Republican Assault on Public Education (2 Viewers)

[MT15]

This probably needs its own thread. It ties in with a lot of different R culture wars: Attacks on universities, attacks on CRT and “woke”. Classifying teachers and librarians as “groomers”. Pushing vouchers to send tax money to private, often religious, schools. Betsy DeVos was an advocate for all these policies that will weaken public education, and there are several billionaires who also want to dismantle public education. Public education may have its faults, but it is responsible for an amazing amount of upward mobility. Kids from poor areas can still get a college prep education in a public school.

Vouchers (sometimes disguised as “school choice”) are a particular peeve of mine. Public money is diverted from poor schools to wealthy private schools, which aren’t required to offer accommodations for special needs or challenged students. Families with special needs kids are left out. Rural areas often suffer disproportionately because there are no private schools to attend, but their public schools still see the reduction in funding. Often the families who take advantage of the voucher money are upper class and the private schools simply raise tuition knowing the families are getting taxpayer money now.

Greg Abbot is being particularly vile in this area. No surprise. Voters will have to make a statement about public education. If we want to halt the growing divide in this country between the “haves” and “have-nots”, we need to pay attention to public education.

 

[LA - L.A.]

How do these crazy people get put into these positions? The lady from SC is just as crazy as this guy. It’s an all out war on education from the GOP at this point.

It's definitely a war on education, but it's also a war against true religious freedom for all.

The corpo-christo-faciscist seem awfully confident that they will be in control of everything come Jan 20th, 2025, or they have a really bad case of OCD fueled hubris.

Either way, I like that they're leaping from the shadows and taking off their masks. I hope they keep doing it all the way to election day and that they keep hold-my-beer'ing each other.

I think the majority of voters will have a lot more fear of who these guys really are, than they will fear that Biden is too old and frail.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Donald Trump wants to shut down the US Department of Education, saying at recent rallies that it should be disbanded to “move everything back to the states where it belongs”.

The idea of dismantling the education department has become increasingly mainstream, though it’s nearly as old as the department itself, which was created by Congress as a cabinet-level agency in 1979. Trump made similar promises on the 2016 campaign trail to either cut or hobble the department.

Eliminating it would require Congress to act, which could be an impossible feat, though several of Trump and his allies’ policy goals on education could be accomplished through presidential actions.


Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s rightwing manifesto for a potential incoming Trump administration, lays out how dismantling the federal education department would work, leaving behind, if anything, a husk focused solely as a “statistics-gathering agency that disseminates information to the states”, writes Lindsey Burke, the author of the education chapter and leader of Heritage’s education policy center.

The department’s elimination is one of many goals contained in the extensive conservative playbook that will inform a second Trump term. Project 2025 calls for privatizing education and driving out any programs related to LGBTQ+ youth or diversity.

“This playbook actually goes into detail that we’ve never seen before,” said Weadé James, senior director for K-12 policy at the Center for American Progress. It would have profound implications on civil rights, school funding and students’ progress – not to mention on the fate of public schools, she said.…….

During a speech to a “faith and freedom” conference this week, Trump railed against education rankings and spending, saying the US performs poorly despite money spent on students. Some states could do better without federal intervention, he said.


“We’ll cut our budget in half and not everybody’s going to be great,” he said. “I mean, [California governor] Gavin Newsom will not do a good job with education, so I don’t expect that out of him. And I don’t expect it out of certain other people … But many of the states, I would say 40 of the 50 states will do much better. And I’ll bet you 30 of the states will be phenomenal.”

Trump tells voters on his campaign site a few ways he would manage education:

• Cut federal funding for schools that are “pushing critical race theory or gender ideology on our children” and open civil rights investigations into them for race-based discrimination.
• End access for trans youth to sports.
• Create a body that will certify teachers who “embrace patriotic values”.
• Reward districts that get rid of teacher tenure.
• Adopt a parents’ bill of rights.
• Implement direct elections of school principals by parents.……

Project 2025 posits various ways to put states in control of programs the federal government now funds and manages. Instead of directing how funds should be used, it generally says states should be given money with no strings attached to spend on “any lawful education purpose under state law”.


