Description
This research study examined the role of critical pedagogical teachers within the education system. Public school teachers in the past ten years have been placed in a vulnerable position due in part to the high stakes testing within the federally mandated No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. Classroom teachers are instructed by school administration to increase test scores, especially state standardized test scores. Orfield (2005) and Nieto (2002) suggest that teachers are placed, with much tension and pressure, to increase test scores and this, in turn, impacts their daily instruction. Teachers have voiced that test preparation and test readiness have limited their teachings of other subjects (Vinovskis, 2009). To address this limitation placed on teachers, this research study examined specifically the practices of critical pedagogical teachers who have worked towards negotiating these tensions and potential barriers. Critical pedagogical teachers are defined as teachers that empower students by valuing students' culture, language and voice in the classroom setting. According to Darder (1991) and Bartolome_ (2007), critical pedagogy in the classroom is a method for encouraging and empowering students in the public school system. To document and address this focus, this research study employed an interpretive research approach, utilizing multiple case studies. Interpretive Research was used to examine critical pedagogical teachers' ideology and their practices in the classroom and community. There were five participating elementary teachers. The methodology used within the research study included teacher autobiographies, interviews, classroom and community observations. The study aimed to define the characteristics of critical pedagogical teachers, and documented the manner in which critical pedagogical teachers negotiate their practice in the educational system. The results revealed five major themes across teachers: (1) advocacy of voice, (2) intentionality of action, (3) foundation of trust, (4) transformative resistance and (5) negotiation of practice. The data results showed that across the five teachers, the levels of tension varied due to institutional constraints and contextual factors in the school community. In addition, the data revealed that the five critical pedagogical teachers in this study are on diverse journeys in their quest for social justice in education.
