Walter Myers III

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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
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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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Group Of Elementary School Pupils Sitting On Floor Listening To Teacher
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Blacks Need High Quality Education, Not a DEI Agenda — Part 1

[Editor’s Note: This is Part One of a two-part article. Click to read Part Two: Blacks Need High-Quality Education, Not a DEI Agenda — Part 2.] John Deere, Harley-Davidson, Ford Motor Company, and other major corporations are backtracking on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and returning to hiring based on merit. Make no mistake. A work environment featuring diverse ideas and opinions is highly conducive to success. Similarly, it is important to have a work culture that includes all players on the team. But most often, DEI is focused on prioritizing race and sexual orientation over the applicable criteria of merit. This DEI agenda is problematic. Some people counter that the “E” in DEI implies a commitment to equitable outcomes in addition to equal opportunity. In other Read More ›

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Young students sitting on green grass field
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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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Schoolboy solving a problem on a blackboard.
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Could Singapore Math Be a Fix for U.S. Mathematics Education?

Over the past couple of decades, Singapore has consistently outranked international competition in mathematics. Meanwhile, the United States is sadly below average in mathematics, which is a critical area of education that drives success in STEM careers. Read More ›