Data Are Never Innocent: A Foucauldian Policy Analysis of Social Justice in Teacher Evaluation Measures

• In Event: 66.080 - Roundtable Session 26
  In Roundtable Session: 66.080-12 - Policy and Power

Abstract

The ideological inscription of ‘teacher evaluation’ in political discourses establishes a leverage point for solution driven policy implementation emerging at the forefront of 21st century US educational agendas. Accordingly, this mixed-method research presents a Foucauldian policy analysis of social justice in teacher evaluation measures. Discursive textual data included educational policy documents and transcriptions of classroom videos during enacted curriculum which were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively through discursive methodologies and network clustering technologies. Findings project a theoretical/conceptual exemplar framed by evidence that data are never innocent; current educational policy trends bound diversity of knowledge; concepts have terminal currency; assessment agendas negate complexity of social justice issues as a measure for teacher effectiveness; and transdisciplinary knowledge underlies the mission of social justice.

Authors

• Suniti Sharma, Saint Joseph's University

• Victoria Moore, Purdue University