Manufacturing Ignorance: Agnotology, Epistemology, and Education Policy
Scussel, Erin C
Citations
Abstract
In 2022, Florida’s state legislature passed three new curriculum oversight laws that preempt local control of K-12 curriculum. It is not uncommon for curriculum policies to be in a perpetual state of change, however, three state level curriculum oversight laws passed in one legislative session is an unprecedented approach to curriculum oversight. This dissertation analyzes the epistemic implications of these policies, both in the policymaking process and post implementation. To understand what, if any, epistemic influence there may be on the policy making process, this dissertation utilizes critical policy analysis and agnotology. In American K-12 public schools, educators’ instructional capabilities are already arguably limited by resources and time. Is it possible that policies governing teaching and learning, with restrictive accountability and directive pedagogical measures, are also creating unnecessary systemic barriers to epistemic inquiry?
