Using the case of a secondary English department, this article demonstrates how historical barriers to effectively educating diverse students have been reinforced by the current educational climate of curriculum standardization and high stakes accountability. Data derive from in-depth interviews of English teachers and analysis of curriculum-related documents. The article argues that educational strategies for responding to diversity should be internally developed by schools and teachers. These internal strategies should be supported by educational policy reforms that move beyond standardization and high stakes assessment by providing teachers with greater autonomy to select curriculum and inviting substantive input from schools in determining how standards are met. (Contains 1 table and 2 notes.)