Pull back politically charged textbooks

Anant S., Staff Writer

In the United States, many history textbooks are becoming politically skewed. 

According to the Constitution, control over public education is a power reserved for the state and local governments. With 50 states and over 3,000 counties, each has a different presiding legislature and leader. These local officials are the ones who decide on what textbooks are used in their respected areas. 

The question is: Which textbooks should be used in classrooms? Frequently, textbooks that align with the political views of the more prominent or represented party in one’s area are what is used in classrooms. This results in some curriculum being skewed on topics such as racism, slavery, religion, economics, and much more.

There are many negative effects caused by this. Firstly, this deprives students of seeing both sides of an argument or topic. It raises problems when these kids become adults, because they were conditioned to have a narrow mind at a young age. Students won’t be able to understand arguments of those who oppose them, which is an important skill to have. 

U.S. history has also been manipulated, and this is especially true regarding slavery and the civil rights movement. Students should be able to learn and grow from the struggles that Black people in America have had to endure. This is ever so important to teach young students in the climate of the U.S. right now. 

The children of America are future leaders, governors, and policy makers. They should be well informed, and taught the whole story of our country without any holes or arbitrary embellishments.

The best way to fix this is to have federal mandates for textbooks and curriculum. This would strengthen the American education system, making tests standardized for all students, and apart from preventing politically charged textbooks, it has many other perks. 

It would be easier for colleges to select students to admit, because all standardized tests and all curriculums would be the same. Additionally, it would make it easier for students who are moving across different states to enter the new school without having to retake or change courses. The benefits that this would pose would transform American education, making sure students are well informed and aptly prepared for the real world.🔳

 

Editor’s note: Signed editorials, columns and letters to the editor reflect the opinions of the writers themselves, not necessarily those of The Courant and its staff.