Opinion: Book Bans Harm Education. It’s Time for Educators to Stand Up.

This is an opinion piece that supports the READ campaign. Research has shown that banning books hinders students learning — so what can educators do to fight it?
By Alexandra Carcel | April 21, 2025

In the 2023-2024 school year alone, advocacy group PEN America identified 10,046 book bans across 29 states and 220 public school districts. The 2023-2024 school year contains the most bans on record, representing a 200% increase from the year before (“Banned in the USA”). This increase in book bans carries critical ramifications for education. Research has proven that book bans harm students by repressing diverse perspectives, limiting critical thinking, and making students less excited to read. We must acknowledge these adverse impacts and act. Here, I will outline three examples of the negative effects book bans can have while also providing resources for resisting them.

Book Bans Silence Diverse Perspectives and Limit Representation
One often acknowledged harm of book bans is that they hinder students’ access to diverse perspectives, preventing them from being exposed to new viewpoints. This exposure to varied viewpoints is especially vital to students who do not typically see themselves and their experiences reflected in literature, as Professor Alex Eble explained in the article What You Need to Know About the Book Bans Sweeping the U.S. from Teachers’ College at Columbia University. Eble states that “Books can change outcomes for students themselves when they see people who look like them represented” (“What You Need to Know”), arguing that “Not having equitable representation robs people of seeing the full wealth of the future that we all can inhabit.” In preventing this kind of representation from occurring, book bans adversely impact students’ exposure to the views of others, limiting their worldview and preventing critical representation and empowerment.

Book Bans Restrict Critical Thinking
Book bans also negatively impact critical thinking, preventing students from being exposed to diverse and complex views that prompt reflection and complex thought. As outlined in a post from American University’s School of Education, exposure to the “Controversial literature” (“How Book Banning Challenges Education”) that is often the target of bans “is vital in developing critical thinking skills, encouraging students to analyze complex themes, challenge societal norms, and engage in meaningful discussions.” However, the post also acknowledges that “Limiting access to such materials can lead to a homogenized worldview, stifling students’ ability to think independently and empathize with others” (“How Book Banning Challenges Education”). This creates a clear link between banning books and restricting students’ critical thinking. By preventing students from being exposed to controversial literature and forbidding them an environment to engage with it, their ability to think critically about the complex topics raised in such literature is hampered. This has negatively impacted their critical thinking overall.

Book Bans Diminish Students’ Engagement with Reading
It is also critical to acknowledge that book bans can damage students’ desires to engage with reading. One study by First Book Research & Insights surveyed 1,500 educators on the impact book bans have on learning, with 72% of educators “indicat[ing] that restricting book access decreases students’ engagement in reading” (“New First Book Study”). Beyond that, 78% of surveyed educators “reported that students are reading more when given the choice to read banned books” (“New First Book Study”). These figures show the harm banning books can have on students’ engagement with reading, impacting their learning and making them less excited to read.

So, What Can Educators Do to Help?
Because of their first-hand exposure to the harms of book bans, educators must get involved in the fight against them. PEN America outlines some key ways concerned citizens can get involved in opposing book bans, including contacting elected officials, voting in local elections, and supporting organizations that fight book bans (“5 Ways to Fight Book Bans”). Our advocacy group, READ More, also provides resources for educators in Florida, Alabama, and Texas (three states heavily impacted by book bans), helping them get involved through planned protests, teach-ins, and live panel discussions with authors whose books have been banned. By getting involved, educators can help protect the rights of students to read, crafting a future where students are free to read what they please.