Contending With Context: Neoliberal Constraints and Community Barriers to Antiracist Literacy Instruction in Rural Appalachia

• In Event: Considering Race and Context in Rural Education

Abstract

Research has investigated elementary teachers’ use of literature to foster racial literacies in urban and suburban environments, yet there is a dearth of studies examining such practices in rural schools. This paper presents findings from a multiple case study investigating rural teachers’ antiracist literacy instruction. Critical methodologies were used to determine external and community influences on teachers’ pedagogical decisions. Thematic analysis of one case revealed that neoliberal educational practices constrained the teacher participant’s instructional autonomy and that the overtly racist community context limited the depth of antiracist literacy instruction she felt comfortable broaching with her first-grade students. Continued analysis comparing data from all eight cases will provide insight into effective antiracist instruction for distinct rural contexts across K–12 settings.

Author

• Rachelle Kuehl, Virginia Tech