Impacts of Social Justice Curriculums in US K–12 Public School System

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Identity, Engagement, and Inclusion in Learning and Instruction (Table 15)

Abstract

Existing American K-12 public school systems' curricula include social justice curriculums that have been met with acceptance and opposition (Chapman & Hobbel, 2022; Levine & Au Wau, 2013). No single policy is associated with this type of curriculum, no specific theory, but a multilayered approach to teaching the tenets of social justice related to human rights, equity and inclusion, and racial justice. When evaluating the curricula policy, the research questions are: Does Social Justice education negatively impact students, program development, educational philosophies, practicum opportunities, social vision, or activism in the American Public School K-12 System? Is the existing policy effective? Could Social Justice curricula be used for cultural social change? What are the projected outcomes and the long-term implications for the broader society?

Author

• Erika Barnes Ford, Southern Solutions, LLC