School reading lists are stuck in the past, and I think clinging to those old classics is actively hurting students. Beyond a few timeless works, most of those required texts just don't speak to the issues kids face today. We should replace a big chunk of them with contemporary literature from diverse voices, which tends to hook readers way more than a 19th-century novel. That said, I'm not saying we ditch every classic, but the balance is off when a senior can graduate without ever reading a book written in this century.