By Whose Standard? Phenomenological Case Study of History Teachers Balancing Their Curriculum Priorities With the Texas State Standards

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  In Poster Session: By Whose Standard? Phenomenological Case Study of History Teachers Balancing Their Curriculum Priorities With the Texas State Standards

Abstract

In 2011, Texas public high schools implemented new curriculum standards- the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), and awaited the impending new state level End of Course exams (EOC). Some of the changes were drastic and seem to represent a specific political and nationalist perspective. This qualitative phenomenological case study of four Texas high school U.S. history teachers examines how they feel they balance their own purpose with the state’s and how they adapt their syntactic and substantive understanding of American history. Ongoing observations began in the fall of 2011 and continue to date. Though this study traces teachers’ initial reactions, a critical period will be the first administration of the End of Course Exam in the Spring of 2014.

Author

• H. Scottie Johnson, The University of Texas - Austin