April 26, 2022

A Student’s Advice to Educators on Teaching Honest History

“How can we effectively make change and make our society just if we aren’t taught the truth behind what we’re changing?” In our Spring magazine issue, a Black Alabama teenager provides her perspective on the damage done by an education filled with sugar-coated information about U.S. history. She shares that she and her family filled in the gaps because “You can’t know where you’re going without knowing where you came from.” Read her timely and impactful advice to educators.

Teaching America’s Interwoven Histories // Tiya Miles with Monita K. Bell

Teaching Hard History // Adrienne van der Valk

Tomorrow Night // Patty Johnson
Teaching the Past to Improve the Future
Despite a range of opposition, educators are committed to teaching honest history in their classrooms—and students are eager to learn. In our new issue, LFJ Senior Writer Coshandra Dillard connects with several educators who are having honest, critical discussions amid increasing attempts to censor those discussions in classrooms. Dillard highlights various ways educators work to uphold ethical education. Read to learn strategies for discussions with young people in the classroom, at home or in your community. 

Podcast: Classical Music and the Jim Crow Era

From concertos to operas, Black composers captured the changes and challenges facing African Americans during Jim Crow. Renowned classical pianist Laura Downes is bringing new appreciation to the works of artists like Florence Price and Scott Joplin. In the latest episode of our Teaching Hard History podcast, Downes discusses how we can hear the complicated history of this era with historian Charles L. Hughes.

What Students Say About Banning Critical Race Theory

We are all responsible for connecting the past to the present to give children the tools and opportunities they need to make this world—one filled with realities that young people see whether we want them to or not— and our society a better place. Educator Elizabeth Kleinrock centers her students’ perspectives in response to the current conversation about racism, social justice education and the need for an inclusive national narrative. Read what these students want from their education and learn productive ways to support students and educators.

Using Inquiry to Teach Honest History

Our K-12 Teaching Hard History framework offers a foundation for teaching honest history through inquiry. The framework and its resources provide teachers with tools to accurately teach this history and allow students to dig into the content by exploring essential questions, engaging in performance tasks and acting for justice. Check out the latest edition of PD Café for guidance on a high school Inquiry Design Model. 

Check Out What We’re Reading

“They’re public schools, and I and most of the other people I know, whether we have children or not, are happy to fund them, because we believe in education and we believe in democracy.” — The New York Times

“The culture that many students experience at home and in their communities is not always represented at school—or is represented in a stereotypical way.” — Education Week

“‘Students want to have these conversations, and we have teachers capable of going through these topics and having moments of real learning.’” — Teen Vogue
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