A Missouri school district has run afoul of some parents for teaching children to identify when historical events occurred by the designations ”C.E.” (Common Era) and “B.C.E.” (Before Common Era) in addition to the traditional B.C. and A.D. The numbers don’t change one way or the other. It’s equally accurate to say Julius Caesar was murdered in 44 B.C. or 44 B.C.E. Still, some parents in the Rockwood School District have objected to the use of C.E. and B.C.E,. which they see as a move toward secularization.
In a post on his blog, District Superintendent Craig Larson argues that the schools aren’t favoring one over the other, but both have begun appearing in textbooks and other publications. Students, he sensibly argues, need to be aware of both designations “so they are literate when they encounter either notation.”
The best advice we can give to social studies teachers is: Help students understand the dating systems they may encounter in whatever source document they may be using. Rockwood teachers do explain the origins and meaning of BC (Before Christ) and AD (Latin phrase, Anno Domini, meaning “in the year of our Lord”) as appropriate, so students understand why BC and AD are in use. We certainly realize that even in our global world, BC and AD are used as the primary dating system.
I’m not aware that C.E. and B.C.E have gained a lot of traction at the K-8 level, but Larson’s argument sounds right to me. Kids should be familiar with both.

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