Reflections and Deflections of Policy: The Case of Carol Turner

Abstract

This article presents a case of Carol, an accomplished second grade teacher who was disposed to teach in ways that seem consistent with the California Mathematics Curriculum Framework. Her approach-grounded in her conceptions of mathematics and her notions about how children learn mathematics—seemed, however, to have been virtually untouched by the policy initiative. Her practice, reflecting glimmers of the new ways, somehow also deflected them. Because the visions of mathematics and mathematical pedagogy represented in the Framework are multiple, Carol could be seen at once as complying with the Framework, or as subtly contradicting it. This raises questions both about the intentions of the Framework and about the nature of this reform. Would a state like California be happy if it could move all teachers to where Carol is? Alternatively, do the state policymakers want to change all teachers-those in the mainstream and on the fringe? The case highlights the complexity of the changes implied by California’s curriculum Framework and the difficulties inherent in communicating those changes in ways that can influence both pedestrian and accomplished practice.