Datafied Discretion: The Teacher in Modern Democracies

CPPR Lunchtime Seminar

This socio-historic moment presents urgent questions about the principles of democracy and the extent to which democratic institutions are able to persevere during tumultuous times.

Schools—often the sites of contestation over societal values—have faced decades of threats to their integrity as institutions for the public good.

Looking specifically at the role of teachers, Dr Jessica Holloway (Deakin University) will question the role of expertise in modern democratic societies. After conceptualizing the structural and epistemic dimensions of teacher expertise, she will show how contemporary modes of evaluation and datafication not only (1) constrain the discretionary space for teachers to practice as professional experts, but also (2) restrict schools’ capacities to respond to the changing and emerging needs of their students and communities.

In doing so, she argues, datafication undermines schools’ abilities to achieve the justice-oriented ideals that progressive and inclusive democracies require. Implications for policy and teacher education will also be discussed.