Public Education and School Choice Discourse in the Washington Post , 2007-2012
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RACE, PLACE, AND POLICY FORMATION: PUBLIC EDUCATION AND SCHOOL CHOICE DISCOURSE IN THE WASHINGTON POST , 2007-2012 A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Kelly Sloane August 2019 Examining Committee Members: Sanjoy Chakravorty, PhD, Advisory Chair, Geography and Urban Studies Kimberly A. Goyette, PhD, Sociology Rickie Sanders, PhD, Geography and Urban Studies Michelle Byng, PhD, External Member, Sociology ABSTRACT As the first city with a majority African American population and a school system that has long served majority low-income African American children, DC offers a compelling case study about public education and school choice in an increasingly affluent city. Using The Washington Post archive, this dissertation considers how discourse about one of the most vital public goods evolved between 2007 and 2012, a period of rapid economic, political, and social change in the city. DC is a civically engaged and diverse city and, The Washington Post has one of the most diverse newsrooms in the country. Post leadership and most writers and contributors were critical of policy and rulings that might cause greater racial segregation in American public schools. Yet, there was no discourse in this archive to suggest that encouraging greater racial or economic integration would be a successful campaign. Instead, The Post advocated for school reform and choice for the neediest students while seemingly absolving families with means who chose to opt out of the public school system. Failing to interrogate the school choices made by middle-class families represents a silence in the archive and illustrates how silence can be productive because it contributes toward the maintenance of a segregated public school system. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to thank Dr. Carolyn Adams who admitted me to the Geography and Urban Studies doctoral program at Temple University and steered me toward my advisor, Dr. Sanjoy Chakravorty. Many thanks to Dr. Kim Goyette for guiding my reading and challenging my interpretation of US education policy, law, and history. Thank you for your consistent support of my applied research career. Thanks to Dr. Rickie Sanders for governing my reading and interpretation of discourse analysis during my exams, proposal, and dissertation. Very special thanks to Dr. Michelle Byng for joining my committee as an external examiner and offering fresh perspective and guidance going into the final stretch. Dr. Sanjoy Chakravorty has been a demanding, generous, and kind advisor. A scholar of India and an Americanist might seem an unlikely pair, but we share a passion for democracy, fairness, and equality. Thank you for your laughter, reading and critiquing everything I’ve written from coursework through the dissertation revisions, and talking through theory, literature and current affairs. I appreciate your willingness to debate and compassionate encouragement in difficult moments. This is a start. Thank you, Sanjoy, for keeping faith with me. During my academic career, I’ve encountered amazing teachers and their instruction has undoubtedly influenced my thinking, research, and writing. They include: Dr. Michael Barton, Penn State University; Dr. John Charles Camp, Penn State University; Alyosha Goldstein, University of New Mexico; Lynn Scott John, Harrisburg Middle School; Merry Ann Kish, Steele Elementary School; Dr. Jake Kosek, UC Berkeley; Cheri Louise Ross, Penn State University; Dr. James Smith, Penn State University; and the remarkable Gerald Vizenor, University of New Mexico. In addition to being great teachers, Drs. Peter Capelotti, Penn State University, and Laura E. Gómez, UCLA School of Law have been incredible mentors, consistent referees, and unwavering in their support during the last decade. I am thankful for my Temple University Geography and Urban Studies colleagues and dining partners Mary Etienne, Dr. Fanny Rose Tremblay-Racicot, and Dr. Michael Schwebel. Ride or Die. A cohort of brave hearts and fierce minds at the University of New Mexico helped iii shape my intellectual trajectory: Amanda Singh Bans, Cate Barry, Dr. KC Councilor, Dr. Jordon Johnson, Dr. Karen Roybal, and Dr. Carmen Samora. Stay gold. I am forever indebted to friends and family who supported this journey. Many thanks to Judith Bryan, Kenneth and Ruth Espejo, Giorgio Mazzone, Paz and David Sarasti, Charles and Katie Senick, and Elliott Laird Smith. More wine. Most importantly, this work is dedicated to the beautiful and sassy children in my life. This project is sealed with affection for my lovely sweet pea Summer Azul and our crew of extended family: Joaquín, Mateo, Ashlyn, Kaylen, Quinn, Titus, James, Lucy Kate, and Emma. Enjoy silence. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................................... iii TABLES .............................................................................................................................. x FIGURES ........................................................................................................................... xi CHAPTERS 1. INTRODUCTION AND DISSERTATION STRUCTURE ................................................. 2 Research Design ............................................................................................... 3 Research Questions .......................................................................................... 3 Summary of Findings ......................................................................................... 4 Policy Implications ...................................................................................................... 4 The Washington Post as an Institution ....................................................................... 5 Discourse Analysis as a Method ................................................................................ 6 Dissertation Structure ......................................................................................... 8 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE .......................................................................................... 12 Introduction ......................................................................................................12 Liberalisms ......................................................................................................13 Economic Liberalism ................................................................................................ 13 Social Liberalism ...................................................................................................... 15 Paradigm Shift or Convergence? ............................................................................. 17 The Court Cases ..............................................................................................19 Brown v. Board of Education, 1954 .......................................................................... 19 San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, 1973 ................................. 21 Parents Involved v. Seattle School District No. 1, 2007 ........................................... 23 v The Continuing Significance of Segregation .........................................................27 Resisting “‘All Deliberate Speed” ............................................................................. 27 Desegregating Public Schools, Segregating Residential Communities ................... 28 Passive Resistance and Suburbanization ................................................................ 29 No Child Left Behind ................................................................................................ 30 Integrating Neighborhood Public Schools ................................................................ 32 The Racist Roots of School Choice ......................................................................... 34 Conclusion .......................................................................................................35 3. DISCOURSE ANALYSIS THEORY AND METHOD ..................................................... 37 Introduction ......................................................................................................37 Discourse Analysis Literature Review ..................................................................37 Critical Discourse Analysis ....................................................................................... 37 Foucauldian Discourse Analysis .............................................................................. 38 Models of Discourse Analysis .............................................................................39 Monographs .............................................................................................................. 39 Dissertations ............................................................................................................. 41 Peer-Reviewed Articles ............................................................................................ 43 Strengths and Limitations ..................................................................................46 This Project’s Use of Discourse Analysis .............................................................47 4. UNOBTRUSIVE QUALITATIVE STUDY .....................................................................