States Pass Limits on Teaching Race, Teachers ‘Caught up in a Culture War’

Conservative American states are introducing more bills controlling how history and race is taught in public schools. They are also giving parents more supervision¹ over local schools and school boards.

A school board is a group of elected officials who supervise a school district's budget and educational decisions.

A bill passed in Indiana that limits how race, history and politics can be taught in the classroom. It also permits parents to bring complaints and legal action against schools.

Americans are divided on how racism² and discrimination in the present day should be taught, a recent study by the APM Research Lab, a policy research center, found. In a survey of 1,200 adults, 49 percent said schools should teach the "ongoing³ effects of slavery and racism in the United States." But 41 percent say schools should teach the history of racism, but not "about race relations today."

Answers were also very divided by race. While 79 percent of Black people surveyed said the ongoing effects of racism should be taught, just 41 percent of whites felt the same.

Teaching how historical racism and slavery affects life today is a central idea in Critical Race Theory, or CRT. Critical race theory is about how racism and white supremacy⁴ have shaped American society, laws and policies. It has also come under attack from Republican lawmakers.

In January, newly-elected Virginia governor Republican Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order banning Critical Race Theory. Republican states including Tennessee and Texas passed similar laws last year. But it is unclear how many schools actually teach CRT. Critics of such laws also say that any attempt to teach racism is labeled as Critical Race Theory.

In a recent interview with The New Yorker magazine, Democratic U.S. representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the attempts to limit how history is taught is like returning to the infamous⁵ Jim Crow Era in the Southern U.S. Jim Crow laws in place for several decades until the 1960s discriminated⁶ against Black Americans in effectively all areas of life. During that time, racism and slavery was almost only taught from the white perspective, if it was taught at all.

Parent ‘Bill of Rights'

Republican lawmakers like Youngkin argue that parents and families should have more of a say in what is taught in schools, also called the curriculum. And many states have introduced bills that give parents more control over schools. APM's study found that 41 percent of Americans think parents should have the most influence in how race is taught to children.

NBC news reports that 12 states have introduced bills that require schools to put their teaching materials online. It is part of a larger national push by Republicans for a parents' "bill of rights" ahead of the midterm, congressional elections.

Teachers say parents can already see what their children learn. They worry that the laws would create unnecessary work and could threaten their professional independence.

Educators say they are not against keeping parents informed. But they see a risk that the new laws will bring censorship and more teachers leaving the profession.

States considering some version of the idea include Ohio, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina and West Virginia. Similar laws have been stopped by Democratic governors in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Katie Peters is a high school teacher in Toledo, Ohio. She told The Associated Press the bill suggests "there's some hiding happening." She added that "the parents who have cared to look have always had access."

Conservative lawmakers have called for a parents' bill of rights which gives parents access to classroom materials and academic, medical and safety records. It would also permit entry to school buildings and more.

Scott DiMauro is president of Ohio's largest teachers' union. He is concerned that such bills will add to the increase in resignations and retirements⁷ that have occurred from teaching during COVID-19.

Teachers, he said, have "felt caught up in a culture war that they didn't create."

Words in This Story

survey — n. an activity in which many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something

curriculum — n. the courses that are taught by a school, college, etc.

censorship— n. the system or practice of censoring⁸ books, movies, letters, etc.

access — n. a way of being able to use or get something

1 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

2 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

3 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 supremacy   

n.至上；至高权力

参考例句：

• No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。
• Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。

5 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

6 discriminated   

分别，辨别，区分( discriminate的过去式和过去分词 )； 歧视，有差别地对待

参考例句：

• His great size discriminated him from his followers. 他的宽广身材使他不同于他的部下。
• Should be a person that has second liver virus discriminated against? 一个患有乙肝病毒的人是不是就应该被人歧视？

7 retirements   

退休( retirement的名词复数 )； 退职； 退役； 退休的实例

参考例句：

• We've had two retirements in our office this year. 今年我们办公室已有二人退休。
• Those may take the form of sackings redundancies, temporary layoffs or retirements. 这些形式有开除，作为编余人员，暂时解雇或退休。

8 censoring   

删剪（书籍、电影等中被认为犯忌、违反道德或政治上危险的内容）( censor的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Therefore, exhibitors shall not make use of these materials before censoring. 展商在审查前不可使用这些资料。
• The company then said it would end self-censoring search results, putting it at odds with Beijing. 随后该公司表示，将停止自我审查搜索结果，从而与中国政府发生对抗。