Teacher Belief and Practice in a Scripted Curriculum

Abstract Recent reform initiatives push for stronger curriculum mandates and greater teacher accountability. Such initiatives are leading to an increase in scripted curriculums within the secondary education classroom. What happens when teaching ideologies are at odds with such required curriculums? How do teachers maintain a balance when personal beliefs no longer match the curricular expectations set before them? In this article, I share the stories of three middle school teachers—the accommodator, the negotiator, and the rebel—as they work to incorporate a scripted curriculum within their language arts classrooms. In examining the curricular approaches taken by these three teachers, I urge educators to question their ethical obligations when infusing a scripted curriculum that opposes their personal teaching beliefs.