Accepting Educational Responsibility: Kindergarten Teachers' Resistance to Standards-Based Accountability Reform and Simultaneous Advocacy for Children

• In Event: Curriculum and Teaching in Early Childhood

Abstract

As part of a qualitative case study, I documented seven kindergarten teachers’ lived experiences as they encountered district-mandated policies that burdened their time, absorbed their energy, and pushed against their professional beings. While resisting policy enactment, they simultaneously advocated for what they believed was in children’s best interests: guaranteed time for play, personally- and culturally- relevant curriculum, and developmentally appropriate intervention and testing expectations. Observational fieldwork was the primary data collection method. Analysis processes included constant comparison method and thematic analysis. Prolonged engagement, peer debriefing, and member checking contributed to the credibility of the findings. This study contributes to empirical understandings of how policies intersect with daily life in schools.

Author

• Mary E. Lyons, Knox College