Gender Constructions in the Common Core: Examining the Exemplar Text List

• In Event: 14.044 - Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: 14.044-24 - Praxis and Pedagogy: Creating Legitimacy Through Resistance

Abstract

Increased attention to diversity has sparked efforts to include multicultural and culturally relevant approaches to curriculum, but some elements of the curriculum remain unchanged and seemingly immune to the societal changes that surround schools in the contemporary context. One curricular holdover that remains nearly unchanged year to year are the core texts of the curriculum in High School English.

In this paper I will examine the Common Core Exemplar Text List for constructions of masculinity, femininity, and relations between the sexes inherent in these texts. I hope to unearth some of the problematic features that arise when curricula focus on canonical texts, and suggest some ways that teachers can be sensitive to these issues in teaching these texts.

Author

• Kelly DeLuca, Teachers College, Columbia University