This Week In Education Thompson: Kent State, "Its Like 'OK, Forget It'"

This Week In Education

Thompson: Kent State, "Its Like 'OK, Forget It'"

by john thompson

The most widely used U.S. History textbook does not mention Kent State, and the director of the American Textbook Council "is OK with that" according to NPR. "I don't see a case being made," explained Gilbert Sewall, "that the Kent State incident has to be in a textbook or it is no good."
I'm reminded of a few of my 15 year olds, who have lived their lives in Oklahoma City, but who have never heard of the Murrah Federal Building bombing, and the many who are unaware of Timothy McVeigh. According to a show of hands, nearly 40% of my upper-classmen and honors students (who will almost certainly graduate) have been on school field trips to the Memorial, while only about 15% of the sophomores (who