Time - USA (2022-01-31)

12 Time January 31/February 7, 2022

GOOD QUESTION

Why aren’t American children learning

about the Reconstruction era?

ReconsTRucTion, The peRiod of
political and social progress in the 12 years
after the American Civil War, can help put
into context many of the country’s most
seminal recent events, from the Jan. 6
insurrection at the U.S. Capitol to the police
killing of George Floyd. But despite the
era’s timeliness, many students in public
schools will not get a full education on
Reconstruction until they get to college.
Whether a topic appears in state stan-
dards determines how much it’s taught in
K-12 schools. And in social- studies stan-
dards for 45 out of 50 states and the District
of Columbia, discussion of Reconstruction
is “partial” or “nonexistent,” according to a
new report produced by the education non-
profit Zinn Education Project. The report’s
authors say they are concerned that Ameri-
can children will grow up uninformed
about a critical period of history—one that
helps explain why full racial equality re-
mains unfulfilled today.
While many states expected students to
know why Reconstruction failed, the report
found less of a focus on the era’s successes,

which included work toward full citizen-

ship for Black Americans. The researchers

also found that standards tended to focus

on events at the federal level, at the expense

of highlighting stories of Black Americans’

resilience, such as the building of mutual-

aid organizations and church communities.

In interviews, educators said they had

barely learned about the period themselves

and would need more professional develop-

ment to feel comfortable with the material.

Many were also concerned that the recent

spate of state laws prohibiting the teaching

of “divisive concepts” would limit instruc-

tion on the history of racism in America.

Jesse Hagopian, a high school teacher

and Zinn Education Project staffer who

helped develop the report, says the teach-

ing of Black progress during Reconstruc-

tion is key to imagining a more equitable

future. “If children don’t grow up learning

the incredible strides forward that were

made in that time period, then it’s hard to

imagine freedom today,” Hagopian says.

“That’s what I think we lose when we don’t

teach it properly.” —oLiViA B. WAXmAn

NEWS TICKER

founder of the

far-right group Oath

Keepers,

first same-

sex couple in Taiwan

to legally adopt a child

request

free at-home rapid

tests online—four per

household;

WORLD

Grand Slam

shutdown

for Novak

Djokovic

The Australian
Open began
Jan. 17 without
Novak Djokovic.
But the pre-
tournament
back-and-forth
over whether the
world men’s No. 
would be allowed
into Australia
amid COVID-
travel restrictions
played out like a
marathon match.
—Amy Gunia

THE BRIEF NEWS

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JAMES ROSS—EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK