DeSantis’ College Board victory only scratches the surface of higher education

Finally, the Republican Party is paying attention to what I like to call Big Education and the havoc its various aspects have wreaked on our country. For too long, Republicans have abdicated responsibility for this aspect of American life. Now we are all feeling the repercussions of their inaction.

Fortunately, thanks to one of the few silver linings of the Covid pandemic, some state executives are taking back the reins of education after realizing that public schools are promoting harmful ideologies instead of educating our youth. From Virginia Gov. Glenn Yonkin, who handily won a barely purple state campaign on education, to the teacher union boogey man himself – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Big Education is on the ropes.

Governor DeSantis’ latest fight against the College Board over an Advanced Placement course that pushes nearly every ideology under the sun shows that if you deliver the right message and stick to your guns, you can make real change. However, while this win is significant, it is not nearly a big enough dent to right the ship of education.

Related: Non-Binary God? The Church of England considers language in scriptures to be gender-neutral

What DeSantis won

Governor DeSantis went after the College Board’s push for Advanced Placement African American Studies courses in Florida schools. For those without children, Advanced Placement (AP) courses are classes you can take in high school that double as high school credit and college credit.

I have taken several of these. They helped me ace many of my prerequisites such as AP American History, AP Statistics, and AP Chemistry. The course in question, however, buried within it many controversial non-academic subjects such as Black Queer Studies.

“Nearly every now-dropped topic was filled with socialism, CRT, or some other radical viewpoint,” says scholar Stanley Kurtz, who summarized the changes Governor DeSantis was able to push through.

Mr. Kurtz listed the following specifics of the deleted materials:

  • Frantz Fanon’s Glorification of Violence – and Its Influence on Black Radicals in America
  • Black queer studies
  • CRT-based units call colorblindness racist
  • Unit plug compensation and gel dissolution

That syllabus doesn’t have a whole lot of history, but then again, it’s not a history class which is a problem in itself.

RELATED: Texas School District Drops Radical Sex Ed Curriculum After Parents Discover What’s Inside

What happened in history?

‘Study’ has become very popular in universities. For example, you can take classes in ‘Gender Studies’, ‘Studies in Feminism’ and now African American Studies.It is often thought that these courses are related to history classes when they have absolutely nothing to do with the study of history.

For example, the National Association of Scholars’ Peter Wood and David Randall state that “Not African American Studies [as the name suggests to the casual reader] An interdisciplinary study of African American history and culture. It is rather a pseudo-discipline devoted to myth-making and political activism.”

Ah, now to the real point of higher education, to mold and create a generation of workers.

They add that “African American Studies is not an intellectual discipline. It is a political project to advance a radical idea of ​​’Black Liberation’ based on assumptions of identity-group politics.”

This is the theme and goal of all ‘studies’ courses, not just African American Studies. Take a look at courses and syllabi for your college-age kids.

RELATED: DeSantis Admin Goes After Foundation’s Liquor License That Hosted ‘Drag Queen Christmas’ By Minors

a difficult task

This does not mean that all professors are bad or that they have some deep agenda to rewire the circuits of common sense and logic through your child’s brain. Some want to educate and help the next generation go out into the world and contribute to it in a meaningful way.

However, it’s a tough job these days, especially if you don’t fit into the ideological mold of the day. Take Erica Prater, who teaches art at Hamline University.

He lost his job after painstakingly ensuring that his students were prepared and able to look away if necessary before being shown a picture of the Prophet Muhammad. That didn’t stop an activist student from complaining and making sure Ms. Prater never taught at Hamline again.

Or take Elizabeth Weiss, an anthropology professor at San Jose State University who has been embroiled in a lawsuit in retaliation for her opposing views on repatriation. For those not pursuing repatriation, the idea is that Native Americans could claim bones and similar items and confiscate them for burial.

As an anthropologist, he would definitely love to study bones. However, her lawsuit claims her department chair threatened to stop her from teaching her views. Because God forbid, we challenge young adults to see conflicting arguments.

RELATED: Texas School District Drops Radical Sex Ed Curriculum After Parents Discover What’s Inside

Keep our eye on the ball

It is easy to find examples of the ideological frenzy awakened in our public schools from kindergarten through high school. However, it is difficult to root out the truth in colleges and universities.

We must not lose sight of these institutions, as they help shape our society’s future scientists, lawmakers, creators, and caregivers. There is hope, though, thanks to governors like Ron DeSantis.

“Academia, by and large, has really lost its way across the country,” DeSantis declared as he unveiled his new education plan.

Among other things, Gov. DeSantis has called for the disbanding of diversity equity and inclusion departments at universities, which I would argue should be disbanded in every industry. My all time favorite, though it needs teachers to provide quality education.

And what is it that the big bad Ron DeSantis wants? What she’s asking for, and what parents across the country are asking for, is curriculum “Focused on giving them the foundation so they can think for themselves.”

Unfortunately, that won’t be enough. A handful of state leaders cannot erase the deep rot of big education.

Perhaps we should follow in the UK’s footsteps. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced plans to appoint a ‘free speech czar’ to investigate universities that criticize academics for their views.

Until we get more lawmakers and policymakers to step up to the plate and rid our education system of ideological nonsense and protect the educators who seek to educate, we will have a nation full of brainwashed, unhappy activists.

Now is the time to support and share your sources of faith.
Ranked #3 on FeedSpot’s “100 Best Political Blogs and Websites” by The Political Insider.