U.S. History Teachers Report Little Outside Interference Despite Political Polarization
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August 2024
A survey reveals the pressures and priorities of teaching U.S. history.
A survey by NORC at the University of Chicago found that the vast majority of U.S. history teachers report no outside pressure on their curriculum choices despite polarizing political rhetoric.
The survey, created in partnership with the American Historical Association, included more than 3,000 teachers across nine U.S. states, one from each of nine U.S. regions. The survey was developed over a tight time frame to provide a comprehensive overview of how U.S. history is taught and the pressures facing U.S. history teachers.
Most U.S. history teachers report very little direct political pressure at their job.
Despite polarizing political rhetoric about what is being taught in U.S. history classrooms, our survey found little evidence that U.S. history teachers experienced direct objections to how they taught the subject. In fact, 84 percent of teachers said they rarely or never face criticism about how they teach certain topics.
Fifteen percent of teachers reported instances of direct criticism, primarily from parents and students. Controversy could come from multiple directions, and teachers expressed frustration when they perceived that politics was intruding on their teaching—whether in the form of activist parents or ambiguous state mandates. Few teachers said they changed how they teach in response to criticism.
“The overwhelming majority of teachers view teaching U.S. history as important to developing students’ critical thinking skills, understanding of our world, and helping students function better in the world.”
Teachers retain substantial autonomy over what they teach.
State social studies standards exert a strong influence in some states, but teachers have a great deal of discretion over how they'll be expressed in the classroom. Despite the difference in standards and assessment regimes across states, curricular materials don’t vary much from region to region, and many teachers nationwide rely on the same textbooks and online resources.
“U.S. history teachers have a lot of autonomy in the classroom provided they follow the state standards,” said Tom Hoffer, project lead and senior fellow in NORC’s Education & Child Development department. “That’s not surprising, since only a few states have mandatory standardized tests for history like there are for reading or math.”
U.S. history teachers share a unified mission to prepare students to be good citizens.
Teachers across the country reported a shared mission that had nothing to do with swaying students’ political beliefs. Overwhelmingly, teachers reported wanting to give students a view of the country’s accomplishments and setbacks, build an appreciation for diversity, present multiple sides of each story, make connections to the present, and help students become informed citizens.
“The overwhelming majority of teachers view teaching U.S. history as important to developing students critical thinking skills, understanding of our world, and helping students function better in the world,” said senior fellow Claudia Gentile.
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