Intellectual Freedom Center

NCTE Intellectual Freedom Center

NCTE recognizes that the freedom to read and other components of intellectual freedom are vital to literacy and our mission. Through the Intellectual Freedom Center, NCTE has for many decades offered guidance, tools, and other support to teachers faced with challenges in classrooms and schools pertaining to texts (e.g., literary works, films and videos, drama productions), student writing, and/or to teaching methods.

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, which has been updated multiple times since its publication. Additional statements and resources have been created and direct support of educators has continued without pause in the subsequent decades.

This work has never been more important than it is now.

Resources for Teachers

Report Censorship Rationale Database This Story Matters

Current and Recent Work

In early 2021, NCTE advanced our intellectual freedom commitments by adding a robust assistance hotline for members. To access the hotline, email intellectualfreedom@ncte.org. NCTE staff works with educators to offer confidential information, guidance, support, and next steps in accordance with NCTE’s resources on intellectual freedom in the classroom. Educators may also fill out the incident form below to report an incident or request assistance to prepare for an expected challenge. NCTE may call on its partner, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), to bring additional assistance to our members. All next steps are communicated clearly and NCTE takes confidentiality very seriously.

In 2022, NCTE released the first-ever rationale database. Members can access over 600 book rationales, searchable by title, author, and grade level. Learn more about the release and how to get involved on the This Story Matters webpage. NCTE worked on an unprecedented collaboration between national teaching organizations to release a cross-disciplinary statement, standing up for the Freedom to Teach. A bicameral resolution issued by the U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate, led by Chairman Raskin and Senator Schatz recognized NCTE as best practice leader on intellectual freedom and condemned the uptick in book bans and education-targeted gag orders. The Intellectual Freedom Fellowship was awarded to fund research, at any stage, on censorship in K–12 English language arts classrooms.

In 2023, NCTE expanded the rationale database by adding rationales for new books thanks to member volunteers and to the Standing Committee Against Censorship, and by continuing a digitization project of older rationales. The size of the database has increased to over 900 rationales. NCTE was again recognized, along with other partner organizations, for best practice guidelines around literacy education in a the reintroduced bicameral resolution by Representative Raskin and Senator Schatz. We announced the This Story Matters Teacher Corps, made possible by private donations, to help increase the size and functionality of the database through collaboration with members of the Corps and NCTE staff.

Helpful Resources

From NCTE

The materials below can be used by educators as useful tools in preventing and combating censorship. All of these resources are free access and do not require permission for use. Additional support is available for current NCTE members.

Guidelines for Selection of Materials in English Language Arts Programs

These guidelines present criteria and procedures that ensure thoughtful teacher selection of novels and other materials.

Guidelines for Dealing with Censorship of Instructional Materials

Focusing on materials broadly defined in classrooms and schools today, a committee of English educators updated a 2004 position statement originally detailing censorship of “nonprint” materials. This new statement bridges censorship issues across varied modalities and texts.

NCTE Beliefs about the Students’ Right to Write

During this era of high-stakes testing, technology-based instruction, and increased control over students’ expression due to school violence, students’ right to write must be protected.

NCTE Blog

The Literacy & NCTE blog maintains a repository of posts on intellectual freedom.

NCTE Position Statement Regarding Rating or “Red-Flagging” Books

This position statement explains why rating books, or ‘red-flagging,” is a form of censorship that schools should not practice.

Rationale Database

NCTE members can access over 900 book rationales on the first-ever online rationale database. A newly updated How to Write a Rationale document is also available. This database can be searched by title, author, and grade level to help educators find a rationale for a book to use in the classroom or that is being challenged. New pieces of literature can be found to incorporate into curriculums or classroom libraries to further enrich students’ learning.

Statement on Academic Freedom

This updated statement supports the truth that it is an individual English educator’s (teacher’s, researcher’s, and librarian’s) right to translate, produce, and curate past and new knowledge and dispositions within broadly accepted disciplinary parameters in order to advance the common good.

Statement on Classroom Libraries

This statement explains why classroom libraries play a key role in providing access to books and promoting literacy. It states NCTE’s support for efforts to provide teachers with the ability to exercise their professional judgment in developing and maintaining classroom libraries.

The Students’ Right to Read

This foundational NCTE position statement gives model procedures for responding to challenges, including a citizen’s “Request for Reconsideration of a Work.”

From NCAC

Book Censorship Action Kit

This is a collection of materials for parents, students, educators, and authors with information on how to effectively fight challenges to books in schools.

Considerations and Guidelines for School Officials

School officials have broad discretion to establish curricula and decide what materials to include in their classrooms and libraries. However, parents, special interest groups and others sometimes attempt to impose their personal beliefs on the public school system and demand the removal of educational materials. Follow the link for some general considerations school administrators should take into account when such challenges arise.

Defend LGBTQ Stories

The freedom to read stories about people of diverse sexual and gender identities can validate and empower all youth, especially those who may identify as LGBTQ. LGBTQ representation in literature can also promote tolerance and acceptance of all human difference, including sexual and gender identities. This source offers an overview of common arguments made by would-be censors and techniques for advocating for LGBTQ stories in your schools and communities.

The Free Expression Educators Handbook

The Free Expression Educators Handbook contains practical tools and advice for managing book challenges and censorship controversies in schools and school libraries. The handbook, created by NCAC in collaboration with NCTE, is intended for teachers, librarians, and school administrators.