Censorship

Read about the concept of the suppression of speech or writing deemed offensive or inappropriate in schools
large hand with pencil is erasing a large dollar sign.
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Education Funding Fines, Budget Cuts, Spending Limits: How State Lawmakers Want to Censor Instruction
An Oklahoma legislator wants teachers to pay $10,000 or more out of their own pockets for teaching about sex or sexual orientation, for example.
Eesha Pendharkar & Mark Lieberman, February 14, 2022
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7 min read
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Policy & Politics Opinion Banning Books Is Not About Protecting Children. It's About Discrimination Against Others
Parents are pressuring schools to ban books. Is there anything more un-American?
Peter DeWitt, February 4, 2022
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4 min read
Conceptual photo illustration of hands reaching for a floating book.
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Reading & Literacy Opinion Banning Books Won’t Make Students Safer
The suppression of Maus is the latest example of how unequipped noneducators are to judge developmental appropriateness.
Miriam Plotinsky, February 2, 2022
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4 min read
People protest outside the offices of the New Mexico Public Education Department's office on Nov. 12, 2021, in Albuquerque. The education department proposed changes to the social studies curriculum that critics describe as a veiled attempt to teach critical race theory. Supporters say the new curriculum, which includes ethnic studies, is "anti-racist."
People protest outside the offices of the New Mexico Public Education Department's office last November in Albuquerque. The education department proposed changes to the social studies curriculum that critics describe as a veiled attempt to teach critical race theory. Supporters say the new curriculum, which includes ethnic studies, is "anti-racist."
Cedar Attanasio/AP
States Here's the Long List of Topics Republicans Want Banned From the Classroom
There are now 61 censorship bills proposed in 24 states. One legislator wants teachers to pay $10,000 for teaching "critical race theory."
Sarah Schwartz & Eesha Pendharkar, February 2, 2022
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12 min read
Flags are displayed as the Newberg, Ore. teachers gather with community members ahead of the Newberg School Board vote on whether to ban Black Lives Matter and Pride flags at the school in September, 2021.
Flags are displayed as the Newberg Education Association gathers with community members ahead of the Newberg School Board vote on whether to ban Black Lives Matter and Pride flags at the school, Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, in Newberg, Ore.
Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP
Equity & Diversity Pride Flags and Black Lives Matter Signs in the Classroom: Supportive Symbols or Propaganda?
Some districts ban Pride flags and Black Lives Matters signs in the classroom. Teachers are pushing back.
Eesha Pendharkar, January 25, 2022
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8 min read
Amanda Darrow, director of youth, family and education programs at the Utah Pride Center, poses with books that have been the subject of complaints from parents in recent weeks on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021, in Salt Lake City.
Amanda Darrow, director of youth, family and education programs at the Utah Pride Center, poses with books that have been the subject of complaints from parents.
Rick Bowmer/AP Photo
Curriculum Librarians Fight Back Against Efforts to Ban Books in Schools
Book defenders have employed a variety of strategies, including petition drives, protests, and direct pressure on school board members.
David Montgomery, Stateline.org, January 18, 2022
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8 min read
Image show a page of fiction with black marks hiding sentences or words.
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Curriculum From Our Research Center The Topics That Lead Book Ban Requests, According to School Leaders
A new survey of teachers, principals, and district leaders sheds some light on book ban and censorship requests.
Madeline Will, January 14, 2022
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3 min read
Books packed up in a cardboard box.
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Law & Courts Yanking Books From School Libraries: What the Supreme Court Has Said, and Why It's Murky
A 1982 dispute involving a local school board offers plenty of parallels to the latest wave of book challenges involving race and gender.
Mark Walsh, December 15, 2021
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11 min read
Photo of separated black and white chess pieces
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Equity & Diversity Opinion No, Love Won’t Fix Institutional Racism in Education
Racially just books are under attack in schools. Defending an anti-racist curriculum demands a deeper understanding of how power operates.
Altheria Caldera, November 18, 2021
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4 min read
Image of books.
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Curriculum A 'War on Books': Conservatives Push for Audits of School Libraries
After Texas banned critical race theory in schools, battles grew heated in the conservative suburbs surrounding the state's largest cities.
Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Los Angeles Times, November 8, 2021
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12 min read
Fans of Angie Thomas, a Jackson, Miss., resident whose book, "The Hate U Give," has been on a national young adult best-seller list for over 80 weeks, show off their copies at a reception and book signing for the author, in Jackson on Oct. 10, 2018. Thomas' novel has crossed over to a wider audience than simply young adults. The reception honored her writing as well as the coming release of the big screen adaption of the first novel.
The young adult best-seller "The Hate U Give" was one of the top 10 most challenged books of 2020.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP
Curriculum Calls to Ban Books by Black Authors Are Increasing Amid Critical Race Theory Debates
Books about race and the experiences of Black Americans are being challenged by parents who claim they make white children feel uncomfortable.
Madeline Will, September 30, 2021
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8 min read
Reading & Literacy High School Paper Publishes Article on Student in Porn Industry After Censorship Fight
The Bruin Voice plans to publish their sex-worker story this week, despite the school district's attempts to screen the content beforehand.
Sasha Jones, April 30, 2019
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3 min read
Curriculum Reports Journalism Education: Results of a National Survey
This report examines survey results regarding student interest in journalism and challenges related to censorship and student press freedom.
March 19, 2019
Students protest on the floor of the Florida Capitol earlier this month to push for a ban on assault weapons.
Students protest on the floor of the Florida Capitol earlier this month to push for a ban on assault weapons.
Scott Keeler/The Tampa Bay Times via AP
School Climate & Safety Opinion Let Them March: Schools Should Not Censor Students
This week, as students walk out of school to advocate for school safety, they will be protected by the First Amendment, write two university professors.
Kathleen Bartzen Culver & Erica Salkin, March 9, 2018
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4 min read
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