UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO “Doing School” and “Having Fun”: Tensions between Family and School Conceptions of Education A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology by Charlene Catherine Bredder Committee in Charge: Hugh B. Mehan, Chair Jeff Haydu Paula Levin Christena Turner Olga Vasquez 2006 Copyright Charlene Catherine Bredder, 2006 All rights reserved The dissertation of Charlene Catherine Bredder is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm: _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ Chair University of California, San Diego 2006 iii DEDICATION To all parents and teachers who strive to create the best educational experiences for their students. It is the toughest job in the world to raise a child. This dissertation is dedicated to all people who contribute to positive experiences for students. It is through our efforts that we grow. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page ……………………………………………............ iii Dedication ………………………………………………………... iv Table of Contents ………………………………………………… v Acknowledgements ……………………………………………… vi Vita, Publications, and Fields of Study ………………………….. x Abstract ………………………………………………………….. xi Chapter 1: Understanding Homeschool Programs ………………. 1 Chapter 2: The Role of School in Society ……………………….. 29 Chapter 3: Methods ……………………………………………… 59 Chapter 4: Institutional Similarities between Homeschool and Traditional School …………………………………………… 80 Chapter 5: Institutional Differences between Homeschool and Traditional School …………………………………………… 155 Chapter 6: School Structures, Changing Roles and Reticence: How Practices Shape Outcomes …………………………………. 209 Chapter 7: Concluding: “Doing School” and “Having Fun” ……. 277 Epilogue ………………………………………………………….. 311 Appendix ….……………………………………………………... 315 Bibliography ……………………………………………………... 318 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation, as all things are, is the result of a lot of community support, patience, grace, and good will. I could not have written what I did without the physical, emotional, financial, and intellectual support of a network of amazing people. There are a lot of hands and hearts moving this forward. It is hardest to thank those closest because they do so much. I would first like to thank my family for supporting me in so many ways in all my decisions. I thank my mother, Kay Bredder, for showing me how to nourish a community. I thank my father, Alan Bredder, for instilling a sense of adventure. My sister, Karen Gilmore and her partner, John Gilmore, provided both friendship and understanding. My brother, Brett Bredder and his partner, Renee Bredder provided a great dose of needed humor and practical support. My family keeps me grounded in what is important. I have had the good fortune to have the support of my partner’s family, who have become a large part of my life. I thank Cass Davis, Cathy and Brendan Smith, and Jan and Brian Davis for friendship and support. I am also part of a wonderful German family who dropped the adjective “host” before “daughter” when explaining who I am. I thank Josef and Ilse Peveling for helping me grow in many ways. The importance of being part of an extremely giving circle of friends cannot be overstated. I would like to thank people with whom I have had the pleasure of sharing living space and who have entered my heart through a tight-knit household community, in particular Peter Edwards, Jongah Yoon, Jim Rodriguez, Lucy Best, Phyllis Rajaniemi, Sean Koenig, and Marco Moscowitz. Anke Lundborg deserves vi special mention as the instigator of the decision to attend graduate school and a main support in all endeavors. Other friends have given to me in ways that have enriched my life beyond what I could have imagined. I would especially like to thank Daniel Soper, Cindy Spires, Ryoko Kawazaki, Laura Rosenbluth, Meredith Eder, Tamala and Daniel Ikeri, Laura and Steven Friedman, Angelic Willis, Karen Hollis, Chris Nava, Jenny Ventura, Ana Gonzalez, and Tom Richards. I would like to thank Guido Bordignon and Sabrina Strings for unending patience and good humor during the final stages of this project. Michelle Holliday, Jim Watkins, Cindy McPherson-Frantz, and Julianna Pare-Bolgolev all provided support from afar. On a practical level, it is not possible to do intellectual work without a roof over one’s head. I would like to thank my landlords and friends, Kathy Lacey and David Silcox for their generosity and flexibility. Without their support, the warm household communities we created would not have been the magic that it was. Many colleagues have given of themselves and spent a great deal of time mentoring and guiding