Paradoxical Purposes: Analyzing Detroit's "I'm In" Campaign as a Vehicle of Educational Equity and Justice

• In Event: 35.081 - Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: 35.081-17 - Critical Education Across Multiple Spaces

Abstract

This paper explores the ways in which Detroit Public Schools’ (DPS) “I’m in” campaign is informed by the sociocultural context of the city and whether this campaign fosters socially (un)just practices. Grounding her research in both urban policy and urban education literature, the author utilizes a method of critical content analysis to investigate what DPS defines as the purpose of schooling. Seen through a neoliberal lens, the author discusses three primary findings that explore the tensions of DPSs’ definition of the purpose of schooling, as embedded within the “I’m in” campaign, as well as how the commodification of schooling is perpetuated. Finally, the author challenges scholars to consider how, through collaborative communication, a more equitable and just framework may result.

Author

• Cassie Jo Brownell, Michigan State University