School Choice, Charter Schools, Standardized Testing Measures, and Neoliberal Market-Based Education Reforms and Systems in the United States of America and Sweden: A Comparative Study

This thesis is a comparative analysis of the neoliberal market-based reforms and outcomes implemented in both the United States and Sweden during the latter portion of the twentieth century. This thesis highlights the impact associated with the implementation of the reforms then does a comparative analysis of the outcomes. This thesis seeks to uncover the impact of the reforms and the true nature of the reforms. Many classical sociological theories are used to analyze and contextualize the education reforms as a means to preserve existing social stratifications and societal norms and introduce the capacity for private access to public education funding. Theorists used for this thesis include Karl Marx, Max Weber, Samuel Bowles, Herbert Gintis, Iris Marion Young, Stephen J. McNamee and Robert K. Miller. When analyzing these reforms through the lenses provided by the theorists, it is clear that government rhetoric associated with the reforms in both nations served as a disguise for other objectives, which this thesis shows.