Abolitionist Teaching in an Urban District: A Literacy Coup

This article presents a preliminary study of an urban school district, and its use of a scripted middle-school language arts and literacy curriculum. The majority of students served by this district are African American. By interviewing a small sample of four teachers and one literacy coach, gatheri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Urban education (Beverly Hills, Calif.) Calif.), 2023-11, Vol.58 (9), p.2118-2145
Main Authors: Hoffman, Julie Wasmund, Martin, Jennifer L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abolition of slavery
African American Students
African Americans
Autonomy
Culturally Relevant Education
Curricula
Interviews
Language Arts
Literacy
Literacy Education
Middle Schools
Professional Autonomy
Resistance
School Districts
Students
Teachers
Teaching
Teaching Methods
Urban areas
Urban Education
Urban Schools
Writing
Writing Workshops
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Summary:This article presents a preliminary study of an urban school district, and its use of a scripted middle-school language arts and literacy curriculum. The majority of students served by this district are African American. By interviewing a small sample of four teachers and one literacy coach, gathering preliminary data, and observing students within language arts classrooms, we analyze the impact of the district’s move to non-skill-based Reading and Writing Workshop Models curricula. This curriculum is neither aligned with the Common Core Standards, nor does it allow for teacher autonomy based upon student need. District mandates direct teachers to “follow the script” of a curriculum that was not intended to have a script—in effect, the students have less guidance than the teachers within this scenario. In this article, we highlight specific literacy practices, policies that disempower teachers and students, and strategies for abolitionist resistance within urban schools.
ISSN:0042-0859
1552-8340
DOI:10.1177/0042085920943937