Towards Critically Inclusive Classrooms: Patterns and Predictors of U.S. Elementary Teachers’ Curricular Modification Priorities

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 7:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Advancing Instructional Practices for Students with Disabilities

Abstract

Most U.S. elementary educators make modifications to district-provided curricular materials, which shape students’ opportunities to learn. To date, the field lacks robust knowledge about the priorities underlying curricular modifications—particularly in relation to building inclusivity—and the various factors that predict teachers’ modification priorities. Using 2022 national teacher survey data, latent class analysis, and multinomial regression, I located four sub-classes of teachers’ modification priorities (adhering to district and state expectations; academic press; supporting mastery; responsiveness) and compared them against a critical inclusion framework (Cruz et al., 2024). I found that teaching a majority of students of color, receiving pre-service preparation for curriculum modification, teaching English language arts, and receiving curricular autonomy was associated with holding more critically inclusive modification priorities.

Author

• Sarah A Caroleo, Brown University