Toward Intentional Teaching: The Need For Educator Agency
Did You Lose Your Teacher Voice?
Reclaiming Educator Agency, Voice, and Choice Through a Critical Lens
Brian L. Wright and Mona M. Abo-Zena
US schools and society are at a critical juncture, with pre-K – 12 educators caught in“ culture wars,” or political and ideological conflicts that shape how schools and educators approach teaching and learning( Proweller & Monkman 2024). These conflicts can manifest in various ways, including increasingly prescriptive approaches to curriculum; restrictive challenges to teaching about race, racism, and in / justice; limitations to the full inclusion of children with dis / abilities; as well as attempts to limit access to specific books and restrict social and emotional learning( NAEYC 2019; Hornbeck & Malin 2023; Proweller & Monkman 2024).
6 Young Children
Summer 2026