Are we being educated or simply schooled? Revisiting Carter G. Woodson’s The Mis-Education of the Negro

In 1933, American historian and educator Carter G. Woodson published The Mis-Education of the Negro, a book that challenged the purpose and direction of education among Black people in America. More than 90 years later, Woodson’s argument still raises an important question for students: Are we being educated to think, or simply trained to follow?

Woodson, who is widely recognised for his contribution to the study of Black history, believed education should do more than prepare people for examinations or employment. He saw education as a tool for developing independent thinkers who could understand their history, recognise their circumstances and contribute to the development of their communities. The Library of Congress describes Woodson as someone who viewed education as a catalyst for social action and an agent of social change. His best-known book, The Mis-Education of the Negro, was originally published in 1933. (Library of Congress)

At the heart of Woodson’s argument was his criticism of an educational system that, in his view, could teach Black students to value knowledge and standards developed outside their own historical and cultural experiences while neglecting their own history. He was not arguing against education itself. Rather, he questioned an education that failed to develop self-awareness, critical thinking and a sense of responsibility to one’s community.

This distinction between education and schooling remains relevant today. A student can spend years in classrooms, pass examinations and obtain a degree without necessarily developing the ability to question information, solve problems creatively or understand the society around them. In such a situation, academic achievement may exist without meaningful education.

For many students, the pressure to succeed academically can make education feel like a race. Grades, certificates, internships and employment opportunities are important, but they should not become the only measures of learning. A university education should also encourage students to ask questions: Why is society the way it is? Whose ideas dominate what we learn? How can what we have learned be applied to problems around us?

Woodson placed particular importance on history. He believed that understanding Black history could strengthen confidence and challenge ideas of racial inferiority. His commitment to this cause was reflected in his establishment of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915 and the launch of Negro History Week in 1926, which later developed into Black History Month. (Library of Congress)

His emphasis on history is especially worth considering in African societies. Students may know more about events, personalities and cultures from other parts of the world than they know about their own communities. This does not mean foreign knowledge is unimportant. Rather, it raises the question of whether education should provide a balance between global knowledge and a strong understanding of local history, culture and social realities.

Woodson’s argument can also be connected to the digital age. Students today have access to an enormous amount of information through social media, search engines and online platforms. But access to information does not automatically produce knowledge. Without critical thinking, students can easily accept misleading information simply because it is popular, widely shared or presented confidently.

This makes the ability to question information increasingly important. Education should not only teach students what to think about, but also how to think. The educated person should be able to examine different perspectives, identify weak arguments, investigate evidence and form independent conclusions.

However, Woodson’s work should also be understood within the historical circumstances in which it was written. He was writing in an era when racial discrimination and unequal educational opportunities profoundly shaped the experiences of Black Americans. His criticism was therefore directed at specific social and educational conditions of his time. Yet the broader question he raised about the purpose of education extends beyond that historical setting.

More than nine decades after its publication, The Mis-Education of the Negro remains a useful text for thinking about education, identity and intellectual independence. Its greatest challenge to today’s student may not be about rejecting formal education, but about demanding more from it.

A certificate may show that someone completed a programme, but education should leave something deeper: the ability to think independently, understand one’s society and use knowledge to make a meaningful contribution to it. Perhaps, then, the real question is not whether we are going to school, but whether we are truly being educated.