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The Battle Between Students and History
Jillian Stevens
Liberty University
WRIT401: Grant Writing
Professor Ros
February 12, 2024
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The Battle Between Students and History
Over the years, students’ academic progress has slowed significantly, predominately in
history classes. This has become an epidemic in schools. The immense amount of reading
required in history courses throughout one’s education is not beneficial to students who possess a
perplexing relationship with reading. Therefore, these students are failing history classes because
they cannot comprehend the material they are reading. Yet, most schools rely on textbooks to
teach major historical events. The problem arises that pupils who have an aversion to reading
cannot pass their history classes with this method alone.
The connection between literacy and history is essential. However, benchmark scores
have “declined five points, from 263 in 2018 to 258 in 2022” (Carillo, 2023). Students who have
a lower reading level than their peers are more likely to miss the “bigger picture” their history
teachers are attempting to convey. According to Teachinghistory.org, “History requires
particular kinds of reading and writing strategies that are critical to students being college-,
career-, and citizenship-ready” (2011). Therefore, students who have an insufficient reading level
cannot critically comprehend major historical events, much less write about them.
With this in mind, it can be argued that this problem affects school-aged children and
youth. These students are usually from low-income homes and are a part of minority groups. For
example, according to Dr. Reid Lyon, a distinguished neuropsychologist and school
psychologist, “children raised in poverty, those with limited proficiency in English, those from
homes where the parents’ reading levels and practices are low are at increased risk of reading
failure” (2024). Millions of children fall into the poverty category, and they are less likely to
receive the help that they need to meet or exceed the reading levels of their wealthier classmates.
Low-income families of all races struggle to provide the necessary methods to ensure their
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children succeed academically.
It is common knowledge that low-income and minority students have a disadvantage
when it comes to succeeding academically. They have limited access to educational materials
and additional help in subjects they are less proficient in. For example, when these students are
on summer break, they will likely lose the skills they gained during the school year. This is due
to the lack of access to books, computers, and learning materials. Another way these children are
affected is when they enter kindergarten. According to Matthew Lynch, an educational
consultant, and prior teacher states, “The latest data shows that children entering kindergarten
from low-income backgrounds are already at a statistical disadvantage. These children tend to
score lower on tests, are more inclined to drop out of school and less inclined to pursue higher
education” (2016). Children who start their education at a disadvantage will likely keep that
mentality throughout their academic careers. This is the magnitude of the issue at hand.
Just because disadvantaged students have an arduous time comprehending their textbooks
does not mean they should not be given other learning methods. Without alternative methods,
students lose focus and motivation to succeed. History is one of the hardest subjects for these
students. They despise the amount of reading required in history and get bored quickly.
According to Mary Jo Festle from the Organization of American Historians, “their negative
reaction seemed to result from being forced to do something they were unmotivated about”
(2024). We cannot force students to read the immense amounts of text that accompany historical
studies. However, if educators neglect these factors, the nation’s history will cease to exist with
today’s students. With that being said, there is an obligation to teach children the United States’
founding history.
Overall, history is a dominant aspect of the nation’s development. Students need an
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alternative method to learn and retain facts that pertain to United States history. This is key
because “History teaches that human actions have consequences. Analysis of past events teaches
students to ask probing questions, challenge preconceived assumptions, and to recognize that
humans have the capacity to be both very, very good and very, very cruel” (Steinhauer, 2015).
Incorporating a new way of learning history will not only help students succeed academically,
but it will also keep the nation’s history alive.
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References
Carillo, S. (2023, May 3). History and civics scores drop for U.S. eighth-graders on national
test. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/05/03/1173432887/history-and-civics-scores-drop-
for-u-s-eighth-graders-on-national-test#:~:text=The%20scores%20in%20U.S.%20history
Festle, M. J. (2024). https://www.oah.org/tah/extras/the-challenges-of-learning-history-what-
students-and-sotl-tell-us/. The Challenges of Learning History: What Students and SOTL
Tell Us. https://www.oah.org/tah/extras/the-challenges-of-learning-history-what-
students-and-sotl-tell-us/#:~:text=They%20cited%20the%20passage%20of
Lynch, M. (2016, June 6). Low-Income Students Set Up for Academic Failure. Education Week.
https://www.edweek.org/education/opinion-low-income-students-set-up-for-academic-
failure/2016/06#:~:text=These%20children%20tend%20to%20score%20lower%20on
Lyon, G. R. (2024). Why Some Children Have Difficulties Learning to Read | Reading Rockets.
Www.readingrockets.org.
https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/struggling-readers/articles/why-some-children-
have-difficulties-learning-read#:~:text=In%20short%2C%20children%20raised%20in
Steinhauer, J. (2015, September 18). America’s Students Need History—But Not for the Reasons
You’re Hearing. Time; Time. https://time.com/4037579/history-education/
Teachinghistory.org. (2011). Teachinghistory.org. https://teachinghistory.org/nhec-blog/25172
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