Contrasting Ideologies of Schooling in the United States

Authors

Dalia Davidson, Macalester CollegeFollow

Abstract

Schools can be a mirror of society and the drivers of social change (Durkheim 1951). The contrasting ideologies of reproducing and resisting social hierarchies shapes public schooling in the United States. Yet, teachers, administrators, and curriculum writers often take an ahistorical approach to solving inequalities in schools. For my paper, I used a historical analysis, literature review and my experience interning in public schools to contextualize the contrasting ideologies of schooling and the role they play in shaping current outcomes of public education. I argue that when students of color are struggling in school, teachers are conditioned to blame families and individual students instead of wrestling with how public schooling is shaped by a foundation of colonialism, racism, and assimilation. Despite this pattern, throughout history, students, and teachers resist these oppressive structures to create more equitable learning environments. I do this by using Common Schools, Indigenous Boarding Schools, Anti-Literacy Law, and The Ethnic Studies Movement to historically contextualize the academic achievement gap and cultural deficit theories.

Author Biography

Dalia Davidson is an American Studies and Educational Studies dual from Evanston, Illinois. After graduating, he plans to go on to teach in public school, which guided his interest in this capstone project. He would like to thank Prof. Duchess Harris, Prof. Brian Lozenski, and local elementary school teachers for their mentorship in this project.

Recommended Citation

Davidson, Dalia (2025) "Contrasting Ideologies of Schooling in the United States," Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities: Vol. 14: Iss. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/tapestries/vol14/iss1/2

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.