Learning by the numbers: Critical discourse analysis of representations of No Child Left Behind public law 107-110 in Puerto Rico

Abstract

The implementation of Public Law 107-110, No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has far-reaching implications that redirect the course of education in Puerto Rico by imposing policies through a process that has not been participatory and has not been a result of locally-based initiatives. This research project examines the discourses being produced about NCLB in Puerto Rico by three types of institutions: the Department of Education, the teacher organizations (Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico), and the press (El Nuevo Día). The representations of learners, educators, schools, the Pruebas Puertorriqueñas de Aprovechamiento Académico, and the State are all examined using a Critical Discourse Analysis methodology. The voices that are authorized to speak and the discourses of resistance to NCLB issued by these institutions are also identified. Discourses are examined within the context of the colonial history of education in Puerto Rico in order to contribute to the scholarship on educational policies on the Island.