"Creating" David and Goliath? Exploring News Media Discourse of Parent Trigger Policies and Efforts

• In Event: Roundtable Session 53
  In Roundtable Session: School Choice Policies and Their Consequences

Abstract

A version of parent empowerment rooted in market ideology has recently gained traction with the proliferation of corporate-backed school reform. One example is the growing movement supporting parent trigger policies, or those in which parents can instigate school transformation when a majority signs a petition indicating a vote of no confidence. While parent trigger laws have gained political and legislative momentum, little is known of how the movement is characterized in public discourse. In this exploratory study, we employ critical discourse analysis to examine the depiction of parent trigger efforts in widely circulated periodicals. In doing so, we reveal how news media is informing the public of this growing phenomenon and how its characterizations advance tenets of market-based ideology.

Authors

• Laura Elena Hernandez, University of California - Berkeley

• Seenae Chong, University of California - Berkeley