Disrupting the Official Curriculum: Cultural Biography and the Curriculum Decision Making of Latino Preservice Teachers

Abstract

This multiple case study traces the influence of cultural biographies on the curriculum decision making of two Latino preservice teachers who student taught in standards-based schools. These participants drew on their personal and cultural experiences to disrupt the “official” curriculum, which they believed failed to address fundamental issues of race and inequity. Findings suggest that personal encounters with discrimination and economic injustice informed the curricular decisions of participants. In addition, participants held a constructivist view of the social studies, allowing them to teach using multiple perspectives that challenged dominant narratives in the social studies.