The Political Identities and Civic Education Practices of America's High School English Teachers

• In Event: 44.041 - Red Classroom, Blue Classroom: Examining the Politics of America's Teachers Amid Growing Partisanship

Abstract

“To instruct the mass of our citizens in these, their rights, interests and duties . . . in [primary schools] should be taught reading [and] writing.” -Thomas Jefferson (1818)

Preparation for civic life has been considered one of the primary purposes of public schooling since our country’s founding, and literacy has long been identified as one of the most essential components of this preparation. The Common Core State Standards in ELA/Literacy (2010) stress that reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills are “essential to both private deliberation and responsible citizenship in a democratic republic” (p. 3).

The purpose of this paper is to examine the political beliefs and civic education practices of a representative sample of high school English teachers in the United States. Drawing on the aforementioned survey data, I analyze how teacher identities, school characteristics, and community demographics impact the type and nature of civic learning opportunities that teachers offer their students.

Research shows that the beliefs that teachers hold about their subject matter, their students, and their roles in classrooms influences the practices that they engage in with their students (Fang, 1996; Pajares, 1992). Classroom teachers act as crucial mediators who facilitate experiences for their students that embody multiple, contradictory and unavoidably politicized visions of the literate citizen (Gutierrez, 2009). Despite the acknowledged importance of teacher beliefs to classroom practice and the implementation of policy reforms, particularly in the highly contested realm of literacy (O’Brien, Stewart, & Moje, 1995), there is very little research available that explores how English teachers are making sense of their discipline and how their understandings of their mission translate into particular classroom practices.

Understanding teacher perspectives on civic education in the English classroom is important at a moment when high-stakes accountability systems and the pressure for college and career readiness is narrowing how literacy is conceived in many public schools (Faggella-Luby, Ware, & Capozzoli, 2009). This paper operates from a theoretical framework of critical literacy, which stresses the social meaning-making embodied through literacy and the relationship between reading the word and reading the world (Freire & Macedo, 1987).

Findings indicate that English teachers are significantly more likely to characterize their political views as liberal as compared to their Social Studies colleagues. English teachers who consider themselves liberal were more likely to participate in a variety of forms of civic engagement than their more conservative counterparts, though teachers of all political persuasions expressed commitment to the idea that teachers should not share their opinions about political issues in class. While teachers across the political spectrum encouraged students to engage in classroom discussions and use evidence to support their claims, teachers who were more civically engaged were more likely to introduce current events as topics of conversation and consider the trustworthiness of sources.

These findings have implications for pre-service and teacher education programs and in-service professional development. This paper discusses teachers as political beings and the need to develop strategies to help teachers negotiate their civic and professional identities in ways that promote tolerance, dialogue, and engagement.

Author

• Nicole Mirra, Rutgers University