Interest Convergence and The Unitary Status Plan in TUSD
Publisher
The University of Arizona.Rights
Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction, presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore the presence and function of interest convergence (Bell, 1980) in the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) Unitary Status Plan (USP), and to understand the impact of the plan on district educational policy and practice. In 2018, U.S District Court granted partial unitary status to Tucson Unified School District #1 from the 40-year old Fisher & Mendoza v. TUSD (1978) desegregation case. Drawing from the literature on school desegregation and critical race theory, this case study applies a counterstorytelling methodology and interview data to analyze court orders, district responses, local media regarding the Fisher-Mendoza case and the USP. Orfield and Eaton (1996) postulate that Unitary Status plans are being defined by recent Supreme Court cases and have led to the erosion of judicial support for school desegregation.Type
textElectronic Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.Degree Level
doctoralDegree Program
Graduate CollegeLanguage, Reading & Culture