The Authority of the Traditional English Curriculum: Three Teachers' Attempt at Social Justice Education

• In Event: Critical and Social Justice Inquiry Through Curriculum Practices in the English Language Arts Classroom

Abstract

Even in the era of accountability, teachers have choices, often conflicting and competing, when it comes to enacting their English language arts curriculum. This study examines the conceptions of the ELA curriculum in the era of CCSS by three teachers who identify as aiming toward enacting social justice in their classrooms. The findings demonstrate that because these teachers categorize CCSS as an assessment tool, and social justice as a topic of study, teachers continue and reproduce the oppressive tendencies inherent in a traditional ELA curriculum. This suggests that teachers need to think of social justice as more than a topic, but a way of constructing the curriculum as a domain of conversation.

Author

• Timothy Jansky, Northern Michigan University