We Should Still Name Schools after People (Jonathan Zimmerman)

Jonathan Zimmerman is a historian of education at the University of Pennsylvania. This article appeared in the Dallas News March 28, 2026. I’m glad the Colts Neck, New Jersey, school board rejected a proposal last week to rename Conover Road Primary School after President Trump, who does not exude the qualities that I would like young people to emulate: curiosity, kindness and tolerance. Now I hope the board renames it after someone else. Not after a road. Or a creek. Or a hill. That’s been the trend for the past two decades or more. We’re afraid that naming schools after people will cause controversy, especially if we learn something unsavory about them. The safest move is to pick a local geographic feature, like a river or mountain, or just to name the school after your community. In Anytown, USA, kids can go to Anytown School. Yawn. The point of school is to learn. And when we decide to name schools after places rather than people, we forsake the chance to teach our students – and…