Educational Gag Orders: Legislative Restrictions on the Freedom to Read, Learn, and Teach
![“Teach the Truth” Rally in Milwaukee on June 12, 2021, as part of the National Day of Action organized by the Zinn Education Project and Black Lives Matter at School.](/sites/default/files/styles/content_image_515x500/public/2022-03/milwaukee-teachers-education-association-teach-the-truth-rally.jpeg?itok=PcpucAz9)
![“Teach the Truth” Rally in Milwaukee on June 12, 2021, as part of the National Day of Action organized by the Zinn Education Project and Black Lives Matter at School.](/sites/default/files/styles/content_image_515x500/public/2022-03/milwaukee-teachers-education-association-teach-the-truth-rally.jpeg?itok=PcpucAz9)
This policy analysis from PEN America examines recent state legislation that prohibits the teaching of specific ideas, concepts, or curricular materials in public schools, higher education, and/or state agencies and institutions. The brief provides an overview of 54 such legislative bills introduced or passed between January and September 2021. This analysis concludes that these laws are anti-intellectual and that will disproportionately affect teachers of color. The analysis proposes that the laws enacted to restrict the curriculum about racism, anti-Blackness, gender discrimination, and homophobia are related to recent laws enacted to restrict voting and protesting. The analysis also finds that bill proponents use “critical race theory” as a catchall term that encompasses a range of ideas, practices, and materials related to advancing diversity, equity, or inclusion. The report examines the implications of such laws on education for students, teachers, and teacher educators.