Assigning Blame: The Rhetoric of Education Reform - Softcover

In Assigning Blame, rhetoric scholar Mark Hlavacik examines the role of language and persuasion in the rise of the accountability movement. Analyzing five of the most prominent acts of public persuasion since the founding of the US Department of Education in 1979, he concludes that “blame has come to the fore as a chief means by which Americans dispute the future of their public schools.”
 
Assigning Blame explores the implications of using blame to achieve policy goals, sounding a cautionary note for reformers and educators alike: while blame can be an effective, even positive tool for change, overuse can breed cynicism and undermine faith in the very institution that advocates seek to change.
 
“Assigning Blame is an invaluable guide to the rhetoric of educational policy. Whether pushing for privatization, more testing, or greater accountability, advocates in debates about public policy have consistently turned to the rhetoric of blame to animate their arguments and persuade their audiences. But, as Mark Hlavacik notes, this reliance on the rhetoric of blame to shape our understanding of public education has both rewards and consequences.”
—Kendall R. Phillips, professor of communication and rhetorical studies, Syracuse University, and president, Rhetoric Society of America
 
“Hlavacik carefully intersects the fields of rhetoric and public policy to highlight the critical relationship between political rhetoric and policy making. This important book introduces the concept of ‘public blame’—tracing the persuasive role of calculated accusation as a strategy for garnering support for and against educational change.”
—Dana Mitra, professor of educational theory and policy, Penn State University
 
“This fresh and provocative book by Mark Hlavacik explores the rhetorical power of blame in contemporary education reform. Using a series of illuminating and richly detailed case studies, he persuasively argues that a different discursive strategy will be required if we want our schools to have a more hopeful future.”
—Christopher P. Loss, associate professor, Vanderbilt University
 
Mark Hlavacik is an assistant professor of communication studies at the University of North Texas.