Muckraking the School District: The Journalist’s Role in Reforming Schools

Abstract

This thesis examines the role of the media—particularly journalists—in sparking school reform. The author paints a grim picture of struggling schools, attributing growing issues of school violence to poor administration, school secrecy, and corruption. She argues that increasing parental and community awareness is key to confronting the problems faced by the educational system and seeking solutions. Arcamone discusses her experience publishing critical articles about the Long Beach school system and the resulting community reaction. She gives particular attention to the negative reactions she received from the school and defensive parents, and describes her own changing journalistic strategies for gaining community support when confronting the school’s problems. The thesis includes powerful and disturbing examples of the abuses endured by typical and special needs children at the hands of their school systems. The author concludes by presenting investigative journalism as a powerful means for revealing difficult truths and provoking communities and school systems to educational reform.