Designed to Silence: How Discriminatory Censorship Laws Are Impacting Teachers

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 8:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Narratives, Censorship, and Mandates: Examining the Impact of Language, Curriculum, and Policy on U.S. Social Studies Education (Table 10)

Abstract

In this quantitative study, the authors surveyed 319 social studies teachers across five different states (CA, FL, MA, TN, and SC) to understand their experiences teaching about race, gender, queerness, and politics in states with and without discriminatory censorship laws (DCLs). Educators from liberal states with no laws expressed higher levels of comfort with DCL-related topics in the classroom compared to educators from states that have passed or are considering DCLs. Educators across all states reported limiting their discussions in the classroom due to concerns about parent reactions. Teachers were more comfortable talking about race than queerness or politics; and women were less comfortable teaching DCL-related topics than men.

Authors

• Kaylene Mae Stevens, Boston University

• Erin Fife, Boston University

• Christopher C. Martell, University of Massachusetts - Boston

• Varsha Kulkarni, Boston University