Principal Samir finds himself caught amid a high-stakes battle over book bans in Texas, where parental pressure to remove “inappropriate” books clashes with efforts to protect literature that reflects the lived experiences of marginalized groups, particularly immigrant communities. Faced with bills like HB900, the READER Act, restricting educational content, Principal Samir must contend with the emotional, professional, and financial consequences of defending intellectual freedom. This case study explores the toll these bans take on the diversity of educational resources but also on the principal at the frontline. In an environment marked by escalating political pressures, can a principal protect diverse voices while still maintaining a professional relationship with various stakeholders such as parents, educators, and school boards?
AdamH.Barratt-PughC.HaigY. (2017). Book collections in long day care: Do they reflect racial diversity?Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 42(2), 88–96. https://doi.org/10.23965/AJEC.42.2.11
2.
AdichieC. N. (2006). Half of a yellow sun. Alfred A. Knopf.
AppleM. W. (1996). Power, meaning and identity: Critical sociology of education in the United States. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 17(2), 125–144.
AronsonB.LaughterJ. (2016). The theory and practice of culturally relevant education: A synthesis of research across content areas. Review of Educational Research, 86(1), 163–206. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315582066
12.
AtesB.BrooksB. (2023). Banned books in K-12 classrooms: Weaponization of children and young adolescent literature. In BryanK. C.HerreraP.JavierL. (Eds.), The weaponizing of language in the classroom and beyond (pp. 169–190). De Gruyter Mouton.
13.
BishopR. S. (1990, March). Windows and mirrors: Children’s books and parallel cultures [Conference session]. California State University Reading Conference: 14th Annual Conference Proceedings, pp. 3–12.
14.
BomerR.MalochB. (2019). Lessons for leaders on the preparation of literacy educators. Journal of Literacy Research, 51(2), 259–264. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296X19833779
15.
BoydF. B.CauseyL. L.GaldaL. (2015). Culturally diverse literature: Enriching variety in an era of Common Core State Standards. The Reading Teacher, 68(5), 378–387. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1326
16.
BradenE. G.RodriguezS. C. (2016). Beyond mirrors and windows: A critical content analysis of Latinx children’s books. Journal of Language and Literacy Education, 12(2), 56–83.
17.
ChaudhriA.TealeW. H. (2013). Stories of multiracial experiences in literature for children, ages 9–14. Children’s Literature in Education, 44, 359–376. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-013-9196-5
18.
CrawfordS. C. (2016). More than a wheelchair in the background: A study of portrayals of disabilities in children’s picture books [Honors Theses, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga].
19.
EdelmanJ. (2017). How preservice teachers use children’s literature to teach mathematical concepts: Focus on mathematical knowledge for teaching. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 9(4), 741–752.
20.
EllisD. (2000). The Breadwinner. Groundwood Books.
21.
EscamillaK.Nathenson-MejíaS. (2003). Preparing culturally responsive teachers: Using Latino children’s literature in teacher education. Equity & Excellence in Education, 36(3), 238–248.
22.
FaruqiR.LyonL. (2015). Lailah’s lunchbox: A Ramadan story. Tilbury House Publishers.
FurnerJ. M. (2018). Using children’s literature to teach mathematics: An effective vehicle in a STEM world. European Journal of STEM Education, 3(3), 14. https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/3874
28.
GaldaL. (1998). Mirrors and windows: Reading as transformation. In RaphaelT. E.AuK. H. (Eds.), Literature-based instruction: Reshaping the curriculum (pp. 1–11). Christopher-Gordon Publishers.
29.
GaranE. M.DeVoogdG. (2008). The benefits of sustained silent reading: Scientific research and common sense converge. The Reading Teacher, 62(4), 336–344. https://doi.org/10.1598/RT.62.4.6
30.
Garces-BacsalR. M. (2020). Diverse books for diverse children: Building an early childhood diverse booklist for social and emotional learning. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 22(1), 66–95. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468798420901856
31.
GilmoreL.HowardG. (2016). Children’s books that promote understanding of difference, diversity and disability. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 26(2), 218–251. https://doi.org/10.1017/jgc.2016.26
32.
GuinierL. (2004). From racial liberalism to racial literacy: Brown v. Board of Education and the interest-divergence dilemma. The Journal of American History, 91(1), 92–118. https://doi.org/10.2307/3659616
33.
GutmannA. (1999). Democratic education (rev. ed.). Princeton University Press.
HallS. (1996). Cultural identity and diaspora. In MongiaP. (Ed.), Contemporary postcolonial theory: A reader (pp. 110–121). Arnold Publishers.
37.
HarlinR.MorganH. (2009). Review of research: Gender, racial and ethnic misrepresentation in children’s books: A comparative look. Childhood Education, 85(3), 187–190.
38.
HendersonJ. W.WarrenK.WhitmoreK. F.FlintA. S.LamanT. T.JaggersW. (2020). Take a close look: Inventorying your classroom library for diverse books. The Reading Teacher, 73(6), 747–755. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1886
39.
