Worldmindedness or America First? Leading through Curriculum Controversy in the Los Angeles Schools, 1948-1953

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Responding to Polycrises: Educational Leadership Across Intersecting Challenges and Contexts

Abstract

This paper unearths the forgotten efforts by the Los Angeles school district to lead for diversity in the late 1940s and the resulting conservative backlash. Focusing on the role of Superintendent Alexander Stoddard as he promoted the UNESCO program in the Los Angeles City schools during the post-World War II years, which purported to develop world mindedness and intercultural understanding, this historical case study details how he faced opposition to the curriculum from populist housewives, conservative reformers, and the Los Angeles school board during the early 1950s. In light of current book banning and anti-DEI policies across the country, this study provides lessons for today’s school district leaders about how to navigate curriculum controversy and envision a more equitable future.

Author

• Lauri Johnson, Boston College