Mandated Methods, Missing Culture: Reimagining Structured Literacy in Early Childhood Teacher Education

• In Event: Unforgetting Histories and Imagining Futures in Early Childhood Teacher Education

Abstract

This research critically examines tensions between California’s structured literacy mandate (SB 488), culturally sustaining pedagogy, and Whiteness in early literacy teacher education. Using a critical sociocultural policy framework and decolonial theory, this qualitative study investigates how preservice teachers and literacy teacher educators navigate mandated structured literacy practices while integrating culturally and linguistically sustaining instruction. Preliminary findings highlight a disconnect between policy compliance pressures prioritizing foundational skills and educators' commitments to inclusive, equitable practices. This study underscores the need to interrogate racialized and colonial ideologies within literacy policy, advocating a balanced approach that explicitly integrates structured literacy with culturally responsive practices to affirm diverse learners in early childhood contexts.

Author

• Angela Kollerer, San Francisco State University