These “block grants” often receive pushback. And when states receive set amounts rather than funds based on specific needs, they can often fall short.

The project proposes phasing out one major program, Title I, over a 10-year period. The $18bn funding source supports low-income students. Instead, the project says states “should assume decision-making control over how to provide a quality education to children from low-income families”.

“Phasing that out is going to be very detrimental to that population of students who are already vulnerable for many reasons,” James said.

The Heritage Foundation also wants to eliminate Head Start, a program that funds early childhood education for low-income families, because it is “fraught with scandal and abuse”, according to a chapter on the Department of Health and Human Services. The Center for American Progress says in a new report that eliminating Head Start would reduce access and increase costs for childcare, hurting economic stability.……

Trump and Project 2025 are attacking the Department of Education. How might they reshape US schools?

The rightwing manifesto proposes hobbling it, but the ex-president wants to abolish the department completely

www.theguardian.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

EXCLUSIVE — Oklahoma’s top education official is overhauling the state’s social studies curriculum to emphasize American exceptionalism to combat what he says is left-wing messaging that teaches children to “hate America.”

In a document obtained by the Washington Examiner, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters announced a “complete overhaul” to the curriculum with the goal to “inspire in students a love of country and a proper understanding of the American founding,” as well as completely eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion ideology from schools.

“Teacher’s unions have been rewriting history, teaching students to hate America. But not under my watch,” Walters told the Washington Examiner. “Our goal is to give Oklahoma students an education that focuses on history, not indoctrination. The executive committee that we’ve assembled are experts in American exceptionalism, our Founding Fathers, and historical documents like the Bible. These things are essential to understanding our history.”...............

Oklahoma superintendent overhauls curriculum to emphasize American exceptionalism - Washington Examiner

Oklahoma's top education official is overhauling the state's social studies curriculum to emphasize American exceptionalism.

www.washingtonexaminer.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — National Republicans are poised to support “universal school choice” as part of the policy platform they adopt at next week’s convention in Milwaukee, a goal supporters see as the culmination of decades advocating for parents’ autonomy to pick their children’s schools. To opponents, it's a thinly veiled blueprint for gutting public education.

The term can mean different things to different people — from erasing school boundaries, to open enrollment, to being able to curate your child’s individual curriculum, to parental control over K-12 course content.

But education experts across the political spectrum interpret the GOP platform’s wording as favoring the type of approach adopted in states like West Virginia and Ohio, which make available taxpayer-funded vouchers, or scholarships, that can follow a child regardless of income to any public or private school.

“In our way of thinking, this is kind of your money, your children and your choice for where they want to go to school,” said Lisa B. Nelson, CEO of the American Legislative Exchange Council, which launched an Education Freedom Alliance in January to fight for just that. About a dozen states now have such programs, and proposals are in play in another 16, according to the alliance.

Nelson said this is the first time the GOP platform has gone beyond merely supporting school choice to calling for it as a universal option. It remains unclear how that would come to pass, given the platform also calls for shuttering the U.S. Department of Education, founded in 1979, and sending education policy-making “back to the States, where it belongs.”

Republican Donald Trump’s presidential campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the platform.

“Republicans believe families should be empowered to choose the best Education for their children,” the platform says.

James Singer, a spokesperson for President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign, said eliminating the department — which oversees Head Start, administers college financial aid programs, conducts education research and enforces civil rights laws — “isn’t just bad policy, it would rip vital support away from our most vulnerable children, leaving them less likely to graduate from high school or attend college.”

Chad Aldis, vice president for Ohio policy at the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute, said declaring universal school choice as a policy goal and carrying it out are two very different things..............

The GOP platform calls for 'universal school choice.' What would that mean for students?

