Classrooms in crisis

Clark education Professor Raphael Rogers teaches aspiring teachers. That means he helps Clark students learn how to discuss difficult topics in the classroom, including racism and slavery. This work comes as people across the country — from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to parents in Massachusetts towns — challenge whether uncomfortable parts of American history belong in schools.

“If you look at the discourse around why teachers shouldn’t focus on these issues in classrooms, there’s a lot of talk about indoctrination,” Rogers says. “That type of discourse is out there, and it’s used often. I shared with my students that folks who want to push back have to be in spaces where their voice can be heard.”

Rogers recommends watching The 1619 Project, a Hulu series that reframes the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery at the center of the national narrative.

Challenge. Change. is produced by Andrew Hart and Melissa Hanson for Clark University. Listen and subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Find other episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.