State-Mandated Testing and Cultural Resistance in Appalachian Schools: Competing Values and Expectations

Set in two Southeastern Ohio school districts, this study explores how the culturally inspired values of working class Appalachian families, as well as those of non-Appalachian families and school staff, influence understandings of the role of schooling in the lives of children. More specifically, it explores the ways these three groups understand the rationale and utility of state-mandated group testing for fourth- and ninth-grade students. Finally, the study seeks to characterize the ways parents, both Appalachian and non-Appalachian, make their voices heard in their schools. This analysis reveals sharp differences in the views of working-class and middle-class Appalachians.