Enacting Culturally Informed Literacy Instruction Within Contexts of Restrictive Policies

In 2022 our state, like others across the nation, passed legislation restricting the teaching of race and racism (i.e. “divisive concepts”) and in 2023 passed legislation related to the teaching of literacy using evidence-based, science of reading approaches. As an urban institution with a mission to prepare teachers who address social justice and equity, we were concerned about how this political context would impact our graduates’ ability to enact culturally responsive approaches to literacy instruction. Our findings indicate teachers’ efforts centered on texts and instructional approaches reflecting students’ backgrounds, culture, and language expertise. Overall, the school systems move to scripted programs adhering to a Science of Reading approach seemed to result in a more restrictive context for implementing culturally informed instruction than did the divisive concepts law. Teachers’ efforts to be culturally responsive were supported when teachers had the autonomy to make instructional decisions in light of their knowledge of the students. In addition, although these teachers did not typically bring to the forefront issues of racism and oppression in their instruction, criticality did emerge in the roles these teachers played as advocates when they encountered curricular mandates which did not align with their students’ needs.