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.
View Explainer
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
Kaylee Domzalski & Lauren Santucci, April 30, 2024
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3:11
A group photo picturing 12 of the Memphis 13.
A group photo of 12 of the Memphis 13 students.
Courtesy of the Memphis 13 Foundation
Social Studies What the Research Says Oral History Offers a Model for How Schools Can Introduce Students to Complex Topics
Community history projects like a curriculum in Memphis, Tenn. can help students grapple with issues like school segregation, experts say.
Sarah D. Sparks, April 22, 2024
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4 min read
Photograph of Dawn Brooks-DeCosta at Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School in the Bronx.
Dawn Brooks Decosta, pictured on Oct. 2, 2020, is the deputy superintendent of the Harlem Community School District 5 in New York. Its 23 schools piloted units of a curriculum developed in collaboration between local educators and the Black Education Research Center at Columbia University Teachers College.
Kirsten Luce for Education Week
Social Studies How These Teachers Build Curriculum 'Beyond Black History'
A pilot to infuse Black history and culture in social studies is gaining ground in New York.
Sarah D. Sparks, April 15, 2024
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4 min read
Ahenewa El-Amin leads a conversation with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Ahenewa El-Amin leads a conversation with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Social Studies Q&A Here's How AP African American Studies Helps Teachers 'Get Students to Think'
Ahenewa El-Amin in Kentucky is teaching the second year pilot of the College Board's new course set to officially launch this fall.
Ileana Najarro, April 1, 2024
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4 min read
Nia Henderson Louis asks a question during AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Nia Henderson-Louis asks a question during AP African American Studies at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Social Studies What Students Have to Say About AP African American Studies
Students at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., share their takeaways from the pilot course that officially launches this fall.
Ileana Najarro, April 1, 2024
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5 min read
Students listen to a lesson on Black fraternities and sororities during Ahenewa El-Amin’s AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Students listen to a lesson on Black fraternities and sororities during Ahenewa El-Amin’s AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Curriculum Photos PHOTOS: Inside an AP African American Studies Class
The AP African American studies course has sparked national debate since the pilot kicked off in 2022. Here's a look inside the classroom.
Ileana Najarro & Jaclyn Borowski, March 29, 2024
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1 min read
Ahenewa El-Amin leads a conversation with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Ahenewa El-Amin leads a conversation with students during her AP African American Studies class at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., on March 19, 2024.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Curriculum Video VIDEO: What AP African American Studies Looks Like in Practice
The AP African American studies course has sparked national debate since the pilot kicked off in 2022. A look inside the classroom.
Ileana Najarro & Jaclyn Borowski, March 29, 2024
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1 min read
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