Jardine (2009) stated that in Foucault’s analysis, he observed that "the knowledge and power functions in our society turned all human beings into objects that existed, acted, or were knowable only in relation to the rules laid down by this power and knowledge” (p. 49). Foucault predicted that the behaviors of the 17th century would still be in existence in the 20th century. Foucault view western society as a disciplinary society who tells us not only what we must be and do, but how we must do and act. Foucault also argued that our society operates for the benefit of specific people – people in power. (Jardine, 2009, p. 49)
Jenlink and Townes (2009) stated that several variables are experienced among different groups of public school students: poverty, family makeup and stability, cultural views, school funding mechanisms, class size, and teacher quality all influence the overall quality of students’ experiences in school (p. 35). Jenlink (2009) stated that misuse of power results in discrimination, marginalization, and subordination of some individuals. Institutional discrimination is guided by policies and practices of the people who have the power to do so (p. 18). Jenlink also indicated that ” two simple questions are asked by many educators: How will we live with our deepest differences? And how will those differences be used by others to determine individuals’ identities?” (p. 19).
Foucault, cited in Jardine (2005), identified “examination and the imperative to speak as the disciplinary techniques used to cause every person and every act to be known.” Currently, reporting systems allow thorough observation of who is doing what. Every action, every examination, and every progress is monitored by some system in our society. Foucault defined this as panopticism (p. 59). According to Foucault, “the current design of education allowed supervision and information gathering, and allowed every act of every person to be controlled by their supervisors” Jardine (2005),. Similarly, today’s schools are rewarded or punished as a result of their success on statewide assessments. Jardin (2005) indicated that examinations became an important tool for gathering information and knowledge about individuals. In her book, Jardine (2005) stated that Foucault saw examinations as tools of disciplinary power (p. 63). Jardine (2005) cited Foucault (1979) in her book on his description of the effects of examinations as:
Finally the examination is at the center of the procedures that constitute the individual as effect and object of power, as effect and object knowledge. It is the examination which, by combining hierarchical surveillance and normalizing the judgment, assures the great disciplinary functions of the distribution and classification, maximum extraction of forces and time, continues genetic accumulation, optimum combination of aptitudes and thereby, the fabrication of cellular, organize and genetic and combination individuality.” (Jardine, 2009, p 64)