Walter Myers III

Board of Directors, Discovery Institute

Walter is a Principal Engineering Manager leading a team of engineers, working with customers to drive their success in the Microsoft Azure Cloud. He holds a Master’s Degree in Philosophy from Biola University's Talbot School of Theology, where he is an adjunct faculty member in the Master of Arts in Science & Religion (MASR) program teaching on Darwinian evolution from a design-centric perspective. He is a former board member of the Lincoln Club of Orange County, where he served as Programs Chair from 2015-2018, fighting to reduce the power and scope of government, advocating for free markets, lower taxes, and more freedom for all. He is a regular contributor to the Discovery Institute Evolution News and Views website writing on parallels in the design of computer systems and biological organisms. Walter lives in sunny Southern California where he enjoys road biking and landscape/night photography when time permits.

Archives

Ethnic Studies: A Tale of Two California School Districts

In a state initiative with potential national implications, school districts across California are navigating the complexities of meeting the state’s looming Ethnic Studies requirement. This mandate, based on Assembly Bill 101 (AB 101) signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2021, stipulates that students graduating during the 2029–2030 school year must complete at least one semester of Ethnic Studies. California stands as the first state to enact such a requirement, aiming to ostensibly foster cultural understanding through core concepts of equality, equity, justice, and the study of race and ethnicity, as outlined in the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. As I reported previously here and here, the Northern California Pajaro

“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

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

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?

Blacks Need High Quality Education, Not a DEI Agenda — Part 1

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 words, equality of opportunity is insufficient — certain predetermined outcomes must

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

The Folly of Electric Vehicle Mandates and Subsidies

All-battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have been hailed as a breakthrough innovation that will end the reign of inefficient, emission-spewing gasoline-powered vehicles — in the same manner that gasoline-powered vehicles put the horse and buggy out to pasture at the turn of the last century.

Plug-in Hybrids Are the Future

If PHEVs were the preponderant vehicles, there would be no rush to build out an all-EV infrastructure, giving filling stations time to adjust and “right size” the number of fast chargers based on market demand rather than government mandates.

The Critical Turn: A Response to Stanley Kurtz’s “The Blue State Education Nightmare”

The most destructive thing that can be done is to teach children to disparage America by separating American citizens into categories of either oppressor or oppressed, and worse, telling children they are either one or the other. Parents across America must unite to end critical pedagogy in K-12 education, which is not only poisoning the minds of American youth, but also leading to the educational system failures we’re seeing in Rhode Island and other states who have adopted, in whole or in part, critical ideology in their schools.

AOC and a Day Without Fossil Fuels

Green New Deal Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls for an end to fossil fuels by 2035. Her desire to protect the earth for future generations is understandable, even laudable. But what she doesn’t seem to appreciate is that humans are here on earth with lives to live, and in using the resources the earth provides there will always be some level of impact on the planet.

The Case for Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles

All-electric battery vehicles (BEVs) have become all the rage, particularly with the political class, who see them as a magical means to combat climate change. We know, of course, there is no such thing as magic. But that won’t stop politicians from making proclamations, followed by policies that bring about bad, even destructive, results.

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.

The Need for Classical Education Beyond Charter Schools

A classical education, particularly within the context of charter schools, is the remedy for the failure of our current K-12 education system to produce well-rounded, well-educated individuals who exhibit true moral virtue and respect for others.