A Content Analysis Investigating the Framing of Anti-CRT (Critical Race Theory) Laws and Their Impacts on Social Studies Teacher Agency

• In Event: Social Studies Under Threat: Teaching Through/Against Hostility, Hate, and Erasure

Abstract

In recent years, 44 states have proposed legislation that restricts the teaching of race and racism in social studies. Commonly called “anti-CRT” legislation, these statutes differ widely in how they frame content and pedagogical restrictions with explicit and implicit language. To understand how these laws affect curriculum and instruction, we used critical race methodology to conduct a qualitative content analysis of six statutes in four archetypal states. As a result of this content analysis, we hope to empower social studies educators with a heuristic to understand the content of these laws to reduce confusion, minimize avoidance, and increase the inclusion of counter-stories and the experiences of diverse voices in social studies.

Authors

• Ryan Cowden, Gordon College

• Kyle P. O'Brien, Indiana University