Governing Choice: A Critical Policy Analysis of Charter Schools in Indianapolis Through the Lens of Governmentality

Utilizing the theoretical framework of Michel Foucault’s “Governmentality” and the methodology of Critical Policy Analysis, this research addresses the question of how charter school policies reflect and reinforce governmental rationalities and power structures in Indianapolis, Indiana. The purpose of this research is to examine how charter school policies in Indianapolis reinforce neoliberal forms of governance through mechanisms of policy discourse, accountability structures, and market-based reforms. This study addresses a critical gap in education policy research, examining how power operates through policy discourse and governance practices. The research informs scholarship and practice by highlighting hidden power dynamics embedded in policy design, interpretation, and implementation, and by questioning the democratic consequences of market-based educational reform. Anchored in the 2001 Indiana General Assembly legislation – specifically, Senate Bill 165 - this study finds that this policy led to the dramatic growth of charter schools in Indianapolis, incorporating logics of marketization, surveillance, and entrepreneurial governance into the public education system. Implications of these findings are significant because such policies ensure, sustain, and sanitize racial and socioeconomic stratification while making virtually zero impact on the quality of learning outcomes for children, especially those in urban low-income enclaves. This research suggests an opportunity to develop more participatory, inclusive, and democratic approaches to regulating education policy.

Author dc:creator

• Esqueda, Ana Lilia

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Scheurich, James

• Charter Schools
• Critical Policy Analysis
• Governmentality
• Neoliberalism
• Urban Education

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Identifier URI

https://doi.org/10.7912/2M8X-8V67

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.indianapolis.iu.edu:1805/53988