The War on Education

[Isgrimnur]

UNT first Texas university to announce closure of DEI office after the passing of SB 17

The University of North Texas has formally announced the dismantling of its Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access Office following the passing of Senate Bill 17. It's the first Texas university to do so.

SB17 bans DEI programs from public universities and goes into effect in January 2024. As the bill made its way through the Texas House and Senate, some universities began to place their DEI programs on hold.

[malchior]

[Smoove_B]

I believe this story on national school chronic absenteeism belongs here:

Across the country, students have been absent at record rates since schools reopened during the pandemic. More than a quarter of students missed at least 10% of the 2021-22 school year, making them chronically absent, according to the most recent data available. Before the pandemic, only 15% of students missed that much school.

All told, an estimated 6.5 million additional students became chronically absent, according to the data, which was compiled by Stanford University education professor Thomas Dee in partnership with The Associated Press. Taken together, the data from 40 states and Washington, D.C., provides the most comprehensive accounting of absenteeism nationwide. Absences were more prevalent among Latino, Black and low-income students, according to Dee’s analysis.

...

In seven states, the rate of chronically absent kids doubled for the 2021-22 school year, from 2018-19, before the pandemic. Absences worsened in every state with available data — notably, the analysis found growth in chronic absenteeism did not correlate strongly with state COVID rates.

Kids are staying home for myriad reasons — finances, housing instability, illness, transportation issues, school staffing shortages, anxiety, depression, bullying and generally feeling unwelcome at school.

And the effects of online learning linger: School relationships have frayed, and after months at home, many parents and students don’t see the point of regular attendance.

It's almost like something happened that revealed there shouldn't be one single way to provide (and require) education for K-12 and once a different (but temporary) model was revealed, the insanity of the state of education in the United States was apparent.

[Smoove_B]

Totally normal:

On Monday, Arkansas Education Secretary Jacob Oliva sent letters to superintendents letting them know that because of suspicions the class may violate new state laws against indoctrination and critical race theory, teachers will have to submit lesson plans and course materials for inspection.

...

To assist public school employees, representatives, and guest speakers at your district in complying with the law, please submit all materials, including but not limited to the syllabus, textbooks, teacher resources, student resources, rubrics, and training materials, to the Department by 12:00 pm on September 8, 2023, along with your statement of assurance that the teaching of these materials will not violate Arkansas law or rule.

[hepcat]

I hear one bad word against the KKK and this school is closed!

- a post DeSantis world

[Unagi]

Totally normal:

On Monday, Arkansas Education Secretary Jacob Oliva sent letters to superintendents letting them know that because of suspicions the class may violate new state laws against indoctrination and critical race theory, teachers will have to submit lesson plans and course materials for inspection.

...

To assist public school employees, representatives, and guest speakers at your district in complying with the law, please submit all materials, including but not limited to the syllabus, textbooks, teacher resources, student resources, rubrics, and training materials, to the Department by 12:00 pm on September 8, 2023, along with your statement of assurance that the teaching of these materials will not violate Arkansas law or rule.

#DoNotComply

[LawBeefaroni]

Totally normal:

On Monday, Arkansas Education Secretary Jacob Oliva sent letters to superintendents letting them know that because of suspicions the class may violate new state laws against indoctrination and critical race theory, teachers will have to submit lesson plans and course materials for inspection.

...

To assist public school employees, representatives, and guest speakers at your district in complying with the law, please submit all materials, including but not limited to the syllabus, textbooks, teacher resources, student resources, rubrics, and training materials, to the Department by 12:00 pm on September 8, 2023, along with your statement of assurance that the teaching of these materials will not violate Arkansas law or rule.

#DoNotComply

It's no win. Don't comply and you'll get fired and replaced by someone who will.

[gilraen]

Teachers are already quitting in droves, and in many areas there aren't enough replacements. At the end of the day, it's the students that will suffer.

[Pyperkub]

I'll throw in Flori-duh censoring the Bard

Florida schools plan to use only excerpts from Shakespeare to avoid ‘raunchiness’

DeSantis law that clamps down on LGBTQ+and gender issues also says material sexual in nature should not be used in classes

[Blackhawk]

We've managed to create Victorian McCarthyism.

[Unagi]

Totally normal:

On Monday, Arkansas Education Secretary Jacob Oliva sent letters to superintendents letting them know that because of suspicions the class may violate new state laws against indoctrination and critical race theory, teachers will have to submit lesson plans and course materials for inspection.

...

To assist public school employees, representatives, and guest speakers at your district in complying with the law, please submit all materials, including but not limited to the syllabus, textbooks, teacher resources, student resources, rubrics, and training materials, to the Department by 12:00 pm on September 8, 2023, along with your statement of assurance that the teaching of these materials will not violate Arkansas law or rule.

#DoNotComply

It's no win. Don't comply and you'll get fired and replaced by someone who will.

Yeah, alas, I know - - I'm just trying to act out.

