Conclusion: In Need of a Curricular Revolution

Abstract

AbstractIn the previous chapters, the textbook analysis showed what little progress US history textbooks have made in the last seventy years. White stories of victory and domination continue to disproportionally fill textbooks. While representation of non-White perspectives and more accurate information about BIPOC groups does increase in more recent textbooks, the same limited and narrow-minded tropes, events, and passivity still persist. So, what can be done? In the conclusion, I reiterate the link between culturally relevant curricula and youth wellbeing. Curricular reform is a beginning step that educators, policy-makers, and school districts could make to ensure their BIPOC students feel seen, heard, and valued as students and as people. Such a proposition is deeply political, but is necessary to correct past wrongs when it comes to misrepresentation in school curricula. Such reforms will move us toward providing a more inclusive environment for all students.