Silenced Voices: NWLC Report Finds Right-Wing Attacks Are Censoring Teachers, Stifling Learning

(Washington, D.C.) As conservative lawmakers and extremist groups continue their efforts to control what’s being taught in America’s classrooms, a new report from the National Women’s Law Center and Topos Partnership reveals the stark reality faced by teachers starting a new school year in a charged political climate. “I Don’t Know How Much Longer I Can Do This”: Teachers’ Experiences Amid Attacks on Public Education offers powerful accounts from public school teachers about how the right-wing push to eradicate so-called “divisive” topics—such as race, gender, and LGBTQIA+ inclusion—has created a repressive environment that harms students and threatens to push even more educators out of the field.

These K-12 teachers share firsthand glimpses into classrooms where the truth about slavery can no longer be taught, LGBTQIA+ students’ identities are stripped, and fear of retaliation looms large. As the nation prepares to observe Banned Books Week, these testimonies underscore the anxieties of many educators who resist the growing culture of censorship.

“It’s an extremely tough time to be a teacher,” said Julie Vogtman, NWLC senior director of job quality. “Pay is low. Hours are long. Stress is high as teachers navigate a thicket of extremist laws that place them under a microscope. As they toss out plans that once inspired students and replace them with sanitized versions that erase our nation’s complex history, along with references to race and sexuality, they’re keenly aware of the knowledge and rich perspectives their students are missing out on—and it devastates them.”

In the report, teachers reflect on the repercussions of extreme policies that impede their ability to connect with students, introduce them to broader viewpoints, and help them become critical thinkers. “Kids are losing out. They’re losing out on so much knowledge and so much truth in our history. …They are pretty much leaving with a skewed sense of what our country is built on,” said one high school teacher in Florida.

Several teachers shared their fears of losing their teaching licenses and pensions if they run afoul of restrictions. One teacher in Florida consulted an attorney over whether she could keep rainbow bookends made by her father in her classroom. An AP language teacher in Virginia recounted how “most teachers have removed their personal classroom libraries because they don’t want them scrutinized.” Since 2021, at least 18 states have enacted laws restricting what teachers can teach, how they can teach it, which books children have access to in their classrooms and libraries, and even their ability to use respectful names and pronouns for their students.

The report from NWLC and Topos underscores the far-reaching impact of extremist restrictions on teachers and students. Across differences in demographics, geography, and school type, the following themes emerged across the interviews:

  • An environment of fear provides a backdrop for many of the stories.
  • Censorship and restrictions are removing what little flexibility teachers have in engaging students. They describe a loss of agency as their expertise is squeezed out by “canned curricula” and “scripts.”
  • Teachers are concerned with how curricula fail to address systemic inequality and racism, and how students of color are seeing their experiences erased.
  • Teachers describe a desire to support LGBTQIA+ students but fear discipline.
  • Teachers—especially those in Florida—have seen many colleagues leave the profession.

To schedule an interview with an available teacher or NWLC education experts, please contact Maria Patrick at [email protected].

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