ABSTRACT

Alternative teacher education programmes associated with the Teach For All network are emerging worldwide. Largely inspired by Teach For America, these programmes draw on the meritocratic vision that ‘one day’ all children will receive a high-quality education and fulfil their potential. This paper questions the underlying ideology of meritocracy as evident in two Teach For All affiliate programmes – Teach for America and Ako Mātātupu: Teach First New Zealand. By drawing on qualitative data collected from across both programmes including interviews with participants and stakeholders, this article explores the ways in which meritocratic discourses undergird each programme’s mission and are subsequently voiced by participant teachers. Findings suggest that, despite significant differences in socio-political and economic contexts, strikingly similar discourses surface. We argue that the meritocratic ideologies evident in both contexts promote narrow definitions of ‘achievement’, disillusionment among teachers, and a general obfuscation of inequality.

摘要

与 Teach For All 网络相关的替代教师教育计划正在世界范围内兴起。这些计划在很大程度上受到“为美国而教”的启发，借鉴了精英愿景，即“总有一天”所有儿童都将接受高质量的教育并发挥他们的潜力。这篇论文质疑了精英管理的潜在意识形态，这在两个 Teach For All 附属计划中显而易见——Teach for America 和 Ako Mātātupu：Teach First New Zealand。通过利用从两个项目中收集的定性数据，包括对参与者和利益相关者的采访，本文探讨了精英话语巩固每个项目使命并随后由参与教师表达的方式。调查结果表明，尽管社会政治和经济背景存在显着差异，惊人相似的话语浮出水面。我们认为，在这两种情况下明显的精英意识形态都促进了对“成就”的狭隘定义、教师的幻灭以及对不平等的普遍混淆。