Market Pressure and Arizona Public School Leaders: “That Package is Like a Brand New Cadillac!”

Abstract

In the United States, long-standing school choice policies and practices in Arizona have developed into a market-based system of schooling for many residents in the state, especially in the larger cities.  In this study, I analyze qualitative data gathered from school leaders and parents in one Arizona district public school who discussed marketing pressures and various notions of accountability and whose perceptions related to rapidly growing school choice reforms and increasing testing demands.  I also describe the ways in which many members of the school team (e.g., school administrators, teachers, staff) were affected by ever-increasing competitive expectations.  By examining market pressures experienced by parents and other stakeholders, we can understand better some consequences of expanding school choice policies and programs on those experiencing educational reforms in local settings.