Constructing Social Reality: Using a Narrative Policy Framework to Examine Anti–Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policies Impacting Higher Education

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 3:05 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Holding the Mirror to the Campus: "DEI" Statements, Policing, and the Institutions Themselves (Table 30)

Abstract

In May 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) passed Senate Bill 266 restricting DEI-focused programs and general education courses centering on race and racism at public institutions, inciting other conservative states to follow suit. This study examines how narratives are constructed to restrict DEI programs at public universities, and its potential impact on international education. A narrative policy framework was used to investigate how anti-DEI narratives are shaped in the policy process and drew upon a content analysis of 40 publicly available documents. The findings illuminate how policy narrative elements are constructed as “truth” to achieve particular policy outcomes (Jones & McBeth, 2020). This study advances theoretical and practical understanding of race and policymaking concerning education equality in higher education.

Author

• Anita Gopal