The Impacts of Censorship Research on the Intersection of Censorship and Teaching English

While censorship has long been a reality for English teachers, the current censorship crisis represents a material change. This censorship is driven by politics, specifically Christian nationalism and related right-wing ideologies, and often is supported and upheld by local policies and statewide legislation. It is focused on large-scale book challenges, resulting in thousands of book bans a year. The current censorship trend also includes public condemnation of teachers and librarians through school board meetings and social media.

This volume, the first of two, shares original research on the upsurge of censorship that has overtaken the English language arts classroom, beginning in 2020. The articles in this volume feature research that examines censorship from a variety of angles, and provide insight into:

NCTE has long been an outspoken opponent of censorship. This support for books, reading, and teacher expertise continues through today via the Students' Right to Read, the Committee Against Censorship, and the Intellectual Freedom Award. In a time of increasing censorship and attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion, this series and this volume serve as timely tools for helping to navigate this challenging landscape.