Identifier

etd-05092013-141605

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Educational Theory, Policy, and Practice

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Too often, “integration” is a word only associated with the 1960s. The dominant narrative of education and integration in the South is simple and linear: African Americans were oppressed, then there was integration, then there was equality. However, in the case of New Orleans, the narrative is not so linear and not nearly so succinct. The conversation on integration began in New Orleans immediately following the Civil War, a century earlier than this conventional starting date, and yet despite generations of successes and drawbacks, the public schools of New Orleans continue to exist segregated today. Examining the narrative of school integration in New Orleans, along with the case study of Fazendeville, an African American community established in nearby St. Bernard Parish, reveals not a simple, linear narrative of school integration, but a complicated and cyclical one, with race central to this discourse. In addition to theorizing an historical narrative, this research also suggests that examining this narrative is a critical first step to developing a road map for the future to ensure that schools in New Orleans are able to serve all students equally.

Date

2013

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Hendry, Petra

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.2346

Included in

Education Commons

Share

COinS