With Teaching Hard History, we’re calling on American educators, curriculum writers and policy makers to confront the fact that slavery and racial injustice are not only a foundational part of the nation’s past, but a continuing influence on the present.
When anthropologist Alexandra Freidus was observing students and educators at an East Coast middle school in fall 2016, she got to see how the presidential election affected them. She followed up with them a year later.
Alexandra Freidus is a doctoral candidate in Urban Education at New York University. Her research uses qualitative methods to explore how community stakeholders conceptualize student diversity, how school and district administrators enact educational policy, and how these local contexts relate to schools’ central work—teaching and learning. Alex’s work is informed by more than 15 years of professional experience teaching high school social studies and leading professional development in K–12 schools.
On January 22, a senate panel in Florida approved a bill that would offer vouchers to targets of bullying so they can transfer to a private school. No matter the bill’s intentions, it harms rather than helps children.
Anthropologist Max Altman was observing students and educators at a Midwestern high school when the 2016 presidential election occurred. He witnessed firsthand how they responded and followed up this winter to see what had changed in the last year.
Max Altman is a researcher at McREL International in Honolulu who received his Ph.D. in Education Policy, Leadership and Innovation from the University of Michigan in 2017. His research interests lie in the creation of contextually relevant K–12 educational policy that reflects and supports social justice initiatives. He has taught math at the high school level and teacher education and math courses at the college level. Altman currently designs and facilitates ongoing coaching and training sessions for educational leaders and key stakeholders in island nations and U.S. territories across the
Sage Coffey is a non-binary cartoonist in Chicago, IL. They Graduated from SCAD Atlanta with a Bachelor's in Sequential art and Animation in 2015. Since 2016 they've edited Sweaty Palms, a comic anthology about anxiety.
Molly Smith has completed her elementary special education certification at Northern Michigan University and is involved educational research in the fields of math, the arts and technology. She also is entering the profession as a first-year teacher.