Title: Heritage Charter School: A Case of Conservative Local White Activism through a Postmodern Framework
Abstract: Of course, there are many reasons why neoliberal ideology would flourish within the context of reform. It is, after all, a movement with deep and strong neoliberal political roots. (Wells, A. S., Slayton, J., & Scott, J., 2002) Introduction When analyzed within the frameworks of Postmodern Theory, Wells, Lopez, Scott, and Holme (1999) state that charter schools embody many of the contradictions of the so-called postmodern paradox (pg. 174). Similarly highlighted are the contradictions and paradoxes of Post-Fordist society, the Network society, neoliberalism, and the market principles being introduced into the realm of educational accountability, education policy, and educational reform. Charter reform (1) is not an exception, but perhaps a great example of all these contradictions. This article attempts to enter the dialogue by looking at the movement through an anti-essentialist social movement and new social movement lens. In the anti-Western new social movement conception there are no set patterns to how movements manifest themselves, or how they were intended to manifest themselves, and local context and activism defined as the agency to act through contentious daily practice is paramount (Holland & Lave, 2001). This article then, theoretically places the intended macro-charter vision as an essentialist, Western social movement in education, but one that has not followed a uniform, easily understood, projected, and coherent model. Its manifestation then, has been that of a new social movement without definite and set patterns of generalizability, focusing on local contexts of activism as daily practice, and exhibiting an abundance of contradictions and paradoxes. Principal amongst the contradictions is that is intended to level the playing field, to allow for access, and to ultimately equalize. Although superficially, and in the spirit of postmodern simulacra, schools have done that, deeper contextual analysis and case studies of schools, especially of predominantly White schools, reveal differing results. The rush to open schools, especially by minority groups, is out of dissatisfaction with public education (Fuller, 2000). This can be seen as a move in the tradition of civil rights and social justice movements of decades past. Afro-centric, Latino centric, women centered, etc. charters have been established in this spirit of opportunity and (Wexler & Huerta, 2000). However, not just officially declared identity politics interest groups have joined the bandwagon of the movement. Predominantly White groups and wealthy communities have also appropriated the rhetoric of using community, heritage, or academy as proxies for race and or class. Nevertheless, predominantly White schools display characteristics that are revealing of a systemically racist and classist society. The White Eurocentric cultural capital imposed as the standard or mainstream in U.S. society allows these schools greater access to resources, both economic and otherwise that allow for their existence and success (Wells, Holme, Lopez, & Cooper, 2000). This article focuses on the case of Heritage Charter School (HCS), a predominantly White, rural school. Using the community and school of choice rhetoric, members of the Heritage have managed to keep a predominantly White elementary open for over one hundred years, even when the Local Education Agency (LEA) closed down their redbrick building in an effort to consolidate. In effect through the postmodern lens, HCS is and is not a converter school. A converter is usually allowed to continue using the old building by the new school. In that sense HCS is not a converter because the LEA refused to let the new use the old buildings; members, however, use the rhetoric of heritage to say it is still the same school. …
Publication Year: 2005
Publication Date: 2005-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 1
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