The Politics of Teaching Literature

• Published in: Research in the teaching of English Vol. 54; no. 1; pp. 5 - 7
• Main Authors: Thomas, Ebony Elizabeth, Campano, Gerald, Stornaiuolo, Amy, Coleman, James Joshua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Urbana National Council of Teachers of English 01-08-2019
• Subjects: Angelou, Maya (1928-2014); Children & youth; Childrens picture books; Curricula; Education policy; Educational Change; Elementary School Students; English language; Hansberry, Lorraine (1930-1965); Language arts; Learning; Literacy; Literary criticism; Literature education; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Politics; Reading; Secondary school students; Secondary schools; Social change; Social networks; Society; Standardized Tests; Students; Teachers; Teaching; Young adults; New York; United States > US
• ISSN: 0034-527X; 1943-2348

[...]in recent times, even this expanded canon has faced challenges from multiple fronts: the imperatives of neoliberal educational reform; corporate standardized testing that prioritizes "testable" curriculum; learning standards that squeeze out stories in favor of informational texts; and even the demands of critical and radical educators who, in efforts to further decolonize education, call multicultural classics into question, advocating instead for the teaching of literature that is more relevant to contemporary students' lives. Examining change over time, Sarah Levine walks her readers through 118 years of history, demonstrating how English language arts exams have always operated as a contested political site for the assessment of literary knowledge. [...]Ryan Schey and Mollie Blackburn engage literature's political potential by exploring acts of rupture in the literacy practices of high school students.