Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Right's War on Education Is Reaching Dystopian Levels
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/07/the-rights-war-on-education-is-reaching-dystopian-levelsCritical Race Theory
The Rights War on Education Is Reaching Dystopian Levels
AFT president Randi Weingarten is vowing to protect members targeted for teaching honest history amid GOP efforts to restrict how race and racism is taught and as Fox host Tucker Carlson calls for cameras in the classroom.
By Charlotte Klein
July 7, 2021
The head of the countrys second largest teachers union ripped conservatives on Tuesday, calling the rights ongoing panic about critical race theory a flagrant attempt to stop us from teaching students accurate history and pledging to take legal action to protect teachers impacted by such efforts. Culture warriors are labeling any discussion of race, racism or discrimination as [critical race theory] to try to make it toxic, American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten said in a virtual speech to union members, according to the Washington Post.
Republican advocates and lawmakers have weaponized critical race theorythe academic movement positioning race and racism as embedded in U.S. institutionsin their crusade to shape the discussion of national history in classrooms. As Weingarten noted, critical race theory is not taught in American elementary, middle, or high schoolsthe actual concept, as opposed to whatever it is conservatives have confused it with, is only taught in law school and college. But Republican-led legislatures have in recent months passed bans on critical race theory or related issues in at least five states, according to the Post, and dozens more are mounting similar legislative efforts. The AFT has a legal-defense fund ready to go and is prepared to protect any member who gets in trouble for teaching honest history, Weingarten said Tuesday, adding that the organization is preparing for litigation [to counter these laws] as we speak.
By tapping into GOP voters fear that children are being indoctrinated by left-wing fanaticsparticularly amid increased racial equity work in schoolsright-wing media figures have found a new bogeyman. Arguably no culture warrior has done so more than Tucker Carlson, the Fox News opinion host who on Tuesday continued to fan the flames around something that their children are likely not even being taught. We cant know exactly how widespread the teaching of this civilization-ending poison is until we finally get cameras in the classroom to oversee the people teaching your children, forming their minds, Carlson told viewers. For months, the right-wing cable personality has amplified the ridiculous claim that anti-racism teaching is grounded in the demonization of white people, and continued to do so on Tuesday: The overwhelming majority of Americans think this is insane. They think you should judge people by what they do, not on the basis of their skin color.
The approach comes at a cost, Weingarten notes. We want our kids to have an education that imparts honesty about who we are, she said, and the new laws limiting how educators discuss racism knock a big hole in that understanding. We want to raise young people who can understand facts, study the truth, examine diverse perspectives and draw their own conclusions, she said. Weingartens opposition is bolstered by the National Education Associationthe other national teachers union, and the countrys largestwhose delegates recently approved a $56,500 measure to research the organizations attacking educators doing anti-racist work. That was one of several measures passed at last weeks virtual representative assembly; another was a $127,600 effort that involves the NEA putting out information about what [critical race theory] is and what it is not and attesting that it is reasonable and appropriate for curriculum to be informed by the school of thought.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
0 replies, 750 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (16)
ReplyReply to this post