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Crafting a Counternarrative: Strategic Messaging and the Racial Politics of Charter School Leaders' Policy Maker Outreach

Mon, April 8, 2:15 to 3:45pm, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Floor: 200 Level, Room 205C

Abstract

Charter schools have become a normalized feature of the educational landscape. Despite their proliferation, charter leaders increasingly grapple with criticisms that elevate the conservative and corporate networks that enable their institutionalization and the racialized dimensions that have surrounded their growth. In the face of these critiques, charter leaders have to justify their presence in communities, particularly with local policymakers who often serve as gatekeepers for charter authorization. Yet, little is known about how charter leaders navigate these politically muddy waters at the local level. This qualitative case study centrally focuses on these political tactics. It investigates how charter leaders in one city in Northern California engage policymakers and how are their messaging tactics are influenced by racial and sociopolitical climates.

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