“I was in the room where it happens”: Educator agency and community within state social studies standards committees

This qualitative study involved interviews with 31 social studies educators (teachers, district leaders, teacher educators, and state social studies specialists) who took part in standards development committees across 18 states and Washington, DC. Researchers found that some participants were able to form communities of practice and believed they had agency to enact goals, such as incorporating inquiry and increasing diversity into the standards. However, teacher participants, in particular, reported that their sense of agency diminished as standards moved through the process. Many participants did not believe that the final standards represented their community of practice’s shared goals, but instead the goals of others outside their community, such as politicians or special interest groups. We conclude with several recommendations for the improvement of state standards creation and review processes.