Virtue Signaling or Substantive Solidarity? A Discourse Analysis of School Districts’ Positioning in Equity-Oriented Policies and Resolutions

Abstract

A growing number of school districts across the United States are experiencing racial backlash for their work on racial justice, anti-racism, and equity. Despite ‘anti-equity’ efforts, a noticeable number of school districts across the U.S. passed equity-oriented policies and resolutions in 2020. While these policies are intended to confront racism and inequity, some school districts have been critiqued for their policy efforts being merely symbolic and gestures of virtue signaling. However, we know very little empirically about the language and discourse used to construct these policies. To address this gap in the literature, we ask the following question: How and in what ways might school districts’ discursive positioning on racism in equity-oriented policies and resolutions serve as virtue signaling? Using critical discourse analysis, we find that districts position themselves as: 1) opposers of racism, 2) fixers of racism, 3) bystanders to racism, and 4) perpetrators of racism. This study concludes with implications for policy, future research, and school districts.