Rising Authoritarian Practice in Early Childhood Curriculum: A Case Study

Abstract

Amid the ideological shift from democratic neoliberalism to authoritarian neoliberalism, spearheaded by right-wing Christian nationalists, early childhood educational policy has become a weapon in the “culture war” in many parts of the United States. Neoliberalism has outgrown the constraints of democracy and is being supplanted with nihilistic views on science and knowledge and leaning toward authoritarianism. This is evidenced in a tidal wave of local and state-based educational policy, which restricts individual freedom of expression and access to knowledge while sabotaging government accountability and transparency. However, a practical approach is to observe how local authoritarianism, within the bounds of a recognized democracy, is lacking. The recent surge of early childhood educational policy in right-wing (historically conservative) states in the United States creates an opportunity to understand what values, norms, and knowledge are reified or restricted in the policies that govern early childhood curriculum policy and curriculum. Using a critical discourse analysis in a case study methodology, we shed light on authoritarian practices in early childhood curriculum policy and practice in Florida during the 2021–2024 legislative sessions. The case study examines the implications of educational reform policies for early childhood social studies curriculum to address two questions: How are dominant discourses in early childhood curriculum in Florida changing to reflect a shifting regime of truth? How are authoritarian practices used in Florida’s early childhood education policy system of curriculum evaluation and selection restricting knowledge, limiting critique, and reducing meaningful accountability of government policymakers and technocrats to policy stakeholders, including children, teachers, and parents?