Reading, Writing, and Privatization: the Narrative That Helped Change the Nation’S Public Schools
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READING, WRITING, AND PRIVATIZATION: THE NARRATIVE THAT HELPED CHANGE THE NATION’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS by Merrie Elyn Meyers, APR, Fellow PRSA A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida May 2013 © Copyright Merrie Elyn Meyers 2013 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Following the death of my husband, I spent some time pondering the question, “What now?” I found the answer in this doctoral program. Despite many personal and professional hurdles, the goal of completing the program kept me on an even keel. It was the light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks, FAU College of Arts and Letters. I am truly grateful to so many people, but I want to offer a special thank you to Kimberly Ann Crockett. Kim is a fabulous proofreader, writing coach, and Socratic style editor. She has been my sounding board from the application to the dissertation. As an editor, she helped me by gently asking, “What the heck are you talking about?” without getting my hackles up. Also, I would like to thank my counselor and guidepost, Dr. Hilda Besner. She encouraged me to apply to the Comparative Studies doctoral program and move forward toward graduation. She never stopped cheering me on, even on my crankiest days. I would be remiss if I did not thank my committee chair, Dr. Ann Branaman for her constant encouragement, even on my days of total self doubt. Ann always has many balls in the air, but she never said no to my request for her time. My other committee members; Dr. Susan Love Brown, Dr. Becky Mulvaney, Dr. Phyllis Schiffer-Simon, and Dr. Jay Rayburn, also are to be thanked, both for their willingness to travel this path with me and for the inspiration they provided during my participation in the program. iv ABSTRACT Author: Merrie Elyn Meyers Title: Readings, Writing, and Privatization: The Narrative That Changes the Nation’s Public Schools Institution: Florida Atlantic University Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Mary Ann Branaman Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Year: 2013 The face of North America’s public education system is changing. Across the United States, hundreds of thousands of students have migrated away from traditional public school into charter schools. While both are considered public schools, often that is where the similarity ends. Claims and counter claims have been made about the virtues and advantages of a charter school versus the traditional public school. This study, focused on the nation’s sixth-largest school system in Broward County, Florida, compares comments from stakeholders involved in charter programs to feedback from those still involved in the traditional public system. Three hypotheses are evaluated including: whether traditional schools are not adequately serving the needs of students; whether charter schools are better at serving student needs; or people believe that charter schools are doing a better job at serving the needs of students. Evidence suggests that while each model of education has its v advantages and disadvantages, neither clearly provides a “better” opportunity for students. Conclusions are that consumer perceptions are driving the shift in enrollment. This is attributed to the narrative about “choice” created by charter school advocates that aligns with American ideologies of liberty, freedom and independence. Ultimately, it is argued that the deconstruction of the traditional public education system is part of a larger effort to shift selected rights and privileges out of the public sphere and back into private control. For traditional public schools to regain momentum, they must learn to control the narrative and ultimately public policy and public opinion about our nation’s public schools. vi DEDICATION This manuscript is dedicated to my family by birth and my family by choice; relatives and friends who have lent their support and extended their kindness throughout the years of coursework, research, and self-exploration. I also dedicate this work to my late husband, Tom Kershaw, a career librarian, who fostered my sense of curiosity. He would be quite pleased to know that I’ve finally learned to do research, without his assistance. READING, WRITING, AND PRIVATIZATION: THE NARRATIVE THAT HELPED CHANGE THE NATION’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... xii I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1 Public Schools as a “Dys-Function” of Public Policy .......................................... 2 Broward County: A Case Study ........................................................................... 9 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................... 10 II. EDUCATION IN AMERICA ................................................................................... 14 Public Schools: A New Idea in Governance ...................................................... 14 The Early Years .................................................................................................. 15 The South ............................................................................................................ 20 The Twentieth Century ....................................................................................... 21 A Focus on Science and Other Issues ................................................................. 26 Education in Florida: A Twentieth Century Institution ...................................... 34 Broward Schools: A History of Separate and Unequal ...................................... 37 III. REALITY AND PERCEPTION: THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL PUBLIC AND CHARTER SCHOOLS ............................................. 46 Methodology ....................................................................................................... 49 Testing the Hypotheses ....................................................................................... 51 The Truths about Charter Schools .......................................................... 52 vii Class Size .................................................................................... 52 Overhead ..................................................................................... 54 School Boundaries ...................................................................... 57 Citizen Involvement ................................................................... 59 Community Involvement ............................................................ 67 Home-school Communication .................................................... 68 Specialized Courses and Programs ............................................. 70 Sports .......................................................................................... 72 Understanding Racial and Cultural Sensitivity .......................... 72 Special Needs ............................................................................. 75 Perceptions About Charter Schools ........................................................ 76 Measuring Customer Satisfaction ............................................... 79 Stakeholder Opinions ................................................................. 80 Comparing Stakeholder Responses ............................................ 85 Stakeholder Assessments in Other Communities ....................... 87 Summarizing the Discussion .............................................................................. 92 IV. STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS ............................................................................... 99 The Narrative of Choice ................................................................................... 103 Discourse in the Public Sphere ......................................................................... 104 Issue Evolution and Policy Metaphors ............................................................. 107 Issue Evolution ..................................................................................... 107 Policy Metaphors .................................................................................. 109 Creating a Public Agenda ................................................................................. 110 viii Agenda Setting and Framing ............................................................................ 115 The Components of Mobilizing Public Will .................................................... 117 Mass Communication ........................................................................... 118 Spiral of Silence ................................................................................... 119 Social Capital ........................................................................................ 122 Social Marketing .................................................................................. 123 V. THE HISTORY OF SCHOOL CHOICE ................................................................ 129 Government Expansion into Education ............................................................ 129 Vouchers as Public Policy ................................................................................ 130 Private Schools as Public Policy ...................................................................... 132 Charter Schools as Public Policy .....................................................................