School Reputation as a Site of Struggle: Traditional Public Schools Under Market Pressures

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: The Effects of Ideology and Market Pressure on School Racial Composition and Culture

Abstract

Over the past thirty years, principles like choice and competition have become the new normal of urban education reform. The logic behind educational choice markets is that “consumers” (i.e. students and parents) are given the liberty to choose their school from a marketplace of options. How schools are perceived by consumers, that is, their perception of being a “good” or “bad” school is fundamental to their ability to survive in the educational marketplace. The purpose of this study is to examine how the reputation of a traditional neighborhood high school, through the perspectives of educators, functions within a local school choice marketplace. The findings of this study illuminate school reputation as a site of struggle for educators.

Author

• DeMarcus A Jenkins, The Pennsylvania State University