The Education-Industrial Complex: A Consideration of Power, Educational
Institution and the Political Disengagement of Urban Secondary Students
Abstract
The K-12 system of education is a complex organization that has
historically denied students of low socio-economic status the
opportunity for political engagement through the exercise of power
(Apple, 1993; Ben-Porath, 2013; Boggs, 2000; Crayton, 2014; Ethiraj &
Levinthal, 2009; Fazzaro, 2006; Gordon, 1980; Horowitz, 1969; Karabel,
1977; Lukes, 2005; Shipps, 2008; Wedel, 2009). This statement is in
response to a series of questions presented by members of my Academic
Advisory Committee, respectively, as a Qualifying Exam for doctoral
candidacy in Urban Education Studies. This article is a response to the
series of questions that will address the concern of the opening
statement including: Professor Peter Seybold’s Questions of Power in the
K-12 Education System; Professor Brendan Maxcy’s request on the state of
political youth engagement in Urban Secondary Schools; and Professor Jim
Scheurich’s request for focus on PAR (Participatory Action Research) and
YPAR (Youth Participatory Action Research) in the education system as
they relate to the political engagement of Urban Secondary Students.