Network Schools – Wayne Gerseny to https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/03/magazine/thomas-piketty-interview u w B l.html?h I’ll smid=url-share the Is for

Kate McGee’s Texas Tribune article published over the weekend does a good job of summarizing Texas’ law banning the instruction of “Critical Race Theory”, noting that the bill does more than banning “Critical Race Theory”. a limited to non-existent problem in the nation given that “Critical Race Theory” is no included in any textbook, state curriculum, or school district curriculum. The Texas bill also includes the following elements: 

=> A list of historic documents that must be taught: including “historical documents written by people of color and women” that Democrats added.

=> A list of topics that must be taught: including “the history of white supremacy, including but not limited to the institution of slavery, the eugenics movement, and the Ku Klux Klan, and the ways in which it is morally wrong.”, another add-on in response to the Democrats

=> A prohibition on getting extra credit for political activism, including lobbying legislators

=> A mandate on the instruction of current events, noting that it cannot be mandated and if it IS offered in the classroom teachers must “give deference to both sides.” 

=> An outright ban of using the NYTimes 1619 Project

And why is this necessary? 

Supporters… argue they are trying to combat personal biases bleeding into public education, pointing to a few individual instances in school districts across the state where parents have raised concerns.

Throughout legislative debates over the bill, they expressed concerns that teachers are unfairly blaming white people for historical wrongs and distorting the founding fathers’ accomplishments. In recent years, there have been calls for more transparency about historical figures’ racist beliefs or connections to slavery.

But the concluding paragraphs reveal the real motivation: 

“The specific references by Republicans to banning Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project make it clear that they want this to be a wedge issue for state and local political races,” said the Texas chapter of the American Federation of Teachers in a statement in late May. “The bill is part of a national movement by conservatives trying to sow a narrative of students being indoctrinated by teachers.

And thanks to the coordinated national effort to make Critical Race Theory an issue, the GOP is accomplishing their mission… for in the months ahead vigilant parents and “concerned community members” will be closely examining social studies lessons to find examples of teachers who are defying this law and bringing these issues to the forefront at school board meetings. If you don’ think this is the case, you haven’t been paying attention. 

Now might be the time to start….