Abstract
In the U.S., teachers navigate a wide range of factors when curating and adapting curricular resources, including state and district policies, technological accessibility, and contextual conditions such as the COVID-19 pandemic. We used state-level political affiliations to examine how elementary teachers in 46 U.S. states curated and implemented mathematics curricular resources before and during the pandemic. We then examined teachers’ responses from 10 states representing Republican, Democratic, and split political affiliations across geographic regions to identify contextual factors shaping curricular curation and implementation during pandemic teaching. Our findings showed that state policies only partially shaped teachers’ curricular curation and implementation, as teachers across political contexts encountered similar constraints and opportunities related to student access, engagement, technological resources, and instructional demands. Teachers also described a shift in Fall 2020 toward more structured online schooling, including increased expectations for student attendance, academic work, and learning. We also found some aspects that were influenced by state policy. Teachers in Republican states reported using more mathematics curricular resources before the pandemic and having greater curricular control during remote teaching, although teachers’ preparation for remote teaching did not differ by political affiliation. We discuss implications for better positioning teachers to exercise curricular agency when navigating politically and contextually complex circumstances and unforeseen disruptions.