National Republicans are poised to take up a platform next week that includes “universal school choice.”

apnews.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

A federal judge blocked Louisiana from posting the Ten Commandments in public schools until November after parents from five districts sued the state over the law.

In a brief ruling Friday, district court judge John deGravelles said that the parents and the state agreed that the Ten Commandments will not be posted in any public school classroom before 15 November. The state also agreed to not “promulgate advice, rules or regulations regarding proper implementation of the challenged statute”.

The state’s Republican governor, Jeff Landry, signed into law last month a bill that requires all classrooms, in K-12 public schools and colleges, to have Ten Commandments posters with “large, easily readable font”. The state is also requiring a four-paragraph “context statement” about how the commandments “were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries”.


Soon after the bill was signed, a coalition of parents, supported by the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups, sued the state saying the bill violates the first amendment.

The bill “unconstitutionally pressures students into religious observance, veneration and adoption of the state’s favored religious scripture”, the lawsuit reads.

The state gave schools a deadline of 1 January to put the posters up and said the deadline had not been affected by the lawsuit.……

Federal judge delays posting of Ten Commandments in Louisiana public schools

Judge pushed enactment of law to display religious code until November in response to parents’ suit

www.theguardian.com

 

[Saint Jack]

In my opinion, it’s the same fight that was happening when I was in middle/high school during the early and mid 00s.
The more people learn, the more they turn away from religion and move out of that conservative state or to the largely liberal big city in that state.

 

[Optimus Prime]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s top education official ordered public schools Thursday to incorporate the Bible into lessons for grades 5 through 12, the latest effort by conservatives to incorporate religion into classrooms.

The directive sent Thursday to superintendents across the state by Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters says adherence to the mandate is compulsory and “immediate and strict compliance is expected.”

“The Bible is an indispensable historical and cultural touchstone,” Walters said in a statement. “Without basic knowledge of it, Oklahoma students are unable to properly contextualize the foundation of our nation which is why Oklahoma educational standards provide for its instruction.”

The directive is the latest effort by conservative-led states to target public schools: Louisiana required them to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms, while others are under pressure to teach the Bible and ban books and lessons about race, sexual orientation and gender identity. Earlier this week the Oklahoma Supreme Court blocked an attempt by the state to have the first publicly funded religious charter school in the country.


A former public school teacher who was elected to his post in 2022, Walters ran on a platform of fighting “woke ideology,” banning books from school libraries and getting rid of “radical leftists” who he claims are indoctrinating children in classrooms……..

Oklahoma state superintendent orders schools to teach the Bible in grades 5 through 12

Oklahoma's top education official is ordering public schools to incorporate the Bible into lessons for grades 5 through 12.

apnews.com

Oklahoma on Wednesday released guidance to school districts on how to add the Bible into lessons plans, a move that the state mandated last month.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters wrote in the guidance that teachers should focus on the Bible’s historical, literary, artistic and musical influences.

“The radical leftist mob has tried to rewrite history in Oklahoma,” Walters told The Washington Examiner, which first obtained the new guidelines. “It stops today, and Oklahoma schools will refocus our kids’ education so they know the value of the bible in its historical context. The woke radicals will not like it. They will not believe it. However, they will teach it in Oklahoma.”

The guidance focused on how the Bible impacted Western civilization and how it should be introduced for different age groups.

For high school, ethical and philosophical discussions are allowed, while fifth graders are looking at narrative elements and literary devices in regards to biblical text and context.

“The Bible is indispensable in understanding the development of Western civilization and American history,” said Walters. “To ensure our students are equipped to understand and contextualize our nation, its culture, and its founding, every student in Oklahoma will be taught the Bible in its historical, cultural, and literary context. As we implement these standards, our schools will maintain open communication with parents to make sure they are fully informed and full partners in their kids’ education.”

Walters said the guidance is mandatory despite some teachers vowing not to include the Bible in their lesson plans.

