ERIC Number: EJ1253293
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Jun
Pages: 35
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0895-9048
EISSN: N/A
Causal Stories in "Vergara v. California"
Gottlieb, Jessica J.; Hutt, Ethan L.; Superfine, Benjamin M.
Educational Policy, v34 n4 p559-593 Jun 2020
In 2012, families in California filed a lawsuit alleging that five state statutes governing teacher tenure, dismissal, and seniority together violate the state constitution's requirements for equal protection. Central to the case were competing narratives about the relationship between these statutes, the work of teachers, and the achievement of students. This article analyzes those narratives utilizing the trial court transcripts and judicial opinions in "Vergara v. California." We find that despite reaching divergent rulings, the trial and appellate courts provided highly typified accounts of the case--ones that emphasized individual agency and dismissed or deemphasized the importance of the social and political context of schooling. These findings are important for understanding how complex policy debates become transformed within legal proceedings and for understanding the capacity of courts to engage complex evidence and narratives--a major issue given that courts remain an important venue for school reform.
Descriptors: Court Litigation, Personnel Policy, State Legislation, Teacher Dismissal, Legal Responsibility, Accountability, Teacher Qualifications, Educational Change, Politics of Education, Teacher Evaluation, Equal Protection, Unions, Collective Bargaining
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A