Selling the Savior Narrative: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Institutional Scripts in High School Websites

• In Event: Organizational Theory Voices and Narratives

Abstract

This qualitative study aims to unearth messages regarding roles and power structures communicated through school websites. We draw on the concept of institutional scripts, in conjunction with key tenets from critical race theory, to analyze the websites of 12 high schools located in a mid-sized U.S. city. We found variations on a common script across our school cases, in which educators act to transform students from a previous, deficient state into a school-determined ideal. This common script played out slightly differently within each school’s website, and differences appeared to relate to demographics as well as school model. We also found differences in roles by gender, race, and language.

Authors

• Taylor N. Allbright, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

• Tasminda Dhaliwal, Michigan State University

• Jacob Alonso, University of Southern California

• James Bridgeforth, University of Southern California

• Monica Andrea Santander, California Polytechnic State University

• Kate Kennedy, University of Southern California