How Are Early Educators Portrayed in the News Media? Analysis of a Public Narrative

• In Event: 64.086 - MTCC Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: 64.086-12 - Portrayals of the Early Childhood Workforce

Abstract

Growing recognition of the importance of early childhood education has fueled media coverage of this sector. This exploratory study examined the ways that the six largest U.S. newspapers portrayed members of the early education workforce during a one year period. Study results reveal an overwhelming focus on the problems, deficits, and challenges in the early childhood education workforce. Only a small minority of articles contained a positive or asset-oriented narrative about the ECE workforce. The voices of early educators themselves was largely left out of articles discussing the workforce. The prevalence of a deficit-focused narrative, without a dominant asset or strength-based narrative, may be problematic, and the paper concludes with implications for research, policy, and practice.

Authors

• Anne Douglass, University of Massachusetts - Boston

• Amanda Wiehe Lopes, University of Massachusetts - Boston