Principled Resistance : How Teachers Resolve Ethical Dilemmas

Brings together scholars and activist teachers to explore the concept of resistance as a response to mandates that conflict with their understanding of quality teaching. The book provides examples of the pedagogical, professional, and democratic principles undergirding resistance, as well as the distinct perspective of each of its contributors.

Principled Resistance: How Teachers Resolve Ethical Dilemmas brings together senior scholars and activist teachers to explore the concept of resistance as a necessary response to mandates that conflict with their understanding of quality teaching. The book provides vivid examples of the pedagogical, professional, and democratic principles undergirding resistance, as well as the distinct perspective of each of its contributors: teachers who reflect on their acts of principled resistance; teacher educators who study teachers and support their professional growth; and historians who demonstrate that a tradition of teachers’ principled resistance has had a significant impact on American society, not only on schools and teaching. They also show the steps teachers take, in their reasoning and in their actions, to resist policies and mandates they are expected to enact.

This volume offers a critical and unique resource for teacher educators who are preparing prospective teachers to navigate the contentious terrain of education politics, teachers who are interested in leading change, and others interested in educational ethics.