Learning Curves: The context around the 'library wars'
Hi, friends!
Earlier this year, an educator told me that one of her favorite books as a child was "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry." I vaguely remembered reading the Mildred D. Taylor book, a part of a series revolving around the Logan family.
I picked up a copy from John K. King Books in Detroit to jog my memory. (Side note: If you want a delightful afternoon, spend it at the massive used and rare books store downtown, milling through the aisles.) To my surprise, the inside of the 1977 novel bore a stamp from Northern High School, a school in Detroit that closed more than a decade ago.
It felt like a reminder that books have long been a child's portal into other worlds: In "Roll of Thunder's" case, readers are transported to rural Mississippi as a family faces searing racism.
I talked to the state's teachers and education advocates about where books belong in education in 2022 and they told me that they are striving to diversify the books students read in school, so a wider swath of students can see themselves in literature. I also asked teachers which books they enjoyed teaching, and received a range of fun and poignant answers.
This fall, I've seen more debates than I've ever seen around books, and specifically books with themes that revolve around identity, sex and race. Many of the debates have turned political.
Dearborn pulls library books
As my colleague Emma Stein reports, the Dearborn Public Schools board, following parent complaints, removed seven books from libraries in the district pending a review by a new group formed to evaluate books containing material critics deem inappropriate. Emma writes,: "Commenters brought up two books, 'This Book is Gay' by Juno Dawson and 'Flamer' by Mike Curato, saying they were both inappropriate. Both follow gay main characters and include sexually explicit scenes, commenters said."
Emma's been on the library beat the past few months. In August, she wrote that a township in west Michigan voted to defund its library due to controversy over book banning.
Third graders struggle to read
Having access to a library filled with books means nothing if a child can't read. And state test scores released this month show a growing number of third graders in Michigan are significantly behind in reading at this stage in the pandemic. An MSU researcher told me that school districts should direct resources to children struggling to read based on the test scores.
MSU, and other Michigan colleges, embroiled in controversy
This is David Jesse, Lily’s colleague who covers higher ed for the Freep.
I just wanted to drop in and give a quick heads-up on the last week or so at Michigan’s colleges. We started with a strike by professors at Eastern Michigan University (with enrollment dropping there and other universities, look for more labor issues coming to campus as college budgets shrink) and then had a mess at Michigan State University, where some members of the board tried to push out Pres. Samuel Stanley over his handling of sexual misconduct claims and his possible false certification to the state that reports about those investigations were being read.
Plenty more to come as that turmoil sorts out – you can follow along on Freep.com or catch me on Twitter at @reporterdavidj.
A school day without phones
Our friends at Chalkbeat Detroit examined a bill in the state Legislature proposing a ban on the use of cellphones during the school day. Teachers have said that students are distracted by social media and their devices. But, as Tracie Mauriello and Koby Levin write, parents have also raised concerns that leaving students without their devices could leave them without a lifeline in an emergency.
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Until next time,
Lily Altavena, educational equity reporter
Email: laltavena@freepress.com
Twitter: @lilyalta
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: The context around the 'library wars'
