History Instruction

Support Accurate, Inclusive History Instruction

Colorado History Instruction & Social Studies Standards Debates

School Board Social Studies Debates

  • Nov. 2023
    • Garfield Re-2 explores loophole to still implement American Birthright social studies standard | Post Independent
      • Lis Richard, a consultant for charter, Christian and private schools, helped implement the curriculum for Woodland Park, which passed the state’s curriculum board for approval.
      • Recent documents obtained by the Post Independent show that Richard had been in communication with Re-2 Board President Tony May well before the board decided to move forward with the Social Studies Adoption Plan and Review Committee.
      • Further documents obtained by the Post Independent show May proceeded to email Re-2 Superintendent Heather Grumley in April, suggesting that the district facilitate a workshop with Richard because she has “a blueprint that has already been vetted and tested with the state.”
      • Stephanie Hartman, a social studies content specialist for the Colorado Department of Education (CDOE), responded by saying she had never heard of Richard, nor had she ever heard of Richard’s company.
      • “The state does not ‘vet’ curriculum or instructional materials,” Hartman wrote to the district on June 6. “So, if (Richard) says she has a blueprint vetted by the CDE, that is not true.”
      • Further communications show that May reached out to other selective school districts in Colorado about social studies curriculum adoption. During these communications, Brad Miller, an attorney who has worked closely with Woodland Park’s adoption of ABS, was recommended to help in this process.

  • Oct. 2025
  • Norm Michaels announces candidacy for school board | Pikes Peak Courier
    • “I strongly support the American Birthright curriculum that we switched to a couple of years ago,” Michaels said, referring to the district’s social studies curriculum. “I support Merit Academy and what they’re doing with a third of our (district) students.”

Curricula Critiques

Action Alerts

Protests Against Secretary McMahon’s History Rocks Tour

Florida’s Phoenix Declaration

  • From Historian Tad Stoermer’s YouTube Channel
    • “The Heritage Foundation, alongside Hillsdale College, Moms for Liberty, PragerU, and the 1776 Foundation, just launched The Phoenix Declaration—their latest attack on public education. If Project 2025 is their roadmap to dismantling democracy, this is their blueprint what comes next: turning schools into indoctrination centers. They’re dressing it up with words like “parental rights,” “academic excellence,” and “patriotism.” But this is really about controlling what the next generation learns, what histories are told, and whose voices get erased. Here’s what they really want: 📌 Distort history to fit their sanitized, nationalist myths. 📌 Defund public schools and redirect tax dollars to private, religious education. 📌 Suppress discussions of race, gender, and inequality under the guise of “objective truth.” 📌 Turn schools into obedience factories, not places for critical thinking. They even cherry-pick the Founders to justify this nonsense. Of course. And that forced patriotism they keep pushing? That’s not education—it’s propaganda. If you have to enforce loyalty, then what you’re teaching isn’t patriotism—it’s submission. 🔥 What can you do? 🔥 📢 Call it out—The Heritage Foundation’s talking points are everywhere. Expose them. 📚 Defend real education—Support teachers, real schools, and actual history. 🚨 Challenge revisionist history—When you see their distortions, push back. 📣 Boost public historians and educators—Share their work, comment, engage, and make sure the truth gets heard. They want to rewrite history. We don’t let them. “

Resources

Articles

Podcasts

Blog Posts