ABSTRACT

Framed by theories and methods from critical discourse analysis and social semiotics, this comparative case study of six Missouri school systems asked: How do school districts represent and address their changing communities? Discourses of equity, language, identity, and demographic change were examined across school system websites, mission statements, and policies. Analyses showed that all cases except for one White rural district highlighted the value of diversity through their mission statements, homepage photos, and hyperlinks to policies and resources for changing communities. However, four districts also presented deficit perspectives about racially, culturally, and linguistically minoritized students and highlighted neoliberal educational reform values of marketable competitiveness and accountability. Only one highlighted social equity and inclusivity. Deeper analyses focused on three cases demonstrate how competing discourses reflect ideological debates in education, which can shape community engagement and perceptions of students.

摘要

以批判性话语分析和社会符号学的理论和方法为框架，这个对六个密苏里学校系统的比较案例研究提出了以下问题：学区如何代表和应对其不断变化的社区？在学校系统网站、使命宣言和政策中审查了关于公平、语言、身份和人口变化的论述。分析表明，除一个白人农村地区外，所有案例都通过其使命陈述、主页照片以及指向不断变化的社区的政策和资源的超链接，突出了多样性的价值。然而，四个学区也对种族、文化和语言上的少数学生提出了赤字观点，并强调了市场竞争力和问责制的新自由主义教育改革价值观。只有一项强调了社会公平和包容性。以三个案例为重点的更深入分析表明，竞争性话语如何反映教育中的意识形态辩论，这可以影响社区参与和学生的看法。