me through various conundrums of graduate school. I would like to thank Jeanne Powers, Maria Martinez-Cosio, Parke Troutman, and Nielan Barnes for advice and help. Colleagues have read rough drafts, provided support, commiserated, and shared adventures. I have grown along with them and would like to thank Paula Gutierrez, Michael Haedicke, Nadav Gabay, Daniela Carpano, Jodie Lawston, Caroline Lee, Anat Leibler, Moira Mackinnon, Larissa Leroux, Miriam Padolsky, Tanya Kravatz, Se-Hyun Cho, Inyi Choi, Rachel Jacob-Almeida, Jas Jiangsui, Kris Kohler, David Ribes, Lisa Nunn, Devon Smith, Liberty Walther, Cindy Schairer, Melody Chiong, and Rika Yonemura. vii Mitchell Stevens has become an important mentor whose insights got the project started. Amy Binder also provided guidance and help at the first tentative steps. David Phillips developed my research skills and helped me learn how to write in an academic fashion. Lea Hubbard provided support, advice, encouragement, and a great dose of humor to carry me through many rough spots. The fieldwork and analysis that are the backbone of this research and that has become a way of seeing and understanding the world would not have been possible without Bud Mehan. By inviting me to be a part of his research group, Bud opened a door to sociology. I learned how to be a sociologist through doing sociology: the discussions, field work, debates, dilemmas, analysis, and meetings were formative. I am grateful to have been a part of Bud’s amazing, productive, vibrant research community. I would not have finished this first milestone if it were not for his very generous support. I hope to carry his way of seeing and being where ever I go. My committee has been the most supportive I could wish for. I thank Jeff Haydu, Paula Levin, Christena Turner, and Olga Vasquez for their insights, patience, and belief in me. The writing and research were supported by a predissertation grant from the Spencer Foundation and AERA. This financial and intellectual support allowed me to concentrate on the project and was essential in giving me time to collect data and develop ideas. I met a network of engaged, interesting scholars who shared their projects and advice. In addition, the conference monies allotted allowed me to expand my understanding of my field. The Sociology Department at UCSD provided essential transportation and transcription money. I would like to thank Loretta Sowers for viii transcribing long interviews in a timely manner. Sociology Department staff, Nora Bodrian and Rafael Acevedo, have provided invaluable advice, support, and humor over the years which has smoothed my way. Of course none of this would be possible without the generosity of the families I interviewed and the programs I observed. Teachers and parents were so welcoming and patient with my persistent questions. I am honored to have shared part of their experience with them. I would like to thank two families in particular: one for feeding me wonderful organic produce and the other for reading very rough drafts and providing necessary comments and feedback that shaped further ideas. Many comments and discussions go into this rough draft and I would like to thank the parents who have generously given of their time for interviews and then again in reading drafts. Finally, I would like to thank Christopher Davis, who sticks with me despite his assertion that “the only thing worse than being a graduate student is dating one.” I am grateful for the adventures, support, and magic. ix VITA 1993 B.A., New College, Sarasota, Florida 1994 Intern, Florida State Legislature, House of Representatives, Committee on Education, Tallahassee, Florida 1994-1996 Administrative Assistant, U.S. Olympic Volleyball Team, San Diego, California 1996-1998 Teacher, Elementary School, San Diego, California 1998-2000 Administrative Assistant, ProfitLine, San Diego, California 2000 Teaching Assistant, Dimensions of Culture Writing Program, University of California, San Diego 2001-2003 Rearch Assistant, Department of Sociology, UCSD 2003-2004 Teaching Assistant, Department of Sociology, UCSD 2004 Instructor, Teacher Education Program and Sociology, UCSD: Language, Culture and Education 2004 AERA/Spencer Predissertation Award Recipient 2004-2006 Teaching Assistant, Urban and Regional Planning Program, UCSD 2006 Ph.D., Sociology, University of California, San Diego PUBLICATIONS Bredder, C., Kravatz, T., Sisserson, K. “Learning in Classrooms: the Enactment of the Reform Between Teachers and Students,” chapter in forthcoming book, Reform as Learning: When School Reform Collides with School Culture and Community Politics by Hugh Mehan, Lea Hubbard, and Mary