Racism as Policy: A Critical Race Analysis of Education Reforms in the United States and England

Abstract

Critical race theory (CRT) views education as one of the principal means by which white supremacy is maintained and presented as normal in society. The article applies CRT to two real-world case studies: changes to education statutes in the state of Arizona (USA) and the introduction of a new measure of educational success in England, the English baccalaureate. The analysis highlights the globalized nature of neoliberal education reform and its fundamentally raced and racist character.

Key words:

• critical race theory
• neoliberalism
• race inequality

Acknowledgement

This paper builds on, and extends, arguments I have explored in a chapter for the Handbook of Critical Race Theory in Education, edited by Marvin Lynn and Adrienne D. Dixson (Routledge) and in the magazine Race Equality Teaching (Trentham).