“The Politics of Education”: Social Studies Teachers’ Perceptions of Civic Education for Students With Dis/Abilities

• In Event: Social Studies Under Threat: Teaching Through/Against Hostility, Hate, and Erasure

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore Social Studies Teachers’ (SST) perceptions (N=10) aiming to develop interventions to address the “civic empowerment gap” for students with disabilities (SWD) and understand experiences of SS teaching history during contentious educational policies in Florida. Findings outlined five thematic categories: (1) Aligning Civic Mission of Schools and Goals in Social Studies Classrooms; (2) Teaching SWD in Inclusive Classrooms; (3) Building School and Community Participation for SWD; (4) Having Reverence for Dis/ability History and Empowering SWD through Civic Education; and (5) Balancing the Politics of Education and the Role of a Teacher. This study captured teacher perspectives and contributes to our understanding of “the role of a teacher” in 21st century inclusive classrooms

Author

• Deborah A. Perez, University of Miami