Politics and Power: The Battle to Define America in State-Level Social Studies Curriculum Reform

• In Event: Social Studies Curriculum: Standards, Testing, and Curriculum Enactment

Abstract

This paper traces the political and ideological processes of social studies standards-making at the state level and uncovers how various conservative power-brokers sought to control the ways in which America was represented and defined in social studies content. Using a dual framework of revisionist history and social justice, the researchers analyzed social studies curriculum reform movements in California, New York, Virginia, Minnesota, Missouri, and Texas. Employing a case study methodology, cross-case analysis revealed that conservative power-brokers often directed the reform process through their influence in political and media-centered arenas, while the voices of teachers, those with the most direct experience working in public schools, were kept mostly silent. Implications for educators will be discussed in the paper.

Authors

• Sarah B. Shear, University of Missouri

• Antonio J. Castro, University of Missouri - Columbia