This article is excerpted from Marshall Project staff writer and author, Dana Goldstein's 2014 book, "The Teacher Wars: A History of America's Most Embattled Profession." It begins by describing Goldstein's experience traveling as an education reporter in the late 2000s and the incredible amount of political scrutiny under which the…

Professor Howard Zinn was arguably America's best-known historian, despite the dismissive if not caustic response his book, "A People's History of the United States," elicited from historians. In Zinn's narrative the protagonists of history are "blacks, Indians, women, and working people of all kinds ... ordinary people trying to…

From the colonial period to the present, no form of integration (defined as the opening of institutions and communal spaces to members of different groups) has produced more conflict than the integration of American schools. Struggles to open other locations within the social landscape--such as railroad cars, buses, restaurant counters, and water…

The author provides a historical analysis of the efforts to clarify church/state/school relations and an indepth look at recent Supreme Court rulings on this subject. The author's work illuminates the sensitive issues involved and the current Supreme Court's stand in applying First Amendment guarantees in public schools. (Author/CT)

A new consensus supported by the leadership of many religious and educational organizations sees the study of religion as essential if students are to be educated about the history and culture of the United States. This teaching guide is designed to accompany the 17-volume series, "Religion in American Life," aimed at young adults and…

Every year, historians in the United States attend the American Historical Association (AHA), a conference that has met annually since 1884. The AHA draws scholars from all specializations, and it is the primary organization through which the profession is represented. In 1969, the conference met at the Sheraton Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. At…

In Cincinnati, Ohio, between 1836 and 1853, controversy over religious education resulted from religious, ethnic, and political factors. Debate began between Catholics (mostly German and Irish immigrants) and Protestants over which Bible should be used in the public schools. (It was accepted that daily Bible readings were to be a part of religious…

Legal segregation might be dead, but many metropolitan schools remain overwhelmingly black and poor--a result of years of white flight from central cities and recent court decisions accelerating a return to neighborhood schools. At the same time, the bourgeoning Hispanic population is finding itself in increasingly segregated schools across the…

American schools use history textbooks that distort history by slighting the influence of religion on customs and institutions. The textbooks used in Montgomery County, Maryland--a highly regarded district--may be considered a sample of those used in the nation's best schools. Yet among these texts there is a remarkable consensus that, after 1700,…

According to these authors, the federal government has pushed far too deeply into the routines and operations of the nation's public schools, now regulating everything from teacher credentials to the selection of reading programs. Ironically, the one way to extricate Washington from the minutiae of K-12 education is to give it more power in one…

This paper examines the history of the civic education of immigrants to the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This was a time of great social upheaval, not only for the new immigrant groups, but also for members of groups that had arrived in the United States earlier. Public schools were seen as the logical institutions…

The essay addresses the continuing segregation of Hispanic students after 25 years of public school integration, noting the history and current status of Hispanic segregation with its bases in economic and residential factors and racial discrimination. The article also discusses the need for appropriate remedies for multiracial, multilingual…

Discusses history instruction in the public schools. Describes the deemphasis of history as social studies began to stress citizenship and social education. Argues that history will not regain an important place in education until historians begin to justify study of the past as a lesson in human life, wisdom, and mistakes. (DK)

President George W. Bush's approach to education policy has earned him cautious plaudits from otherwise hostile critics, who see much to admire in the implementation of standards for education. However useful such standards for testing students' technical skills like arithmetic and reading, they create problems for less-standardized processes like…

To provide an understanding of the current controversial issues about civic education in U.S. schools, the historical interrelationships of schools, communities, and families and their bearings on civic education revolve around three basic themes in U.S. history. These themes are: (1) the cohesive value claims of a democratic political community;…