What Are ELA Students Reading These Days?

The rhetoric around what’s being taught in American English classrooms is often so inflammatory and contradictory that it’s difficult to get a clear picture. To address this lack of clarity, NCTE recently surveyed 4,000 public middle and high school ELA teachers—the first large-scale study of its kind since 1989. The peer-reviewed report that followed examines what texts are being taught and why, as well as how much freedom teachers have in choosing books.

Despite the push for diversifying the curriculum and the subsequent backlash of censorship over the last decade, the study found that students are mostly studying the same texts that were taught in 1989. According to an article in Education Week, “All of the top 10 titles, a sampling of the traditional canon, were written more than 60 years ago—all by white authors. The list also includes three Shakespeare plays: Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet.” Check out the top 10 most frequently taught titles in comparison with the 1989 study:

As EdWeek points out, the study proves that heavily politicized accusations about the widespread indoctrination of students through diverse literature are "largely unfounded.” However, for proponents of culturally sustaining curriculum, the findings raise concern over the lack of contemporary material. According to NCTE’s Rex Ovall, interviewed by EdWeek, the problem is not that teachers don’t understand the value of updating the canon. “Teachers know that diversifying the texts that they put in front of students leads to the development of a lot of different literacy skills—critical thinking, perspective-taking, other human skills like empathy,” he said. “We know that intellectually, we know that instinctually, but we’re not able to make progress.”

While many teachers reported being in control of which texts they teach, others said censorship and fear of backlash keep them from exploring curriculum changes that might be considered controversial. Of course, what qualifies as controversy in this climate often means merely acknowledging the existence of diverse perspectives, identities, and experiences. 44% of survey respondents said they had dealt with censorship from their school or district, with the most common reasons being material related to LGBTQ+ representation or discussions of race. 

Still, there are plenty of teachers who understand the assignment and continue to find ways to weave modern and culturally relevant texts into their study of classic literature. EdWeek quotes Janet Harrison, a 9th grade English teacher in Texas, who says, “As with anything, we need balance. You need some of the classics in order to understand the allusions, and some of the things that are talked about in literature. And you need the contemporary to ensure that our students are seeing themselves in these works.” Harrison goes on to discuss how she pairs Jason Reynolds’ Long Way Down–a YA novel told in verse–with Romeo and Juliet to discuss themes of violence and revenge. (You can also check out how to pair Long Way Down with Macbeth on this episode of the Brave New Teaching podcast!)

Other teachers interviewed by EdWeek mention a similar strategy—using contemporary works to support student understanding of the classics, all while giving kids a chance to see themselves in the books they read. Unfortunately, this simple yet powerful teaching tool is being met with increasing resistance, which, for some teachers, is just not worth the trouble. EdWeek quotes one survey respondent who admitted, “I am a teacher in a small, rural, conservative school district. I am not interested in being a lightning rod for controversy when there is plenty of literature to choose from to teach our students the state standards/requirements.”

This fear of retribution comes not only from the local level, but from legislation which seeks to censor teachers in their classrooms. EdWeek reports, “Over the past four years, 20 states have imposed bans or restrictions that would limit how teachers can discuss racism or sexism. Local attempts to ban, challenge, or restrict books in public schools rose after 2020, and are still at high levels, according to the American Library Association and PEN America, which track incidents.” 

Now, more than ever, it is critical that educators and experts continue to speak up about the value of diverse curriculum—not as a replacement for the classics, but as a companion to them. Like all classic literature, Shakespeare is only enriched when put in conversation with contemporary authors, and his relevance is heightened through modern critical lenses. We owe it to students to continue advocating for diverse perspectives in the classroom, even when there is a long and challenging road ahead.