HochschildJ. L.ScovronickN. B. (2004). The American dream and the public schools. Oxford University Press.
40.
HosseiniK. (2003). The Kite Runner. Bloomsbury.
41.
HowardT. C. (2003). Culturally relevant pedagogy: Ingredients for critical teacher reflection. Theory into Practice, 42(3), 195–202.
42.
HurleyD. L. (2005). Seeing white: Children of color and the Disney fairy tale princess. The Journal of Negro Education, 221–232.
JenkinsA. J. (2019). Children see race; teachers should too: Challenging bias, stereotypes, and prejudice through children’s literature [Doctoral dissertation, University of South Carolina].
46.
JohnsonD. D.RobertsL.WongL.-S.EbejerM. (2023). Consequential issues of censoring curriculum: Who has the right to ban what’s read?Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 26(4), 62–74. https://doi.org/10.1177/15554589231201845
47.
KeisR. (2006). From principle to practice: Using children’s literature to promote dialogue and facilitate the “coming to voice” in a rural Latino community. Multicultural Perspectives, 8(1), 13–19. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327892mcp0801_3
48.
Ladson-BillingsG. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 465–491.
LaiT. (2011). Inside out & back again. Random House.
51.
LohC. E. (2009). Reading the world: Reconceptualizing reading multicultural literature in the English language arts classroom in a global world. Changing English, 16(3), 287–299.
52.
LópezF. A.SleeterC. E. (2023). Critical race theory and its critics: Implications for research and teaching. Teachers College Press.
MarksH. M.PrintyS. M. (2003). Principal leadership and school performance: An integration of transformational and instructional leadership. Educational Administration Quarterly, 39(3), 370–397. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X03253412
55.
McCallumR.StephensJ. (2011). Ideology and children’s books. In WolfS.CoatsK.EncisoP.JenkinsC. (Eds.), Handbook of research on children’s and young adult literature (pp. 359–371). Routledge.
56.
McCluskeyT. (2022). Rippling effects of censorship and book bans in education. In HaasB.SteinK. (Eds.), Gleanings: A journal of first-year student writing (pp. 35–39). Siena Collage.
57.
McElveenS. A.DierkingC. C. (2000). Children’s books as models to teach writing skills. The Reading Teacher, 54(4), 362–364. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20204920
58.
MohamedO.JamiesonV. (2020). When stars are scattered [National Book Award Finalist]. Penguin.
NaidooJ. C. (2008). Opening doors. Children & Libraries, 6(2), 27.
65.
NaidooJ. C.BattleJ.Garza de CortésO. (2011). Celebrating cultures and cuentos: Highlighting three awards for Latino children’s literature. In NaidooJ. C. (Ed.), Celebrating cuentos: Promoting Latino children’s literature and literacy in classrooms and libraries (pp. 79–98). Libraries Unlimited.
RobinsonV. M.LloydC. A.RoweK. J. (2008). The impact of leadership on student outcomes: An analysis of the differential effects of leadership types. Educational Administration Quarterly, 44(5), 635–674. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X08321509
77.
RocheM. (2014). Developing children’s critical thinking through picturebooks: A guide for primary and early years students and teachers. Routledge.
78.
SenzaiN. H. (2018). Escape from Aleppo. Simon & Schuster.
79.
SimsR. (1982). Shadow and substance: Afro-American experience in contemporary children’s fiction. National Council of Teachers of English.
80.
StanS. (Ed.). (2002). The world through children’s books. Rowman & Littlefield.
81.
Tavares NetoM. T. (2022). Social justice in contemporary North American children’s picture books: An intersectional analysis [Doctoral dissertation, University of Saskatchewan].
82.
TealeW. H.SulzbyE. (1987). Literacy acquisition in early childhood: The roles of access and mediation in storybook reading. In WagnerD. A. (Ed.), The future of literacy in a changing world (pp. 111–130). Pergamon Press.
TschidaC. M.RyanC. L.TicknorA. S. (2014). Building on windows and mirrors: Encouraging the disruption of “single stories” through children’s literature. Journal of Children’s Literature, 40(1), 28–39.
89.
UllahH.AliJ.NazA. (2014). Gender representation in children’s books: A critical review of empirical studies. World Applied Sciences Journal, 29(1), 134–141. https://doi.org/10.5829/idosi.wasj.2014.29.01.13831
ValentineJ. W.PraterM. (2011). Instructional, transformational, and managerial leadership and student achievement: High school principals make a difference. NASSP Bulletin, 95(1), 5–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192636511404062
VickeryA. E.RodríguezN. N. (2020). “A Woman Question and a Race Problem”: Attending to intersectionality in children’s literature. The Social Studies, 112(2), 57–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377996.2020.1809979
94.
WargaJ. (2019). Other words for home: A Newbery Honor Award Winner. HarperCollins.
95.
YatesR. (2019). Anti-bias multicultural education using children’s literature [MAED dissertation, Catherine University].
96.
YossoT. J. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race, Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), 69–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/1361332052000341006
