As state legislatures across the country seek to limit discussion of gender and race and related issues in American history, several organizations are working to combat these efforts. Below, we offer a synthesis of organizational statements; resources developed to support teachers, faculty, administrators, and others in combating these efforts; and completed or in-process research projects that seek to better understand and map the phenomenon.
Advocacy Toolkits
Several organizations have developed toolkits that support efforts to oppose educational gag orders—both in K-12 and higher education—at the state and local level. Below, we’ve included materials developed by Learn from History, a coalition of over 40 organizations that oppose efforts to limit educators’ ability to maintain the scholarly integrity of courses in US history, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), PEN America, and the American Council on Education (ACE).
Statements, Letters, and Testimony
Scholarly societies, higher ed organizations, and others have generated statements in response to educational gag orders—often generating sign ons from many other organizations—and several have authored letters or offered testimony to state legislators and other governing bodies. We offer a sampling below.
Statements
Joint Statement on Efforts to Restrict Education About Racism (AAUP, Pen America, AHA, AAC&U, and Various Signers)
Resolution on Defending Academic Freedom Against Attacks on “Critical Race Theory” (American Studies Association)
Statement on State Efforts to Restrict the Teaching of History (AAUP)
Importance of Teaching and Learning About Race and Racism (American Sociological Association)
The Effort to Undermine Academic Freedom in Florida House Bill 999 (ACLS and Various Signers)
Statement Opposing Exclusion of LGBTQ+ History in Florida (AHA)
Resources for Educators
The American Historical Association has developed teaching guides for K-12 and higher education that offer “inquiry-based learning resources and tools to foster reflective thinking using credible sources, without violating new state laws or local policies.”
Research and Tracking Projects
Various organizations have launched research projects to map the status of anti-CRT bills and better understand what is actually being taught in K-12 classrooms across the country.