City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 9-2018 Critical Paradigm Theory: A Deconstruction of the Dominant Discourse Shaping Public Education in America Kevin Froner The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/2782 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] Critical Paradigm Theory: A Deconstruction of the Dominant Discourse Shaping Public Education in America by Kevin Froner A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Urban Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2018 ii ©2018 Kevin Froner All Rights Reserved iii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Urban Education in satisfaction of the dissertation requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Professor Nicholas Michelli________ _____________________ _______________________________ Date Chair of Examining Committee Professor Wendy Luttrell________ _____________________ _______________________________ Date Executive Officer Professor Anthony Picciano_____________________________ Professor Deborah Shanley_________________________ _______________________________________________ Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iv Abstract Critical Paradigm Theory: A Deconstruction of the Dominant Discourse Shaping Public Education in America by Kevin Froner The purpose of this study was to deconstruct the dominant discourses shaping public education in America. To understand the ontological and genealogical roots of public education, the researcher developed a framework referred to as Critical Paradigm Theory (CPT) to examine the current education paradigm. Longitudinal data was collected from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) with an analysis of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Additional analysis was performed applying critical paradigm theory to a range of key historical and genealogical artifacts, with a discursive examination of the A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform report. A deconstruction of the more prominent discourses shaping public education shows that the current narrative is vulnerable to interrogation, exposing the myths which have coalesced and now influence education policy and theory. v Dedication To the man who spent his life trying to repair the world. Thank you for showing me the way. תיקון עולם tikkun olam vi Acknowledgements To the lion and lamb, without you I would not have begun this journey, and to Nicholas Michelli, without you I would not have finished it. You are the archetypical cornerman Nick; thank you for never throwing in the towel. Your mark on the Graduate Center’s Urban Education program is indelible and your legacy will not be forgotten. Anthony Picciano, it is with you where I began my studies at the Graduate Center and with you where I took my final course. It is only fitting that I now complete this journey with you by my side. As the Urban Education Executive Officer you always put your students first, and even now you continue to offer extraordinary support and guidance. I would not have made it this far without you. To my third committee member Deborah Shanley, I have grown to know you through others. For the work you did at Brooklyn College and the extraordinary legacy you left behind, I am forever grateful to have you on the committee. To my family and friends. My little angels, Charlotte and Adeline. If you pick this up one day in an attempt to better understand your father, know that this dissertation was an endeavor to understand the world, and as such, an attempt to understand myself. Never stop questioning nor seeking to understand. We are currently overstocked with those who accept the world without questioning it. When you feel the urge to not only question but to fight, know that it comes from a little piece of Froner in your gut. Your great uncle and grandfather, and many of your ancestors, simply could not stay quiet. Jean, my soulmate, where would I be without you? You have been by my side every step of the way, and I imagine we will continue our dance for many lifetimes. vii It was over a decade ago where I walked off the abrading floors of the American Stock Exchange, with great hope to not only give back to the world, but to change it. It was in the hallways of Manhattan Hunter Science, a NYC public school on a mission to create the highest quality education for the city’s diverse population, where I found my seat at the table. Nearly a decade and a half later and with the greatest humility I now serve as principal. It is in this role where I sit in gratitude to the nearly one thousand students I taught along the way and the hundreds more I oversaw as principal. To my teachers, without you there would have been little reason to write this dissertation. You have one of the most important jobs in the world. Thank you for raising our nation’s children. To all public educators, this dissertation is for you. For us. We can never stop fighting, to not only protect our children from all attempts to undermine or dismantle public education, but to defend the profession in the face of a paradigm which privileges the examination over the imagination, and accountability over creativity. Never lose hope. viii Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction …………………………………………………….………… 1 The Purpose of this Project…………………………………………………...……...….. 3 Research Questions……………………………………………………………………… 7 An Emancipatory Theory………………………………………………….……….......... 10 Limitations, Implications, and Terminology…………………………………..……….... 12 Chapter 2: Review of Literature……………………………………………………… 14 Critical Discourse Analysis and its Contribution to Critical Paradigm Theory………… 15 Discourse, traditions, and data ………………………………………………….....……. 15 The multidisciplinary nature of CDA………………………………………..………….. 17 Critical Discourse Analysis: Tools, Meaning Construction, and Context …………….... 20 Critical Theory and Pedagogy, a Response………………..……….…………………..... 22 Neoliberalism and its Influence on the Public Education Paradigm…….……….…....... 24 The Education Paradigm in the Progressive Era……………………………………....... 28 The Discourse of Crisis in Education…………………..……….…………………......... 34 The Role of Education within the 21st Century Economy…….……….……………...... 39 School Reform and the Paradigm of Change………………………………..………...... 42 Public Education Standards and Accountability ………………………….………......... 45 Chapter 3: Methodology……………………………………………….……………… 50 Introduction ………………………………………….……….…………………............ 50 Restatement of Research Questions ……………………………..……….…….............. 51 Critical Paradigm Theory as Methodology ………………….……….………................ 51 Conceptual Framework……………………………….……….…………………........... 52 The Hermeneutics of a Paradigm……………………………..……….…………........... 54 Kafka’s Apparatus ………………………………..……….…….…….…….................. 55 Critical paradigm theory and time: The present .……….…….…….……...................... 56 Critical paradigm theory and time: The past-present.………....................................... .. 57 Critical paradigm theory and time: The present-future..………...................................... 58 Critical paradigm theory and time: The present-past future………................................. 58 In the Penal Colony Cont’d. ……………………………..………................................... 59 Paradigm as Narrative……………………………..……….…….……........................... 60 Irrationality of the Paradigm……………………………..……….................................... 61 A Dialectic of Self and Other……………………………..……….……......................... 63 Research Design……………………………..……….…….…….…….……................... 65 ix Chapter 4 Chapter 4: Race, Class, and Control: A Prelude to the A Nation at Risk Report…………………………………………………………………………………….. 68 The race and class collision of 1968 ……………………………………...……...…......... 75 Labor’s reaction ………………………………………….………..................................... 75 Media within the Paradigm………………………………………….………..................... 78 The Winners and Losers of Ocean Hill-Brownsville……………………..………............. 80 Chapter 5: Chapter 5: A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Education Reform… 82 Revisiting the Background to the A Nation at Risk report………………...……...…........ 84 ANAR and Industry ………………………………………….………............................. 87 Chapter 6: Teacher Evaluation in the Current Paradigm…………………………… 93 The Genealogical Roots of Teacher Evaluation……………………………...…….......... 95 Teacher Evaluation Systems and Emerging Constructs for Public Schooling…............... 98 The Case of Louisiana and the Expansion of Value-Added Measurements………........... 102 The Case of Florida: Opposition to the Paradigm……………..………............................ 105 edTPA and Teacher Education ……….............................................................................. 107 Conclusions……………………………..……….............................................................. 111 Chapter 7: Data as Discourse & the Findings ……………………….……………… 113 Student Assessment in a Global