It's my way or the highway: Academic success and social mobility in Dangerous Minds and Boston Public

In this paper we explore dichotomies that exist between/within/through the (re)presentations of students and teachers found in the television shows Dangerous Minds and Boston Public. These dichotomized relationships engender a school culture organized by and through either/or conditions. More specifically, these dichotomized relationships force students and teachers into specific positions of inclusion and/or exclusion (i.e., It's my way or the highway). We begin by giving a short overview of both television shows. Then we make connections and comparisons between the media (re)presentations and school/pedagogical practices that advance or impede students' academic success and social mobility while simultaneously providing a theoretical lens from which to view these media texts within the context of urban schools and schooling.