I use Marimba Anis Asili concept as defined in Yurugu to examine the school accountability model. By school accountability model, I mean the school model that consists of privately managed public schools regulated by state testing programs. I argue that school accountability is essentially oppressive and its success depends on the falsification of African and African American history. Ani explains that Asili is a Kiswalhili term meaning beginning, origin, source, nature (in the sense of the nature of a person or thing), essence, or fundamental principle. Furthermore, Ani writes that seed is an ubiquitous African analogical symbol in African philosophical and cosmological explanations and that a cultures asili reveals its nature during times of ambivalence and conflict.
I focus on Louisianas 1954 school laws and resolutions passed in reaction to the U.S. Supreme Courts 1954 Brown decision and the White Citizens councils 1950s Social Studies reform movement. I demonstrate that this is the time when we witness the major elements of the present accountability model suddenly unfold. For instance, Louisianas state testing program (for students and teachers), standardized social studies curriculum guides and tests, charter schools, and vouchers can all be traced to the resolutions passed during the weeks following the Brown decision. I examine the thoughts and activities of those who engineered the school accountability seed and thereby reveal its power seeking essence. Too, I trace the seeds unfolding into a plant and its development to the present time, and I demonstrate its instinctual hostility toward African schools, African educators, African students, and liberating African thought. To the best of my knowledge this is the first major study that examines school accountability from an Afrocentric perspective.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LSU/oai:etd.lsu.edu:etd-01252012-153306 |
| Date | 25 January 2012 |
| Creators | Jenkins, Rodrick Lerone |
| Contributors | Brody, Jill, Freeman, Craid, Mitchell, Roland, Delpit, Lisa, Jackson, Joyce, Hendry, Petra |
| Publisher | LSU |
| Source Sets | Louisiana State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-01252012-153306/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached herein a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to LSU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below and in appropriate University policies, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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