fostering conversations about kindness, belonging, and community. This aligns with social and emotional learning and social studies goals related to identity, community, and respectful relationships learning standards. He reviews the list of approved texts but does not find one that fits these goals. He decides to start a K-W-H-L chart to document students’ past experiences and current interests about this topic( what we know [ K ], what we want to know [ W ], how we can learn more [ H ], and what we have learned [ L ]). He begins with a joyous read aloud of Hats of Faith, by Medeia Cohan-Petrolino and illustrated by Sarah Walsh, and students eagerly plan to bring hats from their faith traditions to share the next day.
That afternoon, however, Ms. Spade, the lower school coordinator, reminds Mr. Omar that he must strictly follow the prescribed English language arts curriculum. The following morning, students rush in, hats in hand, only to find different books on the easel. The books come directly from the prescribed curriculum guide and require students to complete a scripted comprehension activity with predetermined questions and vocabulary exercises. Mr. Omar invites them to the carpet, but Arie quickly blurts out,“ That’ s not the book we were reading.” Disappointment fills the room as several children echo,“ What happened, Mr. Omar?”
Mr. Omar faced a dilemma experienced by countless early childhood educators who are expected to follow rigid policies and implement one-size-fits-all instructional content without recognition of their professional expertise or capacity to authentically respond to children’ s strengths and needs( Priestley et al. 2015; Imants & Van der Wal 2020). Often, these policies and procedures are positioned as equitable accountability while perpetuating inequities in access and opportunity( Gregory 2013). Indeed, Mr. Omar’ s situation reflects what is often missing from the discourse and practice concerning what children need to thrive in schools and classrooms: The voices and agency of teachers.
Agency refers to an individual’ s ability to take action to alter their situation toward an intended goal( Bandura 2001). In the context of education, agency refers to the capacity of both children and educators to act intentionally within learning environments. For children, agency involves making choices, expressing ideas, and engaging meaningfully in classroom life. Educator agency reflects teachers’ professional judgment to design curriculum and instruction that is culturally responsive to children’ s cultural identities and experiences and that shapes equitable learning opportunities( Priestley et al. 2015; NAEYC 2020). Voice and agency for teachers does not mean teacher-centered monologue; rather, teachers act as co-constructors in conversation with children, families, and community to make decisions and act( Rinaldi 2022).
Importantly, any example of teacher agency reflects acting at different levels to navigate solutions and negotiate multiple perspectives within a dynamic context( Bartell et al. 2019). Drawing from broader scholarship on human agency, teachers may exercise agency through three forms— individual, proxy, and collective— within their sphere of practice( Bandura 2001; Hewson 2010).
› Individual agency occurs when teachers use their influence over matters they can directly control. In the vignette, Mr. Omar is an intentional teacher who exerts individual agency to create a caring and equitable learning environment. He does this by using multicultural and multiethnic children’ s literature to engage young children and help them reach meaningful learning goals.
› Proxy agency is the art of influence. Teachers use proxy agency to strategically influence others( e. g., school administrators) who possess the necessary resources, knowledge, and
8 Young Children
Summer 2026