Date of Award

Summer 2026

Language

English

Embargo Period

7-17-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Educational Policy and Leadership

Program

Educational Policy and Leadership

First Advisor

Mitch Leventhal

Committee Members

Teniell Trolian, Kai Zhou

Keywords

Instructional Materials, Curriculum Standards, Teacher Perceptions, Florida, New York, American slavery

Subject Categories

Curriculum and Instruction | Educational Leadership | Educational Methods

Abstract

This study examined how K–12 public school teachers in Florida and New York perceived the adequacy of curriculum standards and instructional materials for teaching American slavery, how they responded when those materials were perceived as limited, and how the standards and materials aligned with Shuster’s (2018) Ten Key Concepts for Teaching American slavery. Using a qualitative multi-method design, the study combined qualitative survey research with document analysis. Teachers’ open-ended survey responses were analyzed through a Modified Grounded Theory approach, while curriculum standards and instructional materials were analyzed in relation to Shuster’s framework. The final sample included 41 teachers, including 20 from Florida and 21 from New York.

The findings showed that teachers in both states generally viewed curriculum standards and instructional materials as providing meaningful but uneven coverage of American slavery. Alignment with Shuster’s (2018) framework was strongest in areas such as economic development, political conflict, resistance, and variation in enslaved experience, while concepts related to slavery as an institution of power, White supremacy, and source interpretation were less fully developed. When teachers perceived gaps or inadequacies, they most often responded through supplementation that corrected omission and distortion, reframed slavery as central to American history, restored humanity and lived experience, centered agency and resistance, and used accessible and engaging pedagogy to teach difficult history.

License

This work is licensed under the University at Albany Standard Author Agreement.

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