The letter does include a section on legality and how to teach the Bible in what it calls a religion-neutral way, adding that teachers need to be inclusive of students with other beliefs.

“By not promoting any religious beliefs, these guidelines ensure that the curriculum remains inclusive and respectful of all backgrounds and beliefs. The focus remains firmly on the educational and secular benefits of literacy and background knowledge rather than religious indoctrination,” the guidance said.

The mandate is still likely to be challenged in court as opponents argue it is a flagrant violation of the separation of church and state.

“The goal of all of these strategies is to assert Christian favor and privilege in America and to fight democracy’s steady march towards equality for all. It’s very much a backlash to all the progress that our society has made in recent times towards LGBTQ equality, towards women’s equality, towards racial equality and Black and brown equality,” Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, previously told The Hill...................

https://thehill.com/homenews/education/4791048-woke-radicals-oklahoma-bible-classrooms-schools-ten-commandments-church-and-state/

 

[bird]

Oklahoma on Wednesday released guidance to school districts on how to add the Bible into lessons plans, a move that the state mandated last month.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters wrote in the guidance that teachers should focus on the Bible’s historical, literary, artistic and musical influences.

“The radical leftist mob has tried to rewrite history in Oklahoma,” Walters told The Washington Examiner, which first obtained the new guidelines. “It stops today, and Oklahoma schools will refocus our kids’ education so they know the value of the bible in its historical context. The woke radicals will not like it. They will not believe it. However, they will teach it in Oklahoma.”

The guidance focused on how the Bible impacted Western civilization and how it should be introduced for different age groups.

For high school, ethical and philosophical discussions are allowed, while fifth graders are looking at narrative elements and literary devices in regards to biblical text and context.

“The Bible is indispensable in understanding the development of Western civilization and American history,” said Walters. “To ensure our students are equipped to understand and contextualize our nation, its culture, and its founding, every student in Oklahoma will be taught the Bible in its historical, cultural, and literary context. As we implement these standards, our schools will maintain open communication with parents to make sure they are fully informed and full partners in their kids’ education.”

Walters said the guidance is mandatory despite some teachers vowing not to include the Bible in their lesson plans.

The letter does include a section on legality and how to teach the Bible in what it calls a religion-neutral way, adding that teachers need to be inclusive of students with other beliefs.

“By not promoting any religious beliefs, these guidelines ensure that the curriculum remains inclusive and respectful of all backgrounds and beliefs. The focus remains firmly on the educational and secular benefits of literacy and background knowledge rather than religious indoctrination,” the guidance said.

The mandate is still likely to be challenged in court as opponents argue it is a flagrant violation of the separation of church and state.

“The goal of all of these strategies is to assert Christian favor and privilege in America and to fight democracy’s steady march towards equality for all. It’s very much a backlash to all the progress that our society has made in recent times towards LGBTQ equality, towards women’s equality, towards racial equality and Black and brown equality,” Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, previously told The Hill...................

https://thehill.com/homenews/education/4791048-woke-radicals-oklahoma-bible-classrooms-schools-ten-commandments-church-and-state/

Here’s an idea. Teach the Q’uran and the Talmud as well. If the RW religionists don’t think that those played a role in America then they are delusional. I would also add the so-called Jefferson Bible.

 

[coldseat]

EXCLUSIVE — Oklahoma’s top education official is overhauling the state’s social studies curriculum to emphasize American exceptionalism to combat what he says is left-wing messaging that teaches children to “hate America.”

In a document obtained by the Washington Examiner, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters announced a “complete overhaul” to the curriculum with the goal to “inspire in students a love of country and a proper understanding of the American founding,” as well as completely eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion ideology from schools.

“Teacher’s unions have been rewriting history, teaching students to hate America. But not under my watch,” Walters told the Washington Examiner. “Our goal is to give Oklahoma students an education that focuses on history, not indoctrination. The executive committee that we’ve assembled are experts in American exceptionalism, our Founding Fathers, and historical documents like the Bible. These things are essential to understanding our history.”...............

