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作者

Gretchen Givens Generett Amy M. Olson

来源

URBAN EDUCATION,Vol.55,Issue3,P.394–423

语言

英文

关键字

high school, teacher beliefs, urban, social, race, identity, poverty, narratives, qualitative research

作者单位

1Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

摘要

This article looks at the American Dream as a merit narrative to understand how it supports barriers to educational success for educators working to improve the lives of students in urban schools. Hard work/perseverance and individualism are interrogated as components of merit narratives used to sustain the American Dream. We analyze data from six educators who identify as advocates. We conclude that the stories educators tell reify individuals’ hard work/perseverance, rather than dispel myths of meritocracy, thereby blaming the lack of success on students’ inadequate effort as opposed to schools designed to maintain the status quo.