Neither excellence nor equity: A case study of reform, reproduction, and resistance at an urban elementary school

The focus of this dissertation is the social-structural and ideological obstacles to educational equity and excellence in the urban school setting, within the context of dominant school reform discourse and policy. A theory of social reproduction and resistance, focusing on the relationship between historical and institutional arrangements and the social agency of school participants, guided the analysis of school processes. The author explored how school and classroom practices support stratifying processes. Qualitative research methods, designed to reveal insider perspectives, were employed in a representative urban elementary school serving poor and culturally diversified students for the duration of the 1991-92 school year. They include participant observation, key informants, and in-depth interviews.; Four interrelated factors emerged as obstacles to meaningful reform, defined as high quality instruction equally accessible to all students: (1) inadequate instructional resources to support reform efforts, (2) a pervasive perception of student risk on the part of teachers; (3) high-stakes testing; and (4) ability grouping practices.; The author found that meaningful reform will require substantive changes within both individual schools and broader institutional arrangements. At the level of the school, the following conditions must be created: (1) meaningful collaboration among all participants resulting in a collective vision of reform; (2) a genuine perception of student promise shared by all school staff; (3) teacher and administrator competency in the philosophy and use of alternative instructional methodologies and assessments based on a constructivist model of child development; and (4) relief from the dictates of high stakes testing.; Individual schools will be able to thoroughly make such changes only when they have adequate district and state support. Essential support includes: (1) a redistribution of resources aimed at significantly reducing both school and class size in schools serving urban poor populations; (2) the creation of authentic assessments consistent with alternative and constructivist instructional methodologies that build upon student experience and maximize student promise; and (3) a concomitant transformation in the objectives of teacher-education programs and teacher inservice and continuing education efforts.