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Yearning to Learn: Youth Voices from Restriction States, 2023

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Title: Yearning to Learn: Youth Voices from Restriction States, 2023
Language: English
Authors: Mica Pollock, Chenoa Musillo Aschoff, Lillie Ko-Wong, Emilie Homan
Source: Journal for Multicultural Education. 2025 19(4):341-363.
Availability: Emerald Publishing Limited. Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley, West Yorkshire, BD16 1WA, UK. Tel: +44-1274-777700; Fax: +44-1274-785201; e-mail: emerald@emeraldinsight.com; Web site: http://www.emerald.com/insight
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 23
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Descriptors: Secondary School Students, Student Attitudes, Student Experience, LGBTQ People, Race, Minority Group Students, State Legislation, State Policy, Educational Policy, Censorship, Academic Freedom, Controversial Issues (Course Content), Sense of Belonging, Antisocial Behavior, Peer Relationship
Geographic Terms: Tennessee, Texas, Florida, Missouri, Montana
DOI: 10.1108/JME-03-2024-0032
ISSN: 2053-535X
Abstract: Purpose: Recently, the nation has seen intensive adult efforts to regulate and limit race- and LGBTQ-related student learning, discussion, and support in US schools, calling such education harmful to youth. This study aims to investigate: What do youth say themselves? The authors delve here into six youth interviews from five states with new, explicitly restrictive state legislation and policy. The authors put youths' voices describing education they found helpful directly in conversation with their states' policies, which targeted related education as harmful. Design/methodology/approach: In spring 2023, researchers invited interviews from all recent participants in a national youth "anti-hate" program who had offered emails for research participation (29 students), interviewed all willing students (10) and selected those (6) from "restriction states" -- states with recently passed or pending legislation and state policy to restrict race- and/or sexual orientation and gender identity-related learning and support. The final total included two youth interviews from Florida, one from Tennessee, one from Texas, one from Montana and one from Missouri. The interview respondents were high school students, with one middle schooler; four were white, one also Latinx/Hispanic and one Black. Four of the six described themselves as queer or LGBTQ. Findings: While youth respondents were drawn from an "anti-hate" program that their states' politicians might caricature as "woke," youth described extremely basic learning and support they wanted in school -- desired talk about experiences, facts, history and diverse perspectives. Youth also indicated how already minimal such support would be limited or was being limited further by state and local adult efforts to restrict school talk. That is, state and related local restriction pressure threatened to further limit youths' already-limited opportunities to experience inclusion, critical thinking and belonging -- opportunities that youth wanted increased in schools and that researchers call for increasing as well. The authors came to view restriction efforts as attempting to limit students' school access to the very conversation realms and learning supports they craved. Research limitations/implications: The authors leverage Angela Valenzuela's concept of "subtractive schooling" (1999) to reference how today's restriction efforts pressure and essentially demand that schools subtract access to extremely basic learning and belonging efforts desired by some youth -- and by researchers. The authors conclude by asking how schools today can be supported to improve on such work in schools, not subtract it. Future research needs to explore youth perspectives on how restriction efforts are playing out in US states and localities. Originality/value: With the quickly changing educational context and political climate, there has not been enough research devoted to the experiences of students from restriction contexts. It is important to centralize the voices of students and their experiences in the midst of restriction policies.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1497296
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Yearning to Learn: Youth Voices from Restriction States, 2023
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mica+Pollock%22">Mica Pollock</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chenoa+Musillo+Aschoff%22">Chenoa Musillo Aschoff</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lillie+Ko-Wong%22">Lillie Ko-Wong</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Emilie+Homan%22">Emilie Homan</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Journal+for+Multicultural+Education%22"><i>Journal for Multicultural Education</i></searchLink>. 2025 19(4):341-363.
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  Data: Emerald Publishing Limited. Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley, West Yorkshire, BD16 1WA, UK. Tel: +44-1274-777700; Fax: +44-1274-785201; e-mail: emerald@emeraldinsight.com; Web site: http://www.emerald.com/insight
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tennessee%22">Tennessee</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Texas%22">Texas</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Florida%22">Florida</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Missouri%22">Missouri</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Montana%22">Montana</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1108/JME-03-2024-0032
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  Data: 2053-535X
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Purpose: Recently, the nation has seen intensive adult efforts to regulate and limit race- and LGBTQ-related student learning, discussion, and support in US schools, calling such education harmful to youth. This study aims to investigate: What do youth say themselves? The authors delve here into six youth interviews from five states with new, explicitly restrictive state legislation and policy. The authors put youths' voices describing education they found helpful directly in conversation with their states' policies, which targeted related education as harmful. Design/methodology/approach: In spring 2023, researchers invited interviews from all recent participants in a national youth "anti-hate" program who had offered emails for research participation (29 students), interviewed all willing students (10) and selected those (6) from "restriction states" -- states with recently passed or pending legislation and state policy to restrict race- and/or sexual orientation and gender identity-related learning and support. The final total included two youth interviews from Florida, one from Tennessee, one from Texas, one from Montana and one from Missouri. The interview respondents were high school students, with one middle schooler; four were white, one also Latinx/Hispanic and one Black. Four of the six described themselves as queer or LGBTQ. Findings: While youth respondents were drawn from an "anti-hate" program that their states' politicians might caricature as "woke," youth described extremely basic learning and support they wanted in school -- desired talk about experiences, facts, history and diverse perspectives. Youth also indicated how already minimal such support would be limited or was being limited further by state and local adult efforts to restrict school talk. That is, state and related local restriction pressure threatened to further limit youths' already-limited opportunities to experience inclusion, critical thinking and belonging -- opportunities that youth wanted increased in schools and that researchers call for increasing as well. The authors came to view restriction efforts as attempting to limit students' school access to the very conversation realms and learning supports they craved. Research limitations/implications: The authors leverage Angela Valenzuela's concept of "subtractive schooling" (1999) to reference how today's restriction efforts pressure and essentially demand that schools subtract access to extremely basic learning and belonging efforts desired by some youth -- and by researchers. The authors conclude by asking how schools today can be supported to improve on such work in schools, not subtract it. Future research needs to explore youth perspectives on how restriction efforts are playing out in US states and localities. Originality/value: With the quickly changing educational context and political climate, there has not been enough research devoted to the experiences of students from restriction contexts. It is important to centralize the voices of students and their experiences in the midst of restriction policies.
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1108/JME-03-2024-0032
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 23
        StartPage: 341
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Secondary School Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Experience
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: LGBTQ People
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Race
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Minority Group Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: State Legislation
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      – SubjectFull: State Policy
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      – SubjectFull: Educational Policy
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      – SubjectFull: Censorship
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      – SubjectFull: Academic Freedom
        Type: general
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      – SubjectFull: Sense of Belonging
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Antisocial Behavior
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Peer Relationship
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Tennessee
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Texas
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Florida
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Missouri
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Montana
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      – TitleFull: Yearning to Learn: Youth Voices from Restriction States, 2023
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