Democracy Distracted in an Era of Accountability: Teacher Education Against Neoliberalism

Abstract

Democracy’s distraction by the politics of accountability and the public’s disaffection in an ideologically bound culture of accountability further defines the work ahead for teacher educators in an era of neoliberalism. The author discusses the hegemony of neoliberalism and its political and economic threat to education and, more importantly, to the function of education in a democratic society. The author argues the need for teacher educators to advance a culture of democratic accountability in preparing future teachers. Further argued is that the current culture of technical-managerial accountability is counter intuitive to a democratic society and its educational system. The author examines the meaning of technical-managerial standards of accountability as a neoliberal agenda, presenting a counter narrative of standards of complexity as return to a culture of professional and democratic accountability.