School Facades: The Ideological Imposition of Educational Iconography on Urban Students of Color

• In Event: 32.083 - Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: 32.083-6 - Educational Understandings Across Spaces and Distances

Abstract

This narrative inquiry study relies on the representative construction of an artifact narrative and participant interviews to explore the exclusionary messages conveyed by a school building. The ecological context of the school is unpacked to establish a historical record of the cultural and sociopolitical shifts that have shaped the surrounding neighborhoods and the school itself. The embodied literacies of exterior architectural features and interior building conditions are used to illustrate the oppressive environment that students, teachers, and parents encounter on a daily basis. The case study draws on Critical Race Theory to examine a counter narrative to the deficit perspective of urban schools and communities and consider structural changes that will foster inclusionary spaces of hope.

Author

• Benjamin D. Parker, Coastal Carolina University