Woke Distractions to Educating Our Youth - CRT Part 4 of Featured Series
A multiple choice question… Do you know the answer? Arizona’s public schools rank _____ nationally in overall performance: a) 1st b) 30th c) 23rd d) between 46th and 49th (depending on the source of information) The answer is d. That’s a failing grade and a sobering reality. Even more sobering are “woke” educational trends that distract from this reality. As discussed in my previous articles about CRT, SEL, DEI and CSHE, a radical agenda is afoot in our nation’s schools. Deceptively billed as “real history,” “social emotional learning,” “diversity,” and “sex ed,” components of this radical agenda have a few things in common: 1) They seek to divide our society
2) They seek to dissolve our young people’s patriotism 3) They seek to dismiss the central role of parents in their children’s education 4) They seek to DISTRACT us from finding solutions to problems
If you find yourself arguing with someone who extols the supposed benefits of teaching CRT, SEL, DEI and CSHE, be sure to refer them to this Newsweek article by Robert Woodson and Ian Rowe: Critical Race Theory Distracts from Widespread Academic Underachievement
Note Woodson and Rowe’s thesis sentence: “These efforts by politicians to push critical race theory distract from a real analysis of educational achievement in their states and cities. The real issue in American education is a failure to enable the majority of students—regardless of race—to achieve academic excellence or even, in many cases, basic skills.”
Proponents of CRT, SEL, DEI and CSHE often argue that these pedagogical approaches build a culture of inclusion that is conducive to better education. Tell them you want proof – in numbers. Demand hard data from well-executed and transparent studies.
Ask them if they’ve considered who really benefits from The CRT-Industrial Complex, as Clemson University Professor C. Bradley Thompson dubs this taxpayer-funded windfall for pushers of “woke” education. He writes: “In New York City, the city’s Department of Education recently spent $23 million – yes, that’s $23 million – on a mandatory ‘implicit bias’ training program for government-school educators…” “An ‘equity’ consultant hired by the city for $175,000 told teachers in a mandatory workshop that they must be prepared to disrupt and dismantle the systemic racism that defines American society.” “In … Fairfax County [VA], the superintendent of schools paid CRT proponent and ‘anti-racist’ author, Ibram Kendi, $20,000 for a sixty-miinute Zoom call with school staff.” Imagine how much that money might have helped children with reading, writing, and arithmetic difficulties. Instead, it's going into the pockets of subversive, self-interested grifters who want to undermine our children's future in America. Refer your friends to the two invaluable articles I’ve listed above, and then ask them this simple yes/no question: Do our children deserve better? a) yes b) no