Gatekeepers of Local History Instruction

• In Event: Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: Local and Global Forces That Shape History Curricula and Policy

Abstract

This study used items from The Making of Milwaukee (MOM) project to investigate the types of instructors teaching local history, factors affecting their instruction, and their instructional practices. Grade level differences were observed amongst 91 teachers surveyed leading to case studies of 11 frequent users of MOM items. While applying Thornton’s (1991) metaphor of social studies teachers as “curricular-instructional gatekeepers,” the most significant factor affecting teachers’ local history classroom decisions appeared to be conceptualizations of curricular obligations affecting their perceptions of instructional autonomy. A framework revealed four different types of gatekeepers indicating that gatekeeping may not be as individualistic as portrayed by Thornton. Instructional mandates, teacher collaboration, professional development, and flexible materials could increase local history’s role in the classroom.

Author

• John Joseph DeRose, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee