Censorship

Read about the concept of the suppression of speech or writing deemed offensive or inappropriate in schools
Illustration of bust of Shakespeare surrounded by books.
Chris Whetzel for Education Week
Curriculum Shakespeare, Other Classics Still Dominate High School English
Despite efforts to diversify curricula, teachers still regularly assign many of the same classic works, a new survey finds.
Sarah Schwartz, July 24, 2025
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6 min read
Books sit on shelves in an elementary school library in suburban Atlanta on Aug. 18, 2023.
Books sit on shelves in an elementary school library in suburban Atlanta on Aug. 18, 2023. A federal appeals court covering Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas has made it more difficult for public and school library patrons to challenge book removal decisions.
Hakim Wright Sr./AP
Law & Courts Appeals Court Ruling Raises Bar for Challenging School Book Bans
A federal appeals court rejected a challenge to book removals in a Texas public library and overruled a precedent on school library cases.
Mark Walsh, May 28, 2025
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6 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Curriculum Opinion Which Books Belong in Classrooms? Which Don't?
District officials, parents, and the Supreme Court are debating where to draw the line.
Rick Hess, May 27, 2025
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7 min read
Illustration of a paper airplane made from a newspaper.
DigitalVision Vectors
Student Well-Being & Movement Student Journalists Want to Cover Politics. Not Everyone Agrees They Should
Student journalists are grappling with controversial topics—a lesson in democracy that's becoming increasingly at risk for pushback.
Brooke Schultz, November 1, 2024
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7 min read
Image of a bookshelf.
Luoman/E+
Equity & Diversity It's Banned Books Week. Have the Challenges to Books Slowed Down?
Attempts to ban books in public schools are still prevalent, according to two new reports.
Brooke Schultz, September 24, 2024
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5 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Teaching Opinion 'More Inclusive Policies,' What Teachers Say They Want
When restrictions are placed on instruction, students lose out.
Larry Ferlazzo, June 26, 2024
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7 min read
Books are displayed at the Banned Book Library at American Stage in St. Petersburg, Fla., Feb. 18, 2023. In Florida, some schools have covered or removed books under a new law that requires an evaluation of reading materials and for districts to publish a searchable list of books where individuals can then challenge specific titles.
Books are displayed at the Banned Book Library at American Stage in St. Petersburg, Fla., Feb. 18, 2023. In Florida, some schools have covered or removed books under a new law that requires an evaluation of reading materials and for districts to publish a searchable list of books where individuals can then challenge specific titles.
Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Curriculum One School District Just Pulled 1,600 Books From Its Shelves—Including the Dictionary
And the broadening book ban attempts may drive some teachers out of the classroom.
Elizabeth Heubeck, January 24, 2024
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6 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Letter to the Editor No, Book Bans Are Never ‘Reasonable’
Our stories and histories deserve to be told without censorship, says this letter to the editor.
October 10, 2023
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1 min read
Tidy vector hand drawn background with Books, Vintage cozy elements, printed publications, volumes of literature, retro library flying objects, decor textile, wrapping paper, wallpaper, textured pattern
Olga Kurbatova/iStock
Reading & Literacy Opinion Don’t Worry About 'Book Bans'
So-called “book bans” are a lot rarer—and more reasonable—than you might think, argue Max Eden and Jay P. Greene.
Max Eden & Jay P. Greene, September 15, 2023
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5 min read
A wall of 19 banned books with a bright blue AI button illuminating over top.
Visualization by Gina Tomko/Education Week + Getty
Reading & Literacy An Iowa District Used AI to Figure Out Which Books to Ban
An Iowa school district used AI to decide which books to ban to comply with a state law that bans materials with depictions of sex.
Eesha Pendharkar, August 21, 2023
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7 min read
Books are displayed at the Banned Book Library at American Stage in St. Petersburg, Fla., Feb. 18, 2023. In Florida, some schools have covered or removed books under a new law that requires an evaluation of reading materials and for districts to publish a searchable list of books where individuals can then challenge specific titles.
Books are displayed at the Banned Book Library at American Stage in St. Petersburg, Fla., Feb. 18, 2023. In Florida, some schools have covered or removed books under a new law that requires an evaluation of reading materials and for districts to publish a searchable list of books where individuals can then challenge specific titles.
Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Reading & Literacy Book Challenges Doubled in 2022 and Became More Organized
Book ban attempts nearly doubled in 2022, after a sharp increase in 2021. The number of books challenged is now at a 20-year high.
Eesha Pendharkar, March 29, 2023
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5 min read
Image of a speech bubble behind yellow tape, a censorship concept
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + iStock/Getty Images
Law & Courts Opinion A Student Journalist's Plea: Stop Censoring Us (and Our Advisers)
High school newspaper staff deserve the same rights as professionals: to uncover wrongdoings and inform the public.
Serena Liu, March 9, 2023
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4 min read
Social studies teacher Matthew Hawn, who is accused of insubordination and repeated unprofessional conduct for teaching about racism and white privilege, sits on his couch inside his home on August 17, 2021.
Tennessee social studies teacher Matthew Hawn, who is accused of insubordination and repeated unprofessional conduct for teaching about racism and white privilege, sits on his couch inside his home back in August of 2021.
Caitlin Penna for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Educators' Opposition to Censorship Comes at a Big Personal Cost
A Tennessee teacher and a Louisiana librarian discuss their very public battles against book bans or restrictions on teaching about racism.
Eesha Pendharkar, December 29, 2022
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5 min read
The Bibles are on display during the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday, June 14, 2022.
The Bibles are on display during the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif., Tuesday, June 14, 2022.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Reading & Literacy Why the Bible Is Getting Pulled Off School Bookshelves
In an ironic twist, the Bible showed up in mass book removal efforts in at least three districts.
Eesha Pendharkar, December 15, 2022
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5 min read
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