Reframing History For the People Who Need It the Most
I couldn’t be more excited about the publication of the “Reframing History” report developed by the American Association for State and Local History, the National Council on Public History and the Organization of American Historians. It is billed as a “comunications toolkit for hisorians, museum professionals, educators, and other advocates” and is “designed to facilitate more effective communication with the public about history.”
The project attempts to “reframe” how we think about history, from one that views historic truth in the form of an unchanging narrative to one that centers critical thinking and the role of interpretation in an understanding of history that constantly evolves based on new questions and new evidence.
The report doesn’t simply advocate for this shift in thinking, but offers concrete suggestions or “communication tips” to help people better understand what it is that historians do when interpreting the past.
I can certainly see this report being used in any number of settings. Teachers can implement many of these tips in their lesson plans, but it may also prove helpful in educating various groups in the current battle over history education.
School administrators and members of county school boards would do well to review this report to better understand what many of their teachers are actually doing in their classrooms when teaching history. A common language may offer some help in responding to outside interference.
Unfortunately, the people who need to read this report the most will likely never do so, namely Republican politicians across the country who are using history education as a political football. The laws that have been passed and bills under consideration across the country are doing serious damage to the ability of educators to ply their trade that will likely have far-reaching consequences.
These bills have little, if anything, to do with protecting the study of history, the interest of students or their parents. The intimidation of history educators is an attempt to stifle the teaching of some of the most difficult and complex historical subjects, including the history and legacy of slavery and white supremacy. The attempt to control how history is taught, whose stories are included and how they are framed, is part of a desperate attempt on the part of Republicans to drum up fear and maintain political control.
The “Reframing History” report undercuts the efforts of Republicans to turn history into a static patriotic narrative rather than a dynamic and evolving narrative that can be discovered and rediscovered by each and every student.
As valuable as this report is, it will not save us from this political onslaught and war against ideas and critical thinking. (Of course, it was intended for such a purpose.) For that we are going to need to vote them out of office and return our classrooms to our teachers.