Sense-Making of Contradictory No Child Left Behind Goals: A Case Study of Teaching Literacy Through History

• In Event: Roundtable Session 32
  In Roundtable Session: Curriculum Challenges: New Demands, Competing Priorities, and Persistent Dysfunction

Abstract

This case study examines sense-making and enactment of contradictory policy messages that push for improved test scores and intellectual development in a fifth grade classroom. The teacher, involved in state-sponsored professional development as a recipient and provider, used history lessons to address NCLB’s goal of raising achievement for all students in literacy. The paper reveals how two educational directives --- cognitive strategy instruction and equal opportunities to learn – are (mis)understood even as test scores are raised. It also shows how teacher dependence on student cooperation influences classroom authority and teacher decision-making. The findings contribute knowledge about NCLB’s impact on teacher sense-making and instruction, and point to complexity in evaluation of professional development and teacher performance.

Author

• Judy L. Pace, University of San Francisco