ERIC Number: EJ1106177
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0161-956X
EISSN: N/A
"Really Just Lip Service": Talking about Diversity in Suburban Schools
Tyler, Alison C.
Peabody Journal of Education, v91 n3 p289-308 2016
Suburban school districts are in the midst of rapid racial/ethnic and socioeconomic diversification, although the teaching force remains much more homogenous. This article examines how educators in increasingly more diverse suburban schools conceptualize diversity. Qualitative data comes from interviews of 40 teachers, 23 principals and assistant principals, and 16 other school staff in six suburban school districts across the country. Using critical discourse analysis (van Dijk, 1993), I identify three primary discourses: an aspirational commitment to preparing students for a diverse society; color-muteness and insistence on individuality; and a deficit perspective on students from diverse racial/ethnic, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. In particular, educators perceived cultural deficits in students' families and communities (Valencia, 2010). Finally, a small number of participants recognized structural forces that impeded the achievement of students of color. The discussion analyzes how such discourses threaten to reproduce educational inequality as suburban districts continue to diversify and concludes with recommendations for districts and schools.
Descriptors: Suburban Schools, Student Diversity, Ethnic Diversity, Qualitative Research, Teacher Attitudes, Administrator Attitudes, Discourse Analysis, Social Development, Racial Differences, Social Bias, Socioeconomic Status, Cultural Influences, Prior Learning, Teacher Education Programs, Elementary Secondary Education, Semi Structured Interviews, Stereotypes
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; High Schools; Secondary Education; Middle Schools; Junior High Schools; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California (Los Angeles); Florida; Georgia (Atlanta); Massachusetts (Boston); Minnesota (Minneapolis); Texas (San Antonio)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A