Embedded Files
Welcome to my Portfolio
This rhetorical analysis examines competing narratives in the debate over literacy reform in Kentucky, focusing on the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) institutional discourse and Davena Jackson’s justice-oriented counter-narrative. Drawing on concepts of framing, arrangement, and epideictic rhetoric, the study reveals how the KDE employs strategic language and structure to reinforce top-down control, project institutional authority, and marginalize community voices. In contrast, Jackson reframes literacy as a culturally embedded, identity-affirming practice, using rhetorical strategies to foreground systemic inequities and envision transformative, inclusive approaches to education. The analysis demonstrates that the literacy reform conversation is fractured not only by policy differences but by fundamentally divergent rhetorical constructions of what literacy is and whom it should serve. Ultimately, the work underscores that literacy reform is inseparable from questions of power, representation, and the ethical responsibilities of education.
This proposal addresses persistent disparities in Kentucky’s literacy outcomes, arguing for a shift from narrowly technical, standardized approaches toward a culturally responsive and community-centered model. While the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has advanced reforms such as the Reading Research Center and evidence-based instruction, these measures have not sufficiently closed achievement gaps for Black, low-income, and rural students. Drawing on rhetorical and educational theory, the proposal critiques the KDE’s framing and sequencing of literacy policy as technocratic and detached from students’ lived experiences. It outlines a three-part strategy—culturally responsive instruction, expanded summer enrichment, and inclusive family engagement—that positions literacy as an identity-affirming, justice-oriented practice. Implemented in partnership with local educators, families, and community leaders, these initiatives aim to foster equitable learning environments, strengthen cultural pride, and improve literacy outcomes. The proposed model reframes literacy as both a measurable skill and a lived cultural practice, asserting that equity and rigor are not opposing forces but essential partners in educational reform.
Page updated
Report abuse