California

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Arms raised in protest
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“Systems of Power”: CA Ethnic Studies Program Continues to Radicalize Students

Controversy has reared its head again in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) in California. The district recently convened a special board meeting to deliberate on its Ethnic Studies curriculum and the potential renewal of a contract with Community Responsive Education (CRE). As I reported last month, the State of California previously rejected the draft Ethnic Studies curriculum co-authored by CRE founder and director Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales, which was deemed to promote antisemitism and neo-Marxist ideology. Though the district’s multi-stage contract with CRE was canceled in 2023 amidst the controversy, Tintiangco-Cubales’s ideas live on. No wonder many are concerned that PVUSD is considering a renewed contract with CRE. The meeting made it clear that PVUSD was fully aware of the nature of CRE’s philosophy Read More ›

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A globe in a classroom
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How a New “Ethnic Studies” Curriculum Promotes Anti-Semitism in California

Since the October 7, 2023, massacre perpetrated on Israeli citizens by Hamas, with the subsequent response by Israel to declare war and enter the Gaza Strip to defeat Hamas, overt anti-Semitic sentiment has erupted on college campuses across America. Citing reports of “widespread antisemitic harassment,” the U.S. Department of Education is now actively investigating 60 institutions of higher learning. Unfortunately, anti-Semitism is also playing out in K-12 education, particularly in a number of Northern California school districts like Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD), Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD), and Menlo Park City School District (MPCSD). These and other districts are embroiled in controversy over California’s Ethnic Studies curriculum mandate. Many Californians are aware that in October 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom Read More ›

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African american young male teacher teaching african american elementary girl on wheelchair in class
Image Credit: wavebreak3 - Adobe Stock

Blacks Need High-Quality Education, Not a DEI Agenda — Part 2

To increase the supply of quality black professional candidates, the focus should be on high-quality education, not equity. Specifically, the black community needs to improve the black college graduation rate, which will first require us to address the poor state of K-12 education. So how do we go about fixing a broken K-12 public education system? Read More ›
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Young students sitting on green grass field
Image Credit: Gustavo Fring - Pexels

A Remedy for California’s Destructive Ethnic Studies Curriculum

The state of California passed a law in 2021 requiring all students graduating from high school in the 2029-2030 school year to take at least one semester of ethnic studies. The intent, per the state’s California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, is to encourage cultural understanding of the struggles of equality, equity, justice, racism, ethnicity, and bigotry that have been prevalent throughout the history of America. Even though the state offers a model curriculum, it allows school districts to develop their own curriculum, or they can adopt an existing ethnic studies course. The Independent Institute’s Center for Education Excellence, led by Dr. Williamson Evers, has created the turnkey Comparative Cultures Ethnic Studies curriculum that school boards can evaluate and adopt. It stands in relation to another alternative, Read More ›

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Smiling mother shopping school supplies at store.
Image Credit: Drazen - Adobe Stock

Irresponsible School Districts Force Teachers to Create Amazon Wish Lists

For several weeks, social media has been flooded by teachers' posts with Amazon wish lists, soliciting others to stock their classrooms with basic supplies. This raises an obvious question: Why aren't school districts providing teachers what they need? Read More ›
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concept of family. father and child daughter outdoors
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Families With Schoolchildren Should Flee California

Last week, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 1955, which blocks schools from requiring faculty and staff to notify parents and legal guardians when their minor child attempts to change his or her "gender identity" from that of their born biological sex. Read More ›
Young beautiful teacher woman wearing sweater and glasses sitting on desk at kindergarten asking to be quiet with finger on lips. Silence and secret concept.
Young beautiful teacher woman wearing sweater and glasses sitting on desk at kindergarten asking to be quiet with finger on lips. Silence and secret concept.
Licensed via Adobe Stock

New California Law Prohibits Schools from Telling Parents Their Child Is Trans

Political progressives apparently think that school administrators and teachers should have a greater say than parents in the raising and treatment of children experiencing gender dysphoria. How else to explain Governor Gavin Newsom's signing A.B. 1955, an authoritarian law that forces schools to leave parents in the dark if their child identifies as the opposite sex or presents other issues around sexual identity and orientation. Read More ›
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A children’s protest in which a girl speaks through a megaphone giving a message of non-violence at a demonstration for peace and the eradication of conflicts,copy space
Photo by SnapVault on Adobe Stock

Public School District Spent Quarter of a Million Dollars on ‘Woke Kindergarten’ Teacher Training

Instead of effectively equipping educators to teach students to read and do basic math, the Hayward Unified School District in the Bay Area of California reportedly spent $250,000 on ‘Woke Kindergarten’ teacher training. Read More ›
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Row of blue school lockers
Row of blue school lockers

Tackling Misconceptions About Charter Schools

What many don’t understand is that charter schools are public schools – funded by federal and state funds – but privately run. The advantage of charter schools is that they are exempt from state and local regulations to a substantial degree, giving them the flexibility and autonomy to innovate and meet the needs of students. Read More ›