Neoliberalism in Decline? New Pluralists Recast Schools in Los Angeles

Abstract

Neoliberal tenets have colored the past half-century of education reform, marked by top-down accountability, market competition, and regimented learning aims. Federal drift and post-pandemic recovery, along with economic uncertainty, will blur policy priorities going forward. Less noticed, local networks of pro-equity activists have come to challenge urban bureaucracies, while advancing fairness, diverse forms of schooling, respectful and rigorous social relations inside schools. This paper examines the case of Los Angeles, where a coalition of Black and Latina leaders, civil rights attorneys, social-justice nonprofits, and pedagogical reformers succeeded to progressively fund schools, extend college-prep courses, and decriminalize discipline. Student achievement, in turn, climbed steadily upward for nearly two decades, 2002 to 2019. This pluralist network of advocates carved-out a third civic terrain, challenging corporate elites and traditional labor leaders. Rooted in humanist ideals, these colorful activists countered the individualistic and competitive values of neoliberal advocates, while motivating lasting institutional change.