Breaking Through the Barriers

Introduction: Why Fixing History Education Feels Impossible—And Why It’s Not

If reforming history education feels like trying to move a mountain with a spoon, you’re not alone. The system is deeply entrenched, tangled in bureaucracy, politics, and competing ideologies. Schools answer to local, state, and federal authorities, curriculum decisions are influenced by teachers’ unions, activist groups, and political parties, and even parents and community groups have conflicting views on what should (or shouldn’t) be taught.

It’s an exhausting, messy fight. But it’s not hopeless. The reality is that change is possible—it’s just slow, incremental, and requires strategic, sustained effort. The key to reforming history education isn’t just about making good recommendations (as we covered in Article Two)—it’s about knowing who needs to be involved, how to navigate the system, and how to push for meaningful change without getting drowned in the noise.

But let’s get one thing straight: “we” aren’t just some vague group of reformers in a think tank. “We” means anyone who cares about accurate, balanced history education—parents, educators, community leaders, historians, policymakers, and engaged citizens. It’s up to all of us to demand better, whether that means showing up at school board meetings, advocating for better teacher training, or pushing back against political overreach in our classrooms.

So, how do we actually get through all the barriers that the complex infrastructure of education throws at us? Let’s break it down.

Step 1: Recognizing the Power Players—Who Controls What in History Education?

To change history education, you have to understand who makes the decisions. The education system is layered, with different groups controlling different aspects of curriculum, standards, and teaching practices.

State and Federal Governments

State boards of education set overall curriculum standards and approve textbooks. State legislatures influence education policy and funding, often responding to political pressure. The U.S. Department of Education provides funding and broad policy guidance but has limited direct control over curriculum.

Local School Districts & School Boards

Local boards set policies for individual districts, approve textbooks, and oversee teacher training. Unlike state and federal mandates, local school boards are actually responsive to parents and engaged community members. This is where we—concerned citizens, parents, and educators—can apply real pressure.

Teachers’ Unions and Professional Organizations

Groups like the National Education Association (NEA) and the California Teachers Association (CTA) advocate for teachers but often bring political biases into curriculum debates. Many unions resist curriculum reform efforts that challenge existing structures, so working with or around them depends on the situation.

Parents, Advocacy Groups, and Media

PTAs, local parent groups, and advocacy organizations influence school board decisions and legislation. The media, both traditional and social, amplifies debates—sometimes distorting them. We need to be actively engaged in these discussions rather than letting special interest groups dominate them.

Textbook Publishers and Curriculum Developers

A handful of large publishers dominate the textbook industry, shaping how history is taught across the country. Many states rely on the same textbooks, so influencing one state (like Texas or California [hopefully not]) can have a national ripple effect. We can demand better materials through public review panels and textbook adoption policies.

Understanding this power structure is key to knowing where to push for change.

Step 2: Cutting Through the Bureaucracy—How to Get Change Moving

Knowing the problem isn’t enough—we need a plan. Here’s how to break through the barriers and create real movement.

1. Focus on Local Change First

The fastest way to impact history education is at the local school district level. Unlike state and federal fights, local battles can be won by mobilizing engaged parents, teachers, and community members. We can:

• • Attend school board meetings and demand accountability.
  • Push for independent curriculum reviews, ensuring history is taught with balance.
  • Advocate for pilot programs that test balanced history teaching approaches in select schools before expanding statewide.

1. 2. Push for Independent Curriculum Oversight

Right now, too many curriculum decisions are made based on politics, not historical scholarship. The solution? Independent review panels consisting of historians, educators, and community representatives who assess materials for accuracy and balance before they are adopted. We can push local and state education boards to create these panels, removing direct political influence from curriculum development.

1. 3. Make Teacher Training a Priority

Many history teachers lack formal training in historiography—the study of how history is written and interpreted—which leads to biased or incomplete narratives. We can fix this by advocating for:

• • Mandatory critical thinking and historiography courses in teacher certification programs.
  • Ongoing professional development to train teachers in primary source analysis, balanced historical interpretation, and debate facilitation.

4. Demand Better Textbooks and Learning Materials

Since textbook publishers shape history education nationwide, we need to put pressure on state textbook adoption boards to reject politically skewed materials.

• • We can push for diverse learning sources, including primary documents and digital archives, to ensure students learn from history itself—not from filtered narratives.

1. 5. Use the Courts if Necessary

In some cases, legal challenges may be necessary to prevent politically driven curriculum overhauls. Lawsuits have been used to challenge state-imposed changes that distort history—this remains an option when all else fails.

Step 3: Building a Coalition for Change

No single group can reform history education alone—it requires a broad coalition working toward a common goal.

• Historians & Academics can advocate for curriculum based on scholarship, not ideology.
• Teachers & Schools must commit to best practices in civic education and historiography.
• Parents & Community Groups need to apply pressure on school boards to resist activist-driven revisions.
• State & Local Leaders must pass legislation for independent curriculum oversight and teacher training reforms.

This is not a one-person fight, but it is one where individuals and small groups can make an impact. Change happens when we show up, speak up, and push for reforms in the right places.

Conclusion: Can We Actually Fix History Education?
Yes—But It Will Take Time.

Let’s be honest: this isn’t going to be fixed overnight.

The education system moves slowly, and the forces pushing for biased curriculum changes aren’t going away. But change can happen, especially at the local level, where parents, teachers, and engaged citizens have the most influence.

The key is to take a long-term approach—fighting for independent curriculum oversight, better teacher training, and fact-based textbooks while pushing back against political interference. If enough people take action, history education can be restored to what it should be: a place for critical thinking, debate, and a deeper understanding of the world—not a battlefield for political ideology.

It won’t be easy. But if we want the next generation to have an honest, well-rounded understanding of history, we have no choice but to fight for it.