U.S. Education Department urges K‑12 schools to teach history of communism
On Oct 6 2026, the U.S. Department of Education announced a new push for K‑12 schools to teach the historical consequences of communist and socialist regimes.
Secretary Linda McMahon said the guidance comes as a Gallup poll released Sept 23 showed 43 percent of Americans holding a positive view of socialism, the highest level since 2010. She argued that students need to learn about “the devastating human consequences of communist and socialist regimes” to better appreciate freedom and individual liberty.
“At a time when young Americans are expressing positive impressions of socialism in record numbers, it is more important than ever for students to learn and understand the devastating human consequences of communist and socialist regimes,” McMahon said.
The department’s letter, issued Sept 30 ahead of the 10th U.S. National Day for the Victims of Communism on Nov 7, urges schools to provide historical context that includes political repression, economic failures and suppression of dissent. It cites the Ukrainian Holodomor, China’s Great Leap Forward, Cambodia’s Killing Fields and Soviet gulags, collectively accounting for more than 100 million deaths.
Florida has already mandated that public schools dedicate instruction to communist history beginning in the 2026‑27 school year, covering domestic movements, atrocities, the Cultural Revolution, mass killings and the spread of communist ideology in Latin America. The state also requires at least 45 minutes of instruction on figures such as Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro, Vladimir Lenin, Pol Pot and Nicolás Maduro.
Other states—Arkansas, Arizona, Tennessee and Texas—have enacted similar requirements, and the federal guidance stresses that it does not prescribe a specific curriculum, only that educators compare communist and socialist systems with the principles established by America’s founders.
The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation welcomed the call, noting its own teacher‑training course and classroom materials aimed at illustrating the “evil ideology” of communism. The foundation highlighted partnerships with state education departments, including Florida and Arizona, to integrate its resources into public‑school classrooms.
University programs continue to offer Marxist‑focused courses and student organizations, prompting officials to stress the need for balanced instruction that counters the “siren song of Marxism.” The department plans to roll out supplemental teaching tools and professional‑development webinars in the coming months.
