Citation

Ribera D. Int. J. Learn. Teach. Educ. Res. 2017; 16(6): e945.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, IJLTER)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to qualitatively re-center the perceptions of school-based service providers in the discourse of school dropout. Interviews were conducted with a teacher, a dropout prevention counselor, an assistant principal, and a district dropout prevention counselor, all of who work or have worked with one urban middle school in California (pseudonym: UMS). Through a case study design, I analyze how Foucauldian ideas of power and truth emerge from the experiences of these service providers.

RESULTS show that although their answers reflected the dominant discourse of school dropout, the actions of the school-based service providers resisted that narrative. They did this by constructing counterstories within and outside the classroom, by valuing and putting effort into qualitative modes of education like relationships and student voice, by attempting to diversify a culturally irrelevant curriculum, and by accepting personal responsibility for their students.

Language: en

Keywords

Foucault; school dropout; education; critical race theory; educational case studies