"Our Schools Are Closing, but No One Asked Us": Competing Narratives on School Closure Decisions

• In Event: 15.060 - MTCC Roundtable Session One
  In Roundtable Session: 15.060-1 - Activism and Resistance in Changing Political Contexts

Abstract

The issue of school closures is not a recent trend. This case study looks to examine the narratives born out of the announcement proposing several closures by a large urban school district, on the U.S.-Mexico border. The data analysis exposed two narratives, with divergent views. The school board narrative focused on efficiency and rational models for closures. The community responses were emotionally charged and appealing to a variety of different sensibilities related to the place and space. The decision to close schools was postponed, but in examining the process what surfaced was a masked democratic process that invited community input, but only as a means of procedural compliance.

Authors

• Isela Pena, The University of Texas - El Paso

• Karina Chantal Canaba, The University of Texas - El Paso

• Rodolfo Rincones, The University of Texas - El Paso