Teaching Through Constraints: How Educators Foster Critical Literacy in Contested Classrooms

Abstract

Educational gag policies and restrictive curriculum mandates have limited teachers’ ability to engage students in critical literacy practices. These policies, which suppress discussions of race, power, and systemic inequality, pose challenges to educators committed to fostering critical inquiry and social consciousness. This study examines how teachers navigate, resist, and transcend these restrictions through resistance literacies, pedagogical moves that disrupt oppressive structures. Using a comparative case study methodology, we analyze the instructional approaches of two educators working in distinct educational settings. Findings reveal that teachers enact resistance literacies through three key strategies: connection, resistance, and transcendence.