ERIC Number: EJ1092010
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Feb-8
Pages: 40
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1068 2341
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Teach for America's Long Arc: A Critical Race Theory Textual Analysis of Wendy Kopp's Works
Barnes, Michael C.; Germain, Emily K.; Valenzuela, Angela
Education Policy Analysis Archives, v24 n14 Feb 2016
We read and analyzed 165,000 words and uncover a series of counter-stories buried within a textual corpus, authored by Teach For America (TFA) founder Wendy Kopp (Kopp, 1989, 2001; Kopp & Farr, 2011), that offers insight into the forms of racism endemic to Teach For America. All three counter-stories align with a critical race theory (CRT) framework. Specifically, we answer the following questions: What evidence of institutional and epistemological racism is exposed by a CRT textual analysis of TFA's founding document and later works by Wendy Kopp? To what extent has TFA appropriated the language of culturally relevant pedagogy, while advancing an uninterrogated neoliberal ideology? And, to what extent does TFA's contribution to a "culture of achievement" (Kopp & Farr, 2011) constitute an actual "poverty of culture" (Ladson-Billings, 2006a) that enacts real harms on communities of color?
Descriptors: Critical Theory, Race, Institutional Characteristics, Diversity (Institutional), Epistemology, Racial Discrimination, Position Papers, Institutional Mission, Neoliberalism, Ideology, Culturally Relevant Education, Content Analysis, Evidence, Organizational Culture, Academic Ability, School Restructuring, Organizational Change, Educational Change
Colleges of Education at Arizona State University and the University of South Florida. c/o Editor, USF EDU162, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620-5650. Tel: 813-974-3400; Fax: 813-974-3826; Web site: http://epaa.asu.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A