Education Department Slashes $600 Million In Funding For ‘Social Justice Activism’ Teacher Training
The U.S. Department of Education announced Monday it cut over $600 million in grants spent on training teachers in “social justice activism,” critical race theory, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) ideology.
The grants were used to fund institutions and nonprofits involved in training teachers on concepts like “anti-racism” and claims about white privilege and white supremacy. The grants also helped fund discriminatory staff recruiting strategies that targeted candidates based on their race.
“It’s hard to overstate how radical these teacher trainings are — we are talking about forcing teachers to talk about their race at work, asking educators to ‘take personal and institutional responsibility for systemic inequities,’ promoting abolitionist teaching practices and defining equity as equal outcomes,” Erika Sanzi, director of outreach for Parents Defending Education, said in a press release. “And not for nothing but all we see are declining outcomes for the students that these trainings purport to help most.”
The Department of Education noted several of the trainings — meant for future classroom teachers — the grants funded, including “Requiring practitioners to take personal and institutional responsibility for systemic inequities (e.g., racism) and critically reassess their own practices,” and “Receiving professional development workshops and equity training on topics such as ‘Building Cultural Competence,’ ‘Dismantling Racial Bias’ and ‘Centering Equity in the Classroom.’” (Read more from “Education Department Slashes $600 Million In Funding For ‘Social Justice Activism’ Teacher Training” HERE)
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr
