History

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

Explainer

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.
A hidden library of knowledge behind the curtain of a classroom.
Islenia Mil for Education Week
Social Studies Opinion The Problem With Primary Sources in Black History Education
Do you know how to put Black history sources in context?
Abigail Henry, January 30, 2025
5 min read
Papers fall from a hand withholding a pile of papers from students underneath it.
Islenia Mil for Education Week
Social Studies Opinion The Three Essentials of Teaching a Black History Class
Launching a new Black history course is a challenge. It should be.
Greg Simmons, January 30, 2025
4 min read
A pile of vibrantly colored reference books.
Dumitru Ochievschi/iStock + Education Week
Social Studies Opinion Black History to Spark Meaningful Conversations: A Resource List
Here are several books and a film to empower educators to engage with Black history and racial literacy.
Daphanie Bibbs, Dawnavyn M. James & De'Ana Forbes, January 30, 2025
5 min read
A crowd of abstract multicolored silhouettes of people made in the collage style. A metaphor of unity and partnership.
iStock/Getty images + Education Week
Social Studies Opinion What Students Have to Say About Their Black History Class
Here’s what made these high school seniors sign up for an African American studies course—and what they’ve learned.
Geoff Wickersham, January 30, 2025
1 min read
Words on wooden cubes on a blue background. 3D render. Vector image of a male figure with magnifying glass searching a web window of links.
iStock/Getty
Social Studies How History Class Can Foster Lifelong Literacy Skills
Parsing historical documents can train students to be critical consumers of information in their own lives, experts say.
Sarah Schwartz, December 26, 2024
3 min read
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Getty + Education Week
Social Studies Opinion This Native American Heritage Month, We Must Confront Our Nation’s Violence
Presenting students with a fuller, authentic account of U.S. history is no easy task. It is, however, a necessary one.
Tim Miller, November 26, 2024
5 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
Reading & Literacy Opinion Boys Don't Love to Read. Could This Former Teacher Be on to Something?
Boys are falling behind in reading. Books with military-history themes may help reverse this trend.
Rick Hess, November 19, 2024
7 min read
Illustration of student reading book with tinted glasses.
Dan Page for Education Week
Social Studies 'Can We Trust This Source?' And Other Questions Readers Ask in History
Historical texts require students to weigh authors' bias, context, and audience.
Sarah Schwartz, October 28, 2024
7 min read
Illustration of an interior scene depicting Betsy Ross presenting the American flag. General George Washington is seated on the left with financier Robert Morris, and standing, delegate George Ross (uncle of Betsy's husband.)
Keith Lance/DigitalVision Vectors
Social Studies The Topics That Dominate U.S. History Classes—And the Ones Teachers Want Help On
The "inquiry" method is popular but not always structured well, a new report finds.
Sarah Schwartz, September 25, 2024
5 min read
Teacher talking wit class.
Getty Images Plus
Social Studies There's No Evidence That History Teachers Are 'Indoctrinating' Students, Report Says
Teachers largely use nonpartisan resources, and want to provide multiple perspectives.
Sarah Schwartz, September 23, 2024
6 min read
Leslie Gore, an art teacher from Tulsa, Okla., talks about her family's history at the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center museum on June 25, 2024.
Leslie Gore, an art teacher from Tulsa, Okla., talks about her family's history at the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center museum on June 25, 2024.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Professional Development Video A Unique PD Experience to Deepen History Teaching
A PD program helps educators tell a fuller story by tapping into the power of place.
Kaylee Domzalski, August 22, 2024
4:41
Leslie Gore, an art teacher from Tulsa, Okla., talks about her family's history at the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center museum on June 25, 2024.
Leslie Gore, an art teacher from Tulsa, Okla., talks about her family's history at the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center museum on June 25, 2024.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Professional Development Why This Workshop Is Bringing Teachers to a Former Japanese Incarceration Camp
The history PD program offers lessons for art, math, and literature teachers too by emphasizing the power of place.
Kaylee Domzalski, August 22, 2024
3 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Social Studies Opinion Make History Exciting Again for Students
National History Day seeks to engage young people in deep examination of the past.
Rick Hess, May 14, 2024
8 min read
This 1890 artist's rendition by Kurz & Allison made available by the Library of Congress depicts the charge of Union soldiers with the Massachusetts 54th Infantry Regiment on the Confederate States Army site of Fort Wagner, Morris Island, S.C., near Charleston, on July 18, 1863.
This 1890 artist's rendition by Kurz & Allison made available by the Library of Congress depicts the charge of Union soldiers with the Massachusetts 54th Infantry Regiment on the Confederate States Army site of Fort Wagner, Morris Island, S.C., near Charleston, on July 18, 1863.
Kurz & Allison/Library of Congress via AP
Social Studies Video Teachers, Try This: A Method for Navigating Political Debates in Social Studies
Through the use of primary sources, and students' own critical thinking skills, this Texas teacher navigates the current political climate.
3:11