Culturally Sustaining Catch-Up? How English Language Arts Teachers “Compensate” with Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy After the State Exam

Abstract

What does it mean to teach in a school that claims commitment to both culturally sustaining pedagogy and high-stakes test achievement? This study explores how ELA teachers perceive and navigate that tension over a school year. Specifically, it examines how teachers describe their instruction before and after the April state exam. Analysis of interviews and artifacts from nine teachers indicated that, after the exam, teachers consciously compensated for a lack of culturally sustaining pedagogy earlier in the year. Teachers described compensating post-test through criticality, plurality, and democracy—attempting a form of culturally sustaining catch-up. They also more frequently mentioned joy.