Do research universities recession proof their regions? Evidence from state flagship college towns

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Transgressive acts in an era of accountability: narratives of New Jersey\u27s public school teachers

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the transgressive responses that have emerged in the wake of AchieveNJ, New Jersey’s new teacher evaluation system. Ten teachers, each with five or more years of teaching experience, all of which had demonstrated manifestations of transgression, were selected from random schools throughout the state based upon surveyed response. Through the use of graphic elicitation and narrative interviews, the teachers in this study revealed a variety of responses ranging from open acts of defiance, to more subtle performances, enacted on the spot, while under the surveillance of inspectors. Findings suggest that the act of creating performances may contest the binary terms of compliance or resistance, as, from one point of view, this action serves to create a sense of teacher agency within a prescriptive context; however, from an alternate point of view, such fabrications may serve to simultaneously advance the self-interest of the teacher through the enterprising use of the instruments of performativity permitted by the new policy landscape. The data from this study gives way to a hybridized view of education within the context of performativity that permits the coexistence of both explanations and suggests the need for researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners to expand their focus of analysis when viewing the consequences of the performative agenda in public schools