Music Educators’ Perceptions of Policy Language from Divisive Concepts Laws

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 3:45 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Policy Contexts for Music Education

Abstract

Divisive Concepts Laws (DCLs) currently regulate education in 25 states and recent federal executive orders (EOs) have attempted to broaden DCL impact to include all public schools. Since some DCLs are vague or ambiguous, music teachers may become de facto policymakers through interpretation or choosing how they will respond. However, previous research indicated that music educators may not have complete or accurate information about DCL language. Therefore, in this survey study we examined music teachers’ perceptions of DCLs and related EOs by presenting them with excerpts of policy language. Understanding more about how music educators navigate DCLs and related EOs can help other music educators with sensemaking, offer important information for teacher educators, and provide evidence for policymakers.

Authors

• Karen Salvador, Michigan State University

• Ryan D. Shaw, Michigan State University