Focused on the Family: Cultural and Structural Deficit Ideologies in District Policy Making

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 31
  In Roundtable Session: Family Matters: Parental Involvement in Education Networking and Decision Making

Abstract

Educational policies that discount the contributions of non-White families create an additional barrier
to educational equity. In a Critical Discourse Analysis of strategic plans from a sample of the 100 largest school districts in the U.S., we identified (a) an idealized construction of parent involvement based on dominant cultural norms, and (b) an implicitly deficit-based view of alternative modes of parental involvement. These findings have dire implications for districts with diverse student populations, especially large districts whose practices are more visible and potentially influential for other leaders looking to scale popular approaches to their own districts. In light of these findings, leaders have the opportunity to critically question federal, state, and district definitions of parental involvement.

Authors

• Noel Williams, The College of William & Mary

• Leah Horrell, College of William and Mary

• Davis Clement, University of Virginia