Majoritarian Stories Regarding Teacher Evaluation, Quality, and Effectiveness: A Frame Analysis of Digital Media

• In Event: 16.056 - Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: 16.056-10 - Examining the Examiners: Effects of the Assessment Discourse on and Through Teacher Work Effects of Teacher Practice

Abstract

This cultural policy analysis (Stein, 2004) is a qualitative “e-ethnography” (Poynter, 2010) and frame analysis (Goffman, 1974; Oliver & Johnston, 2000) of digital news and social media texts from public spaces on the Internet regarding teacher evaluation, quality and effectiveness. The results of this study show the dominance of the majoritarian story (Love, 2004) that “meritocracy is appropriate” (Mitchell, 2013) in the context of the new teacher evaluation systems being implemented around the country. This study also demonstrates how neoliberal ideologies and technicism are impacting perspectives on teacher evaluation, quality and effectiveness as well as how teachers are telling a counter-story worth listening to as these policies and practices are implemented and developed.

Author

• Kara Mitchell Viesca, University of Colorado - Denver