In Higher Education, New Educational Gag Orders Would Exert Unprecedented Control Over College Teaching
In 2022, educational gag orders are being aimed squarely at colleges and universities to exert ideological control over what is being taught and read in classrooms. More
Steep Rise in Gag Orders, Many Sloppily Drafted
Over the last three weeks, 65 bills have been formally introduced in state legislatures across the country, a rate of roughly three bills per day. More
Open Letter to the School Board of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District
PEN America urges the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District not to pass the “Resolution Opposing the Teaching of Critical Race Theory.” More
New Stop W.O.K.E. Act Fits Disturbing Pattern in Education Culture War
Governor DeSantis’s Stop W.O.K.E. Act, while undoubtedly aggressive, is no aberration. On the contrary, it is increasingly—and disturbingly—business as usual. More
Scope and Speed of Educational Gag Orders Worsening Across the Country
In the month since the release of our report, educational gag orders have grown more sweeping in scope and become law with increasing speed. More
Here Are Four Things Educational Gag Orders Could Ban
We offer illustrative examples of texts, documents, and discourse that educational gag orders could bar from being taught or discussed in classrooms. More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Kyle Lucia Wu
“Sometimes the scrim of a story allows us to see things with more clarity and empathy—things we might look away from or numb ourselves to in our real lives.” More
Notes on Critical Race Theory: An Essay by Gregory Pardlo
Artist and PEN America Trustee Greg Pardlo writes that Critical Race Theory is "a periodizing frame for our historical moment." More
The PEN Pod: Reflecting on the Impacts of Hurricane Maria with Ricia Chansky and Zaira Arvelo Alicea
“These are the stories that are missing. . . . How did people, when there was no help coming, how did people gather together to care for each other,… More