In an earlier post, I pointed out the obvious fact that tax-supported public schools were political institutions. Not in the partisan sense of Republican and Democrat but in serving the community in socializing community values in the next generation including respect for and pride in the nation. When taxpayers want their schools to instill core values in students (e.g., respect for individual, being part of a community, equal treatment) those are political decisions.
In light of January 6, 2020 attack on the Capitol instigated by President Donald Trump and the subsequent riot and destruction that occurred including the loss of five lives, the issue of teaching about this signal event in U.S. history in elementary and secondary classrooms again comes to the attention of teachers and non-teachers.
So should teachers and students deal with the attack upon the Capitol in classroom lessons? Yes, it is controversial and yes, it is highly political in that a Republican President egged on a rally of supporters to march down Pennsylvania Ave. to the Capitol where Democrats CONTINUE READING: The Riot at the Capitol: Classroom Lessons?* | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice