The Walls Are Closing In: Reinforcing Social Studies Teacher Restrictions, Surveillance, and Harmful Ideology on Departmental Group Dynamics

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 7:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Refusal, Care, and Justice: Educators Challenging Structures in Teaching

Abstract

This case study examines how social studies teachers with different political ideologies navigate legislative restrictions, increased surveillance, and ideological pressures within a conservative Texas school. Drawing on relational spatial theory and Jason Stanley’s framework on authoritarian tactics, we analyze how these educators experience delegitimization, self-censorship, and shifting departmental dynamics. Taking an ecological approach to the multivariate contextual factors teachers encounter helps us better identify the sources of growing fear among liberal teachers, who increasingly avoid teaching about marginalized groups or justice-oriented content due to political and community pressures. This helps us understand how polarized climates erode teacher solidarity and collaboration, ultimately limiting students’ access to critical education and diverse pedagogical strategies.

Authors

• Michael A. Krecker, Baylor University

• Kevin R. Magill, Baylor University

• Liz Harrelson Magill, Baylor University