History

Education news, analysis, and opinion about how history is taught

Explainer

Image of books on history.
Who Decides What History We Teach? An Explainer
Education Week breaks down how politics has long been embedded in this decision, and how new laws may affect the process.
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USA flag fractured in pieces over whole flag.
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Standards Political Debate Upends Texas Social Studies Standards Process
The Lone Star State is the latest to throw out a set of standards after conservative activists organized in opposition.
Ileana Najarro, September 9, 2022
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7 min read
Thousands of people attend a protest for abortion access after the Supreme Court reversed the federal right to abortion decided in Roe v. Wade. The legal basis for the decision could be used in the future as precendent to overturn other rights not explicitly stated in the Constitution (e.g., same-sex marriage). With the exception of Thomas, all of the conservative justices in the majority testified under oath in their confirmation hearings that they consider abortion access 'settled law.'
Thousands of people attend a protest for abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned <i>Roe v. Wade,</i> which guaranteed the right to an abortion.
Allison Bailey/NurPhoto via AP
Curriculum How the Overturning of 'Roe v. Wade' Will Reverberate Through Classrooms
Some teachers are looking for ways to address with students the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn the abortion rights precedent.
Sarah Schwartz, August 5, 2022
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8 min read
Young Asian Americans take part in a AAPI Youth Voices for Change Rally against discrimination and racism, in Pasadena, Calif., Saturday, June 26, 2021.
Asian American students take part in a AAPI Youth Voices for Change Rally against discrimination and racism, in Pasadena, Calif., last year.
Ringo Chiu via AP
Social Studies Q&A How Should Asian American History Be Taught? A Scholar Explains
A high school elective course in Asian American studies is under review for approval as Texas updates its social studies standards.
Ileana Najarro, August 4, 2022
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7 min read
A group of Jews, including a small boy, is escorted from the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland by German soldiers on April 19, 1943. Poland was the site of massive atrocities against Jews and others by the Nazis during WWII.
A group of Jews, including a small boy, is escorted from the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland by German soldiers on April 19, 1943. Poland was the site of massive atrocities against Jews and others by the Nazis during WWII.
AP
Social Studies Opinion How Holocaust Denial and Other Bogus Claims Are Poisoning Schools
Recent demands to ‘teach both sides’ of claims rooted in misinformation aren’t just offensive, they’re dangerous.
Luke Berryman , July 14, 2022
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5 min read
"No justice, no peace," shouts choreographer Markesha Howlett with Visual Movements, as she leads a march from the Old Courthouse in St. Louis to the riverfront during the second annual Juneteenth Commemoration, "On Their Shoulders" on June 19, 2021.
"No justice, no peace," shouts choreographer Markesha Howlett with Visual Movements, as she leads a march from the Old Courthouse in St. Louis to the riverfront during the second annual Juneteenth Commemoration, "On Their Shoulders" on June 19, 2021.
Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP
Curriculum Q&A Juneteenth: How and Why It Should Be Taught in K-12 Schools
The national holiday's legacy is worth studying year-round, says the leader of a Black education research collective.
Ileana Najarro, June 17, 2022
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4 min read
Zeneta Everhart, the mother of Zaire Goodman whom was injured in the Buffalo, N.Y., supermarket shooting waits to testify to the House Oversight and Reform Committee on gun violence Wednesday, June 8, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Zeneta Everhart, the mother of Zaire Goodman, who was injured in the Buffalo, N.Y., supermarket shooting, testified at the House Oversight and Reform Committee on gun violence June 8.
Jason Andrew/The New York Times via AP
Equity & Diversity A Mother's Plea for Schools to Help End Racist Violence
The mother of a survivor from the Buffalo, N.Y., shooting testified to Congress on accurate history teaching as one preventative measure.
Ileana Najarro, June 10, 2022
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2 min read
Image of a scale.
wildpixel/iStock/Getty
Equity & Diversity Want to Build a Kinder, More Inclusive School? These Students Have Ideas
Students from across the U.S. present concrete solutions. The most important one: Listen to them.
Ileana Najarro, May 25, 2022
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4 min read
Students pass through the halls in between classes at Millwood High School on April 20, 2022 in Oklahoma City.
Students change classes at Millwood High School this spring in Oklahoma City.
Brett Deering for Education Week
Equity & Diversity A School Openly Discusses Race in a State That Bans It
At Millwood High School, discussions on race are everywhere, and students say the lessons are essential.
Eesha Pendharkar, May 19, 2022
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7 min read
Image of a social studies book coming to visual life with edits to the content.
Laura Baker/Education Week (Source imagery: Orensila and iStock/Getty)
Social Studies Louisiana's History Standards Got a Closed-Door Rewrite. What's In and What's Out
Amid a volatile debate over how to teach about America's racist past, state officials fundamentally altered educators' proposed standards.
Stephen Sawchuk, March 24, 2022
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10 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Social Studies Opinion Searching for Common Ground: What the Russian Invasion Means for Teaching Civics
To understand what's going on in Ukraine and Russia and why, students need to understand some central facts about the region.
Rick Hess, March 23, 2022
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5 min read
Students in Scott Frank's International Baccalaureate History Class analyze specific images and paragraphs from muckraking journalists during the progressive era for a class assignment this school year.
Students at IDEA Frontier College Preparatory in Brownsville, Texas, analyze images and paragraphs for an assignment in Scott Frank's history class. Frank, who uses AP U.S. History material in the course, said he feels nervous about whether the content he teaches in the class will be viewed as violating Texas' restrictions on teaching subject matter deemed controversial.
Courtesy of Scott Frank
Curriculum College Board Warns Against Censoring Its AP Courses
The organization that runs AP courses reminds teachers of its principles, as more states pass anti-critical race theory laws.
Ileana Najarro, March 14, 2022
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7 min read
State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley speaks during a news conference at the Knock Knock Children's Museum, in Baton Rouge, La., on Aug. 11, 2021.
State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley speaks during a news conference at the Knock Knock Children's Museum, in Baton Rouge, La., on Aug. 11, 2021.
Bill Feig/The Advocate via AP
Social Studies Authors of New Louisiana Social Studies Standards Disavow Revised Version
The nine dissenters said they were unfairly criticized for trying to inject a distorted version of the state's racial history.
Will Sentell, The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La., March 10, 2022
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3 min read
One lesson focused on how the media has covered the refugee crisis, and incorporated news articles, podcasts and videos on the topic.
One lesson focused on how the media has covered the refugee crisis, and incorporated news articles, podcasts and videos on the topic.
Morgan Lieberman for Education Week
Social Studies Video Lessons From the War in Ukraine: A History Teacher Shares Her Approach
A Southern California teacher has used Russia's invasion of Ukraine to enhance her students' media literacy skills as part of her lessons.
Jaclyn Borowski , March 4, 2022
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1 min read
Soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division board a C-17 cargo plane at Pope Army Airfield for a deployment to Eastern Europe on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. President Joe Biden is ordering 2,000 U.S. troops to Poland and Germany amid the stalled talks with Russia over the Kremlin's military buildup on Ukraine's borders.
Soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division board a C-17 cargo plane at Pope Army Airfield in North Carolina for a deployment to Eastern Europe earlier this month. President Joe Biden ordered 2,000 U.S. troops to Poland and Germany amid the stalled talks with Russia over the Kremlin's military buildup on Ukraine's borders.
Andrew Craft/The Fayetteville Observer via AP
Social Studies Why the Russia-Ukraine Crisis Is Relevant to Teachers
How should teachers approach the questions: Why is this happening? And why is—or why isn’t—the U.S. involved?
Sarah Schwartz, February 18, 2022
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8 min read
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