The comingling of neoliberal ideology, methods, and funding in school choice politics and research

When considering the politics of school choice, it is important to examine the ramifications of political ideology on market-based school choice research. This chapter points out that a sector of research suggesting positive findings of school choice models is continually conducted and promoted by ideologically driven, neoliberal organizations. To establish a background of understanding, the chapter begins with a synthesis of the pertinent literature on the conceptions and the funding of market-based school choice research. Next, it discusses the role of the production and politics of market-based school choice research for conceptualizing the current educational policy environment. In the third section, the chapter delves into the politics of using market-based school choice research, focusing on the community level. It concludes by discussing the implications of how comingling ideology, methods, and funding informs the public discourse about market-based school choice and fits into the larger conversation about education reform.