Notes From the Field: The Impact of the Recent Partisan Campaign Over What and How to Teach

• In Event: Reinvigorating the Civic Purpose of Schooling: Reframing Outcomes and Expanding Democratic Education Across K–12 Learning

Abstract

Objectives and Frameworks
The pernicious political climate since 2020 has driven organized, national-level efforts to put restrictions on what can be taught and discussed in schools, especially around the teaching of history and student identity. The goal of this presentation is to address the experiences of teachers through recent data and research on what researchers call the “conflict campaign” (Authors et al., 2022, 2023). The data paints a stark picture of the daily threats some teachers experience about discussing race and gender in schools, which is a result of a coordinated partisan campaign through state legislation, media campaigns, and local activities targeted at flipping school board seats, challenging curriculum and pedagogy, and restricting access to books. Additionally, some teachers have been harassed, fired, or threatened, leaving other teachers feeling confused and anxious about the chilling effect on how they can teach. These efforts have immediate effect on restricting students’ civic learning opportunities to engage with complex social issues that help them develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to become responsible citizens.

Modes of Inquiry
This presentation will address recent survey and interview data from the field, focusing on the experiences of teachers working in the public school systems. The presentation will include key findings from a 2021 national survey of 275 teachers and subsequent in-depth interviews of 16 teachers, the majority of whom experienced restrictions in schools.

Scholarly Significance
The collection and analysis of these survey and interview data provide an important contribution to the field’s understanding of the evolving reality of restrictions experienced by teachers and students in schools. Scholars and practitioners need to keep abreast of these up-to-date data on the ground in order to provide timely strategies and actions to optimize opportunities for students to develop the civic knowledge and skills during their critical developmental stages.

Author

• Mica Pollock, University of California - San Diego