Education Reform and the Deep State: An Alternate Universe

Abstract

As the educational manifestation of NCLB permeated the hallways of America’s public schools during President Bush’s two terms in office, an alternate universe of education reform existed. While America was trying to make sense of federal NCLB policies and many public schools were fighting for their very existence under threats of closure, a vanguard of systemic education reform advocates were busy behind the curtain of the Deep State, wielding the levers that would carry the country further down the path to the Common Core State Standards. Within this universe, individuals and groups whose allegiance to a corporate-driven free market approach to reform continued to marshal their ideas in order to finally dominate America’s education landscape. For them, NCLB was a profound victory providing a bridge to their final destination. The federal government had successfully imposed on America’s public schools a system in which high-stakes standardized tests became the currency to measure the worth of a school, the teachers within the school, and the students enrolled in the school.