Since the inception of widespread public schooling in the United States, state legislatures have mandated curricular content and instructional practices to advance various social projects and visions for the nation. Divisive Concepts Laws (DCLs) currently limit or prohibit aspects of PK-20 instruction regarding race, history, gender, and sexual orientation in 25 states. The ways that teachers interpret and implement these policies can affect curriculum and pedagogy as well as student and educator experiences. We therefore utilized the concepts of street-level bureaucracy and sense-making to frame this study. We surveyed PK-20 music educators (N = 645) regarding their experiences with DCLs. Responses were strongly polarized; about 75% of participants consistently opposed DCLs. Some respondents indicated that DCLs limited their repertoire, curriculum, and/or pedagogy, or that DCLs were confusing or difficult to interpret. Others reported that due to DCLs, they feared disciplinary action, had higher levels of stress or burnout, and discouraged young people from becoming teachers. However, 89% of participants indicated they had instructional autonomy. Thus, local DCL adoption processes may buffer negative effects of DCLs, and teachers could affect DCL interpretation and implementation when they know and understand policy language and act within local adoption processes.
