Teachers' Perspectives on Neoliberal School Accountability as Portrayed Through Documentary Film

• In Event: 67.062 - Teachers' Perspectives on Curriculum and School Policy in the United States and Europe

Abstract

This presentation highlights results from a Critical Discourse Analysis of teachers’ perceptions of neoliberal school reform movements. Fifty-five in-service teachers viewed and reflected on two documentary films that featured diverse perspectives on the charter school movement, high-stakes testing and accountability, and the role of unions in professionalizing the field. The teacher-participants uniformly articulated their distrust of high-stakes testing and teacher accountability as compared their reactions to the movies with their professional experience. However, teachers had mixed reactions to messages suggesting that charter schools serve as a remedy or panacea for educational reform.

Authors

• Sarah A. Mathews, Florida International University

• Denisha Jones, Sarah Lawrence College