The Power of Competing Narratives: A New Interpretation of Rural School-Community Relations

Abstract

Often considered harmonious places, rural communities are in reality spaces often fragmented along class lines, with political factions promoting competing values and interests regarding the purpose of schooling. Using an exemplar case, this study affords us a new interpretation of rural school-community relations in times of conflict. It illustrates the ways in which opposing groups consolidate political power around competing narratives of the rural community. The goal is the realization of a hegemonic narrative of community, in which one group is socially excluded and the other gains the political power necessary to influence school district decision-making.

Notes

Pseudonyms have been assigned to all place and people names.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Erin McHenry-Sorber

Erin McHenry-Sorber is an assistant professor at West Virginia University. She serves on the editorial board of the Rural Educator and as a consulting editor to the Journal of Research in Rural Education. She received her Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University in 2011 in Educational Leadership and her master's degree in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University. Prior to earning her doctorate, Erin worked as a middle school reading teacher and grant writer in the small rural district of Benton, Pennsylvania.