Abolitionist Literacy in Urban Education: Resisting Scripted Literacy

• In Event: Culturally Relevant Teaching Practices for Urban Schooling

Abstract

This is a preliminary study of an urban school district’s use of a scripted middle school language arts curriculum. The majority of students served are African American. By interviewing a small sample of four teachers and one literacy coach, we analyze the impact of the district’s move to non-skill-based Reading/Writing Workshop Models curricula, which is curriculum neither aligned with the Common Core Standards, nor allows for teacher autonomy based upon student need. District mandates direct teachers to “follow the script” of a curriculum that was not intended to be scripted. We highlight specific literacy practices, policies that disempower teachers and students, and strategies for abolitionist resistance within urban schools.

Authors

• Jennifer L. Martin, University of Illinois at Springfield

• Julie Hoffman, Springfield Public Schools