Erasing Diversity: Demographic Shifts, Segregation and the Rise of Book Bans in U.S. Schools

• In Event: Culture Wars in the Classroom: From Book Bans to DEI Rollbacks

Abstract

Recent studies indicate a relationship between decline in the proportion of white population and the introduction of so-called Critical Race Theory (CRT) bans in states and school districts, concluding that racial resentment is a key contributor to these bans. Materials not explicitly about race, such as those depicting LBGTQ people or immigrants, are common censorship targets as well. Drawing on publicly available enrollment data and a novel dataset of book challenges, this piece analyzes demographic and segregation trends for U.S. public school districts for 2012–2022 to determine the extent to which these findings hold as censorship in public schools spreads, taking new forms. We present an analysis of the relationship among demographics, racial change, segregation, and book challenges nationwide.

Authors

• Erica Frankenberg, Pennsylvania State University

• Caprial E. Farrington, University of Georgia

• Sarah McCollum, University of Georgia

• Genevieve P. Siegel-Hawley, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Talia S. Leibovitz, University of California - Berkeley

• Elizabeth H. DeBray, University of Georgia

• Janelle T. Scott, University of California - Berkeley

• Kathryn A. McDermott, University of Massachusetts - Amherst