Stigmatization or Targeted Support for Improvement? (Self-)Perceptions of Schools Serving Disadvantaged Communities

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Leadership Perspectives: Learning from Leaders' Beliefs and Sensemaking During Reform

Abstract

In recent years there has been a growing interest in schools serving disadvantaged communities and effective measures to support them. However, to date there is no clear definition of these schools and labeling might lead to stigmatization. We conducted a mixed-methods study to analyze and contrast self-perceptions (assessed through group discussions and network maps) of four German schools in deprived areas and their perceptions by others (assessed through enrollment figures, press analyses, and interviews with school authorities). The results showed that the four schools were perceived in very different by others, despite being comparable in terms of the socioeconomic background of their students. In the group discussions various challenges to improvement became clear and analyses showed striking differences between perspectives.

Authors

• Denise Demski, Ruhr-Universität Bochum

• Björn Hermstein, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences

• Johannes Lüneneschloß, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences