| In the summer of 2010, the National Governor's Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers introduced the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in the areas of English Language Arts and Mathematics. The Standards were intended to present "what" students should be learning by the end of each grade, with the hopes of better preparing students for the requirements of college and career. Various studies indicate that teachers were minimally involved, if at all, in the design and creation of the standards (Cheng, 2012; Karp, 2013), yet they are required to implement them in their curriculum and instruction. This cross-case study examined how the ELA writing standards are being communicated, interpreted, and implemented within three NYC public schools, including an elementary, middle, and high school, and the resulting implications for three teachers' experiences, planning, practice, and agency. Data sources include three semi-structured interviews with each teacher, supported by curricular documents, assessments, student work, and staff handbooks; classroom observations, and administrator interviews. The data were analyzed using Foucault's theory of disciplinary power, a form of power exercised through the use of strategic and calculated techniques, including the control of activity, surveillance, examination, and normalizing judgment, in an effort to produce a 'docile body,' a body that is obedient, useful, and manipulated. Findings from this study help reveal the ways in which this educational mandate is implemented at the classroom level, and the implications it can have on teachers' practice and agency. Ideally, this study can be used to better understand potential pathways through which teachers can incorporate and/or resist implementation of the CCSS Writing Standards to best meet the needs and interests of their students. |
