Table of Contents
- Curriculum Purge: What’s Disappearing?
- California Backs Away from Ethnic Studies
- Teachers Avoid Controversial Topics
- The Role of Political Pressure
- Sources
Curriculum Purge: What’s Disappearing?
Across the U.S., history and civics lessons once considered standard are vanishing from classrooms—and even from the internet. In a striking example, Brown University recently shuttered its 30-year-old Choices curriculum, which reached over one million students annually with college-level, source-rich lessons on topics ranging from the American Revolution to the January 6 Capitol riot.
The decision came amid intense scrutiny from conservative advocacy groups and pressure from the Trump administration, which accused Brown of fostering antisemitism during pro-Palestinian campus protests. Though university officials cited budget concerns, internal communications reveal that fears of “legal and financial exposure” led them to destroy printed materials and block public access to digital archives.
Similarly, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has quietly removed dozens of lesson plans from its website, including units on police violence against Black men, microaggressions, and gender bias in media. The organization now says it’s refocusing exclusively on antisemitism, the Holocaust, and Jewish identity.
California Backs Away from Ethnic Studies
Once a national leader in progressive education, California is now retreating from its landmark ethnic studies mandate. Signed into law in 2021, the requirement aimed to elevate the histories of Latinos, Black Americans, Asian Americans, and Native peoples—often critiquing colonialism and systemic inequality.
But after Jewish groups raised concerns that some materials equated Israel with settler colonialism, political support collapsed. Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2025 budget omitted funding for the program, effectively making the course optional. In San Francisco, teachers must now use a single approved textbook that omits the Israeli-Palestinian conflict entirely.
“There is a lot of controversy going on in the whole world,” said Kairi Hand, a 15-year-old student who loved her ethnic studies class. “Especially things taught in schools.”
Teachers Avoid Controversial Topics
Even basic civics lessons are under threat. iCivics, the nonprofit founded by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, reports a 28% drop in engagement with lessons on constitutional principles like separation of powers and limits on executive authority.
Teachers say they’re avoiding politically sensitive discussions for fear of backlash or legal trouble—especially in states with vague laws banning “divisive concepts.” Many lack training to navigate these minefields and default to rote textbook reading instead of critical dialogue.
“The kids deserve better than that,” said Emma Humphries, iCivics’ chief education officer. “And our democracy deserves better.”
The Role of Political Pressure
Conservative activist Christopher Rufo credits President Trump’s return to office with accelerating a nationwide shift away from “elite ideologies” in education. Over 20 states have passed laws restricting classroom discussions on race, gender, and history since 2020.
Historian Adam Laats of Binghamton University calls this moment unprecedented: “Never before has this kind of fervor from the right owned the Oval Office.”
While supporters frame these changes as restoring “patriotic education,” critics warn they’re eroding academic freedom and whitewashing history—just as students need nuanced tools to understand today’s complex world.
