Chapter 10: The (UN)Intended Consequences of Equity-Minded Educational Policy on Family and Community Engagement

There is much debate in the educational reform literature on the influences of centralized and decentralized district policy initiatives on the democratic engagement of teachers, parents, and community members (Anderson & Togneri, 2005; Gaskell & Levin, 2012; Levin, 2008; Rorrer, Skrla, & Scheurich, 2008; Trujillo, 2012). Traditional and neoliberal approaches to reform promote centralization and are often initiated from the top (i.e., provincial education systems, school boards, etc.). Neoliberal ideologies operate with the myths of neutrality and meritocracy and center notions of sameness, individualism, and standardization (Portelli, Shields, & Vibert, 2007). These features are characteristic of a depoliticized education system aimed at preparing students for the workforce (Portelli et al., 2007). Traditional and neoliberal approaches to district reform also tend to adopt a unidirectional and linear logic, resulting in simplistic, cause–effect relationships (Rorrer et al., 2008). This logic has undergirded the literature on organizational change and led scholars to essentialize and simplify elements of change (Rorrer et al., 2008). This move has resulted in a misrepresentation of the change phenomena using linear explanations.