How free are classroom teachers? Understanding teacher academic freedom in the United States and Canada

This paper presents the results of an international survey of teachers' perspectives on academic freedom. We surveyed 173 social studies and science teachers from the United States and Canada about the importance of academic freedom, their comfort level broaching controversial topics in four broad areas (politics, economics, health and safety, and science), and the factors that influence their decision-making around discussing controversial topics. The study found that teachers value academic freedom despite being aware of how limited their freedom is in practice. Particularly controversial topics included safe injection sites, abortion, prisons, medically assisted dying, and same-sex marriage. Analysis via Mann-Whitney U tests was conducted to analyse whether teachers' individual differences (e.g., experience, gender, or job status) influenced their pedagogical approach. Gender and years of experience had little influence, but teachers' cautiousness was significantly influenced by whether they have tenure and the political climate of the area where they work.