Constructing Dominant Narratives: Twitter, Public Discourse, and the Politics of an Educational Organization in Controversy

This study examines how discourse on Twitter shaped public perceptions of the National School Boards Association (NSBA) following its 2021 letter to the Biden administration requesting federal assistance amid threats at school board meetings. Drawing on critical discourse analysis and the concept of political spectacle, we examined 447 tweets posted over the course of 1 year to uncover the dominant narratives and the discursive strategies Twitter users employed. Our findings reveal that Twitter users employed strategies such as misrepresentation and selective emphasis to construct a dominant narrative portraying the NSBA as a “woke” organization that colluded with the Biden administration to target parents. These narratives coincided with widespread backlash and the withdrawal of multiple state associations from the NSBA. This research highlights the powerful role of social media in shaping educational politics and policy discourse, offering insights into how digital platforms mediate public understanding and influence institutional legitimacy.