This study aims to explore parents' views and concerns regarding the teaching of politics and the inclusion of politically controversial issues in schools. We employed an exploratory sequential design and a mixed-methods approach in this study. Initially, we conducted indepth interviews with 12 parents to explore their perspectives on teaching…

Teaching literacy skills through high-quality trade books that provide diverse cultural perspectives is increasingly difficult due to challenges to teachers' book selections. To meet their professional responsibilities, teachers must select literature they judge effective for developing students' awareness and understanding of others'…

This article addresses the prevalent hesitancy among English Language Arts (ELA) educators to incorporate LGBTQ+ authors and perspectives due to discomfort and fear of backlash from students, parents, and administration. Building on Chapter 5 of the author's dissertation, the article proposes a professional development plan to equip teachers with…

Benefits have been found to including LGBTQ+ content into early education settings, yet many teachers have reported feeling uncomfortable or fearful of incorporating this into their own classrooms. Through a 27-item, online, anonymous survey, we examined the requirements, perceptions, and reported practices regarding the inclusion of LGBTQ +…

Effective social studies education involves inquiry into and discussions of controversial social and political issues and difficult topics. In the current polarized political climate, exemplified by the emergence of divisive concepts legislation, the ability of social justice-oriented social studies teachers to provide highly effective instruction…

Policies and other governance initiatives that attempt to limit or prohibit gender diversity inside (and outside of) schools are increasing in frequency. One core discourse that has been deployed to restrict curricular engagements and school policies around gender and sexuality diversity in schools is that of "parental rights", which…

In this study, it was aimed to determine the sources of concern of primary school teachers in terms of controversial issues and the difficulties they experience in instructional processes and to improve their teaching skills related to controversial issues with digital stories. In this context, participatory action research method was utilized. A…

The conflict between acceptance and disapproval of evolution has led to obstacles in its teaching and learning. Other difficulties, such as both teachers' and students' alternative perceptions, student maturity in the face of learning this complicated topic, and teachers' gaps in evolution knowledge, add to the difficulties in teaching and…

This qualitative interview study examines challenges college students may experience in extracurricular dialogues on contested sociopolitical issues. It also discusses approaches that students claim support them through the challenges of contested issues dialogues. This study found that college students encountered challenges including difficulty…

This study reports on teacher educators' (n = 930) self-efficacy in working with LGBTQIA + students and addressing LGBTQIA + topics in teacher education in the United States. We explore the topics they teach, the barriers they face, and the support(s) needed to be more purposeful in LGBTQIA + inclusion. Themes from this analysis provide a…

In December 2021, Texas lawmakers passed a bill related to the national debate and politicization of critical race theory (CRT). Texas Senate Bill 3 seemingly limits the teaching of "sensitive" topics. These perceived limitations may present challenges for social studies teachers in the state. This study examines the knowledge and…

Purpose: Through the lenses of deprofessionalization, demoralization, and remoralization, this study investigates the experiences of five educators with commitments to social justice education as they navigate teaching in an affluent, rural, and overwhelmingly white community in New Hampshire--a state that at the time of data collection had…

Public schools are currently at the center of a set of multifaceted culture wars around questions about who decides the purpose of and sets the agenda for what should be taught in our nation's schools. Although culture wars are not new, today's conflicts are distinguished by their intensity and hostility directed toward marginalized and…

In the context of global crises, the priorities of vocational education and training (VET) need to be reconsidered. VET should educate critically reflective global citizens who are capable of acting to create a more just and sustainable world both in their workplaces and in society at large. This study examines VET teachers' views on addressing…

Forty-four states have recently taken formal policy steps to limit how teachers can teach about so-called "divisive issues." This paper examines teachers' perceptions of what they need to be prepared to teach in states where "divisive issues" legislation exists. Teacher interview data where restrictive legislation exists were…