What School Movies and 'TFA' Teach Us about Who Should Teach Urban Youth: Dominant Narratives as Public Pedagogy

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  • Author(s): Cann, Colette N.
  • Language:
    English
  • Source:
    Urban Education. Apr 2015 50(3):288-315.
  • Publication Date:
    2015
  • Document Type:
    Journal Articles
    Reports - Research
  • Additional Information
    • Availability:
      SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://sagepub.com
    • Peer Reviewed:
      Y
    • Source:
      28
    • Education Level:
      Secondary Education
      High Schools
    • Subject Terms:
      Films; Urban Teaching; Alternative Teacher Certification; Comparative Analysis; Educational Research; Whites; Urban Youth; Critical Theory; Race; Secondary School Teachers; High Schools
    • Accession Number:
      10.1177/0042085913507458
    • ISSN:
      0042-0859
    • Abstract:
      White teacher savior films (WTSFs) depict the teaching profession as one for which conventional credentialing is unnecessary. White teachers with little training and experience perform miracles in urban classrooms where trained, experienced teachers have failed. This same narrative is echoed in alternative credential programs such as Teach For America ("TFA"). This article compares the WTSF and "TFA" narratives with the educational research and finds inconsistencies that unravel the myth. The author suggests that the WTSF and "TFA" narratives serve instead as public pedagogy, teaching movie-goers that urban schools need only well-meaning, less expensive, underqualified and inexperienced White teachers despite the research showing otherwise.
    • Abstract:
      As Provided
    • Number of References:
      59
    • Publication Date:
      2015
    • Accession Number:
      EJ1053492