Identifier

etd-04012013-231840

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Sociology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the ways in which educators interpret and respond to government interventions in public schools. I conducted semi-structured interviews with eleven teachers and two principals at two public high schools in Baton Rouge, Louisiana . By comparing the perceptions of educators at a low-performing school (which serves high percentages of minority and low-income students) with perceptions of educators at a high-performing school (which serves fewer numbers of minority and low-income students), this study demonstrates how an educator’s sense of autonomy relates to students’ socioeconomic backgrounds. Findings show that educators, who work in schools with high numbers of poor students and students of color, are deeply frustrated by their own powerlessness. These educators are also angered by what they believe is an unfair system that rewards educators who work in high-performing, high socioeconomic schools, and punishes those who work in far more challenging environments.

Date

2013

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Dumais, Susan

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.2532

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