Abstract—Progressive education programs have increasingly conflicted with the growing preference for data-driven evaluations and testing in U.S. schools. This qualitative descriptive study examined how progressive educators navigate the tensions between their beliefs and teaching practices amidst high-stakes accountability in the United States. The target population included progressive education educators currently working in progressive programs across America. The study was grounded by the theoretical framework of dilemmatic spaces of Fransson and Grannäs (2013). Data sources for this qualitative descriptive design included a questionnaire utilizing the Beliefs About Primary Education Scale (BPES) and a semi-structured interview. Data analysis incorporated descriptive statistics and reflexive thematic analysis to address the problem statement. The findings revealed four key themes that highlight the beliefs and practices of contemporary progressive educators and their experiences in high-stakes educational settings. The identified themes were Freedom to Teach My Values, Accountability Not Tied to Standardized Tests, Challenges to My Beliefs, and Adapting to Changing Times. Recommendations for future research include studies on progressive educators in various contexts, dilemmatic spaces, high-stakes testing environments, and principled resistance. 
 

Keywords—progressive education, progressive philosophy, educators, educator beliefs, educator practices, high-stakes testing 

Cite: Heidi Topley and Frankie Lee, "Experiences of Progressive Educators in Dilemmatic Spaces," International Journal of Learning and Teaching, Vol. 11, No. 5, pp. 247-255, 2025.

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