(Ir)reconcilable differences? Local reactions to provincial neoliberal educational reform

Abstract

In this case study, we explore the intersections of neoliberal educational reform and the everyday experiences of people living in a rural region in northern British Columbia, Canada. Reflecting on the provincial Ministry of Education's Strategic Plan, we explore one region's responses to a set of provincial promises, which include providing regional school districts with more autonomy and control over the delivery of education services and a mandate for a balanced budget. The region faced declining student enrolments and funding shortfalls. As a cost-saving measure, the local school district in the region launched a four-day school week. We used ethnographic fieldwork techniques to examine a set of local practices and consequences that arose following the implementation of this measure. The findings demonstrate how provincial promises of educational reform can conflict with local educational needs and create a set of problematic everyday realities with repercussions on youth health, amplifying health inequalities that are irreconcilable with the purported goals of advancing the interests of students and society.

Keywords

adolescent health educational reform neoliberalism local policy case study

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