Poor Kids versus Bad Teachers: Vergara v. California and the Social Construction of Teachers
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| Title: | Poor Kids versus Bad Teachers: Vergara v. California and the Social Construction of Teachers |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Powers, Jeanne M., Chapman, Kathryn P. |
| Source: | Teachers College Record. 2021 123(4). |
| Availability: | Teachers College, Columbia University. P.O. Box 103, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027. Tel: 212-678-3774; Fax: 212-678-6619; e-mail: tcr@tc.edu; Web site: http://www.tcrecord.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 26 |
| Publication Date: | 2021 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Court Litigation, State Legislation, Teacher Dismissal, Teacher Effectiveness, News Media, Educational Policy, Public Policy, Language Usage, Politics of Education, Employment Practices, Public Opinion |
| Geographic Terms: | California |
| ISSN: | 0161-4681 |
| Abstract: | Background: In the past decade, the laws governing teachers' employment have been at the center of legal and political conflicts across the United States. Vergara v. California challenged five California state statutes that provide employment protections for teachers. In June 2014, a California lower court declared the statutes unconstitutional because they exposed students to "grossly ineffective teachers." Purpose: The purpose of the article is to document and analyze how Vergara was presented in the print news media. It is important to understand how the print news media presents education policy debates to the public, because the print news media shapes the general public's understanding of education and other public policy debates by providing frames and themes for interpreting the issues in question and people associated with them. Research Design: Using the social construction of target populations and political spectacle as conceptual lenses, we conducted a content analysis of print news media articles on the Vergara case published between June 2012 and November 2014. We provide a descriptive overview of the full corpus of articles published during this period and a thematic analysis of the 65 unique news articles published in the aftermath of the decision. The latter focuses on news articles because they are intended to provide more objective coverage of the case than opinions or editorials. Findings: In the print news media coverage, the word "teacher" was often paired with a negative qualifier, which suggests that Vergara was an effort to change the relatively advantaged social construction of teachers. Similarly, metaphors and the illusion of rationality associated with political spectacle were used in ways that bolstered the plaintiffs' claims. While Vergara consumed a substantial amount of philanthropic and public dollars, ultimately it did not change the policies that govern teachers' employment in California. Vergara may have been more successful in shaping the general public's perceptions of teachers and the conditions of teachers' employment in the period following the trial. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2021 |
| Access URL: | https://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentId=23651 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1314280 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
|---|---|
| Header | DbId: eric DbLabel: ERIC An: EJ1314280 AccessLevel: 3 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Poor Kids versus Bad Teachers: Vergara v. California and the Social Construction of Teachers – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Powers%2C+Jeanne+M%2E%22">Powers, Jeanne M.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chapman%2C+Kathryn+P%2E%22">Chapman, Kathryn P.</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Teachers+College+Record%22"><i>Teachers College Record</i></searchLink>. 2021 123(4). – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Teachers College, Columbia University. P.O. Box 103, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027. Tel: 212-678-3774; Fax: 212-678-6619; e-mail: tcr@tc.edu; Web site: http://www.tcrecord.org – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 26 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2021 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Court+Litigation%22">Court Litigation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22State+Legislation%22">State Legislation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Dismissal%22">Teacher Dismissal</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Effectiveness%22">Teacher Effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22News+Media%22">News Media</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Policy%22">Educational Policy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+Policy%22">Public Policy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Usage%22">Language Usage</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Politics+of+Education%22">Politics of Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Employment+Practices%22">Employment Practices</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+Opinion%22">Public Opinion</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22California%22">California</searchLink> – Name: ISSN Label: ISSN Group: ISSN Data: 0161-4681 – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Background: In the past decade, the laws governing teachers' employment have been at the center of legal and political conflicts across the United States. Vergara v. California challenged five California state statutes that provide employment protections for teachers. In June 2014, a California lower court declared the statutes unconstitutional because they exposed students to "grossly ineffective teachers." Purpose: The purpose of the article is to document and analyze how Vergara was presented in the print news media. It is important to understand how the print news media presents education policy debates to the public, because the print news media shapes the general public's understanding of education and other public policy debates by providing frames and themes for interpreting the issues in question and people associated with them. Research Design: Using the social construction of target populations and political spectacle as conceptual lenses, we conducted a content analysis of print news media articles on the Vergara case published between June 2012 and November 2014. We provide a descriptive overview of the full corpus of articles published during this period and a thematic analysis of the 65 unique news articles published in the aftermath of the decision. The latter focuses on news articles because they are intended to provide more objective coverage of the case than opinions or editorials. Findings: In the print news media coverage, the word "teacher" was often paired with a negative qualifier, which suggests that Vergara was an effort to change the relatively advantaged social construction of teachers. Similarly, metaphors and the illusion of rationality associated with political spectacle were used in ways that bolstered the plaintiffs' claims. While Vergara consumed a substantial amount of philanthropic and public dollars, ultimately it did not change the policies that govern teachers' employment in California. Vergara may have been more successful in shaping the general public's perceptions of teachers and the conditions of teachers' employment in the period following the trial. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2021 – Name: URL Label: Access URL Group: URL Data: <link linkTarget="URL" linkTerm="https://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentId=23651" linkWindow="_blank">https://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentId=23651</link> – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ1314280 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1314280 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 26 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Court Litigation Type: general – SubjectFull: State Legislation Type: general – SubjectFull: Teacher Dismissal Type: general – SubjectFull: Teacher Effectiveness Type: general – SubjectFull: News Media Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational Policy Type: general – SubjectFull: Public Policy Type: general – SubjectFull: Language Usage Type: general – SubjectFull: Politics of Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Employment Practices Type: general – SubjectFull: Public Opinion Type: general – SubjectFull: California Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Poor Kids versus Bad Teachers: Vergara v. California and the Social Construction of Teachers Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Powers, Jeanne M. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Chapman, Kathryn P. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2021 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 0161-4681 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 123 – Type: issue Value: 4 Titles: – TitleFull: Teachers College Record Type: main |
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