberalist education reforms, this book pioneers a balanced approach, dismantling the simplistic good/bad dichotomy. It offers a valuable resource for educators and scholars navigating diverse ideological landscapes in the current educational discourse. -- Mehmet Karakus, Coventry University, UK


Author Information

Mustafa Toprak is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Sharjah Education Academy in the United Arab Emirates. He is the Regional Editor for Egypt for the Bloomsbury Education and Childhood digital resource.

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