In her 2022 article for Critical Education, Parker examines the deep entanglement between neoliberal economic ideology and the governance of public education in Canada. She argues that this ideological framework, which privileges market logic, individualism, and managerial control, is fundamentally at odds with the democratic and equitable purposes of public schooling.
Neoliberalism as a policy and cultural framework
Parker situates neoliberalism not simply as a set of economic policies, but as a cultural and political project that has reshaped how we talk about, fund, and evaluate education. It promotes competition between schools, the branding of institutions, and a shift in language from collective responsibility to consumer choice. This shift redefines students as customers and parents as stakeholders, eroding the conception of education as a shared public good.
The rise of managerialism and corporate governance models
One of Parker’s central arguments is that neoliberalism advances managerialism: the belief that institutions should be run by professional managers using business-style metrics and strategic plans. Under this model, educational decision-making moves away from teachers, students, and communities, and into the hands of administrators and boards using Key Performance Indicators, cost-benefit analyses, and league tables. This narrowing of decision-making tools pushes aside values like equity, community engagement, and holistic learning outcomes.
Consequences for equity and inclusion
Parker’s critique is especially pointed in its discussion of how neoliberal governance undermines equity. In a competitive, market-driven system, schools serving marginalised communities face systemic disadvantage, while schools in affluent areas consolidate resources and prestige. Equity initiatives risk being reduced to symbolic gestures — polished for marketing purposes — rather than being treated as essential commitments to justice and inclusion.
Education’s purpose under threat
For Parker, the core danger lies in how neoliberalism redefines the purpose of education. Rather than preparing all students to be critical thinkers and active citizens, the system is reoriented toward producing workers who fit current economic demands. This reduces public education to a mechanism for human capital production, sidelining its democratic and social justice missions.
Resisting and reclaiming the public mission
The article closes with a call to resist the neoliberal framing of education and to reclaim its public, democratic purpose. This involves re-establishing governance structures that include educators and communities, securing stable public funding, and rejecting narrow market performance measures in favour of metrics that prioritise inclusion, critical thinking, and civic participation.
Parker’s work offers a clear and urgent framework for understanding how neoliberalism has shaped education policy and practice in Canada, and why reclaiming education as a public good is essential for the health of our democracy.