ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the politics of school and classroom-level language. It considers contextual aspects of language with respect to power, as some of the ways in which authority is enacted through positions and relationships. High-stakes standardized assessments provide an illustration of how policy influences the lived experiences of teachers and students. The chapter investigates the political role of teachers, as public intellectuals who can be agents of the state or agents of change, and presents the concept of undisciplined English as a means of integrating instrumental and exploratory purposes of schooling. It considers how schools reflect the politics of society, and how the politics of the classroom shape, and are shaped by, interactions among policymakers, administrators, teachers, students, and members of the community. The chapter concludes with an exploration of how the work of English teachers can transcend classroom walls and be a force for equity and justice.
