In early April 2015, an informal group of academic historians met to discuss concerns about the College Board’s recent overhaul of its Advanced Placement U.S. History (APUSH) standards. That group decided to draft a public letter opposing the new APUSH, and to present the letter to fellow historians for additional endorsements.
The National Association of Scholars welcomes the initiative of this ad hoc group and we are pleased to provide its supporters a place to post the letter for public access.
The group welcomes the support of other academic historians, as well as scholars in closely allied disciplines and independent scholars who have an established record of relevant publication. To be considered as an additional signatory, please write to: [email protected]. Please identify yourself fully by title, institutional affiliation, email address, and telephone number.
Please note that while the National Association of Scholars is providing logistical support for this initiative, NAS is neither the author of nor a signatory to the letter.
The College Board has announced that it will issue a revision of the new APUSH in summer 2015. The criticisms expressed in this letter may or may not be answered by those revisions. In light of both the continuing controversy over APUSH and the likelihood that APUSH will continue to evolve in response to criticisms, we at NAS believe we can best serve the larger cause of upholding high academic standards by providing a place where reasoned and civil consideration of dissent from the College Board’s work can be publicly presented.
Those wishing to post to the NAS website further thoughtful critiques or defenses of APUSH should inquire at [email protected].
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