Oklahoma superintendent overhauls curriculum to emphasize American exceptionalism - Washington Examiner

Oklahoma's top education official is overhauling the state's social studies curriculum to emphasize American exceptionalism.

www.washingtonexaminer.com

He really hates teachers, huh. Great superintendent ... .

 

[Sharon]

He really hates teachers, huh. Great superintendent ... .

Or he really loves lawyers. That's what taxpayer dollars are for! Put those lawyers to work! Make up stuff if you have to, no matter how ridiculously wrong you know it is.

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

Oklahoma on Wednesday released guidance to school districts on how to add the Bible into lessons plans, a move that the state mandated last month.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters wrote in the guidance that teachers should focus on the Bible’s historical, literary, artistic and musical influences.

“The radical leftist mob has tried to rewrite history in Oklahoma,” Walters told The Washington Examiner, which first obtained the new guidelines. “It stops today, and Oklahoma schools will refocus our kids’ education so they know the value of the bible in its historical context. The woke radicals will not like it. They will not believe it. However, they will teach it in Oklahoma.”

Oklahoma, of all places, want to take this stance? I'm certain their role in creating this nation and the role religious fanatics played in "educating" natives will be omitted from their curriculum.

 

[Optimus Prime]

this dude is 100% all in on this
==================

An Oklahoma education leader's directive to incorporate the Bible into public school curriculum is facing resistance from several districts.

At least eight large districts across Oklahoma are opposing the mandate, USA Today reported, which has sparked both criticism and support.

Speaking on "Fox & Friends Weekend," on Saturday, the state's Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters addressed the dissenting districts. "I'm going to tell these woke administrators, if they're going to break the law and not teach it, they can go to California," he said. "Here in Oklahoma schools, we're going to make sure that history is taught."

He added that the district was providing teachers with the necessary resources to teach concepts that he believes have been excluded by left-leaning influences. Walters said guidelines were issued to ensure that every teacher understands what is expected.

"We want our kids here in Oklahoma to understand American history better than any in the country, and we're laying out a roadmap for every state to follow," he added.

According to the directive, Oklahoma educators are expected to integrate the Bible into lessons concerning its impact on U.S. history and the founding fathers, as well as its impact on Western culture today, such as human rights or the law. Additionally, each classroom will be required to have a Bible for instructional purposes.

Walters said the initiative has widespread support from parents across the state. "When I ran three years ago, they were crystal clear. Why in the world are we not teaching our kids that our rights came from God? Why in the world are we not referencing all these unbelievable moments in American history where the Bible was cited? It is absolutely part of our history," he told Fox & Friends.

A number of public schools have told parents they will not be changing the curriculum. Rep. Cyndi Munson of Oklahoma previously told USA Today that Walters had no authority to implement the directive.

"This is nothing more than an attempt to strip Oklahomans of their religious freedom. The state superintendent can say this Bible mandate is not for religious purposes all he wants, but his unlawful, unfunded mandate and clear disregard for the legislative process says otherwise," she told the outlet............

MSN

 

[Optimus Prime]

Posters of the 10 commandments for Louisiana

"They have MLK, RBG and Hamilton on them! Try to criticize that libs!"

 

[MT15]

Posters of the 10 commandments for Louisiana

"They have MLK, RBG and Hamilton on them! Try to criticize that libs!"

This seems … embarrassing? Is that the right word?

 

[cuddlemonkey]

This seems … embarrassing? Is that the right word?

Cringe?

 

[MT15]

Cringe?

Yup, that was what I was looking for - nailed it!

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

This seems … embarrassing? Is that the right word?

Cease and Desist - Lin Manuel Miranda

 

[GrandAdmiral]

This seems … embarrassing? Is that the right word?

I got a word (or a few), but I might get put in timeout.