Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In this paper I set out to complicate the notion of success. In order to do so, I draw from the data collected during a yearlong ethnographic study of the KIPP Academy (Knowledge is Power Program: KIPP) in Houston, TX. I argue that success is not simply a static entity that schools and students do or do not have, but rather, a dynamic social construct that becomes visible in different social locations. Through my research I have located to categories of success. One category consists of definitions of success that are external to the school (i.e., held by agencies external to the school such as the state government) that I term, "frontstage success." The second consists of definitions that are internal to the school that I term "backstage success." Whereas frontstage definitions of success are indicated through "objective" measures such as testing that hold schools accountable to the public, backstage definitions are represented by situated, local understandings used by students (and their teachers) to render conduct accountable, achieve a sense of agency, and create a culture of success. In the past, analytic priority has been given to frontstage definitions of success, while backstage definitions have been overlooked. However, I demonstrate in this paper that it is crucial to understand backstage definitions of success to help students become active participants in their education.