Why do some curricular challenges work while others do not? The case of three Afrocentric challenges

When will a curricular challenge advance in a social system, and when will it not? In this article, the author compares three cases in which advocates fought to have an Afrocentric curriculum implemented in public schools' social studies and history classes: in Atlanta, Georgia, New York State; and Washington, DC. Although the challengers in all three cases made the same cultural claims about the scholarly and pedagogical legitimacy of Afrocentrism, they achieved different outcomes in the different locations. The local organizational practices that were in place in each location significantly influenced the challengers' ability to effect change in the system. This article describes six of these organizational practices and indicates the implications of these findings for curricular reform and organizational theory.