Banned Books Week - National Council of Teachers of English

Intellectual Freedom Center

All students have the right to materials and educational experiences that promote open inquiry, critical thinking, diversity in thought and expression, and respect for others.

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Intellectual Freedom Center

Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week has been shining a light on censorship since it was founded in 1982, and the fight for free expression is as urgent as ever.

NCTE is a cosponsor of the week and a long-time member of the Banned Books Week Coalition (BBWC). The BBWC is here to support the community of readers, including students, educators, librarians, and booksellers, in the United States and abroad.

Resources

Events from 2022

  • NCTE Monthly Twitter Chat – Fostering Empathy and Understanding for Others Through Stories hosted by Zach Long, a #NCTEchat focused on Banned Books Week, September 18, 2022. View the archive.
  • Official Banned Books Week Livestream with Honorary Chair George M. Johnson, September 20, 2022. Details on their website.
  • This Story Matters  live event with Housing Works Bookshop in New York City, September 20, 2022
  • This Story Matters: An Intellectual Freedom Discussion with NCTE Affiliates, additional information here and NCTE members can watch the recording on our Video Library.

For decades, NCTE has worked with schools and educators on to stand up for intellectual freedom and provide anti-censorship resources. If you are facing a challenge, please consult the NCTE Intellectual Freedom Center to make a report, access resources, or contact NCTE.

 

 

 

Grounded in NCTE’s position statements The Students’ Right to Read and NCTE Beliefs about the Students’ Right to Write, this book focuses on high school English language arts classes, drawing from the work of seven teachers from across the country to illustrate how advocating for students’ rights to read and write can be revolutionary work.

 

 

 

 

By showcasing their experiences and activities, and positioning NCTE policy statements—The Students’ Right to Read and NCTE Beliefs about the Students’ Right to Write—as foundational guiding documents, Ochoa and her colleagues prove that even in today’s standards-driven environment, authentic reading and writing practices can create literacy-rich middle school classrooms.

 

 

Promoting an equitable and inclusive understanding of literacy, Mariana Souto-Manning and her teacher contributors explore how elementary teachers can welcome the voices and languages of their students into their classrooms in their pursuit of reading and writing experiences that showcase children’s skills and practices.

NCTE’s Support for the Students’ Right to Read

NCTE Actively Began Fighting Censorship in the 1950s 
McCarthyism spurred NCTE to take a more active stance against censorship, and in 1953, NCTE’s Committee on Censorship of Teaching Materials published Censorship and Controversy, condemning McCarthy’s tactics and championing freedom of thought. In 1962 NCTE published its seminal intellectual freedom guideline The Students’ Right to Read, leading up to today’s active Intellectual Freedom Center work which supports literacy educators and school librarians as they prepare for and respond to challenges to texts used in classrooms.