 What if I told you you could easily increase students' chances of getting higher grades, graduating, and going to college? Well, you can. Let them study ethnic studies like black history. In one study, high schoolers scored higher on standardized tests after taking ethnic studies. Yeah, and another one shows ethnic studies increases attendance and graduation rates, but extremist policies are stopping this from happening. 18 states across the country now restrict teaching black history. Florida banned advanced placement black history classes and a school board in Missouri banned all black history and literature classes. Crazy because 76% of parents want public schools to teach about different cultures, identities, and perspectives. And teachers say students want to learn this as well. So why are we stopping students from reaching their full potential? Books shouldn't be banned or segregated away because they're about the black experience. Teachers shouldn't be forced to teach that enslaved African-Americans benefited from their enslavement. And parents shouldn't have to add teaching their kids the truth about history on top of everything else on their plates. Students deserve better because black history is US history.