[The Meal]

Teachers are already quitting in droves, and in many areas there aren't enough replacements. At the end of the day, it's the students that will suffer.

I wonder which ideology benefits by an electorate without critical analysis skills?

[Smoove_B]

Oklahoma:

Since Ryan Walters was sworn in as Oklahoma’s superintendent of public instruction in January, he’s called for prayer in public schools and hanging the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

He’s adopted regulations prohibiting school libraries from circulating books with “sexualized content” and requiring educators to tell parents if their child changes their gender identity.

And now Walters is threatening a state takeover of Tulsa Public Schools, Oklahoma’s largest district — leading Tulsa's superintendent to announce plans to resign Tuesday ahead of a key state Board of Education meeting on Thursday.

...

“This is a war for the souls of our kids,” Walters declared shortly after his election last year at a banquet for City Elders, a national group that advocates for Christian-based government. He went on to claim that liberals are trying to make children hate their parents and the country. “I will do all I can to fight to get that nonsense out of schools and to put God back in schools,” he said.

Walters, 38, ran for office as a Republican focusing on culture war issues like books with sexually explicit passages and school policies supporting LGBTQ students, which have become dominant conflicts in public education. He promised to protect “parents’ rights.”

At Moms for Liberty’s national summit this summer, Walters and three other Republican state education leaders pitched their offices as the ones to “finish the job” after conservative activists elect new school board members and GOP lawmakers pass bills to limit how race and LGBTQ issues are discussed in class. Throughout this year, state education leaders have been at the center of these conflicts.

[GreenGoo]

Relax dude, nobody wants your kids stinky souls anyway. Who's he fighting in this war?

[Isgrimnur]

His primary competitors.

[waitingtoconnect]

And thanks to the Supreme Court there is no establishment clause left to fight for so religion in schools is the next step.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion ... ion-coach/

[hepcat]

Fuck the Jews, eh Walter?

[Smoove_B]

Ah, Texas - never change:

Recent book bans across the country may have targeted books in libraries, but a Houston-area school district is taking the widespread censorship a step further. During the next school year, Cy-Fair ISD will cut topics from textbooks that leadership has deemed too controversial for students. These include information about vaccines, cultural diversity, climate change, so-called depopulation, and more from textbooks used in various health and science classes, according to a report from Elizabeth Sander of the Houston Chronicle.

The school board approved the policy Monday night in a 6-1 vote following a lengthy discussion about the instructional material in question. Trustee Natalie Blasingame, part of the district's Academics, Safety, Vision and Planning committee, suggested omitting chapters that allegedly supported "a lot around depopulation and also a perspective that humans are bad," after reviewing the textbooks. She singled out a section about COVID in the biology textbook from Savvas Learning Company titled Miller and Levine Experience, which she said was more detailed on the subject than required by the state curriculum, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

Highlighting:

[The School District will] cut topics from textbooks that leadership has deemed too controversial for students. These include information about vaccines, cultural diversity, climate change, so-called depopulation,

"Too controversial"

[Blackhawk]

How long until the rest of the country's colleges reject Texan students outright for being unprepared?

[Zarathud]

What happened to the intelligent design campaign to “teach the controversy.” One would expect Texas to have removed all creationist materials, too.

LMAO — I can’t even type that without laughing.

[waitingtoconnect]

[Punisher]

How long until the rest of the country's colleges reject Texan students outright for being unprepared?

Isn't that what entrance exams ate for?

[Holman]

How long until the rest of the country's colleges reject Texan students outright for being unprepared?

Isn't that what entrance exams ate for?

Universities don't really have those any more. SATs and AP scores have taken their place.

This has led to decades of schools "teaching to the test," meaning that students are primed to test well but then arrive on campus without the critical thinking skills necessary for the next level.

[Blackhawk]

How long until the rest of the country's colleges reject Texan students outright for being unprepared?

Isn't that what entrance exams ate for?

Universities don't really have those any more. SATs and AP scores have taken their place.

This has led to decades of schools "teaching to the test," meaning that students are primed to test well but then arrive on campus without the critical thinking skills necessary for the next level.

What's that mean now that schools are starting to skip SATs?

[YellowKing]

Our local school board just passed a rule that the only signs, flags, banners, etc allowed on school grounds have to be related to the school or school spirit. I'm assuming it's their veiled way of ensuring there aren't any rainbows popping up next month. The whole board is heavily conservative, but so far they've been fairly restrained in terms of not pursuing book bans, etc.

[Blackhawk]

Time to surround the school with rainbow flags - six inches from the property line.

[Holman]

How long until the rest of the country's colleges reject Texan students outright for being unprepared?

Isn't that what entrance exams ate for?

Universities don't really have those any more. SATs and AP scores have taken their place.

This has led to decades of schools "teaching to the test," meaning that students are primed to test well but then arrive on campus without the critical thinking skills necessary for the next level.

What's that mean now that schools are starting to skip SATs?

They skipped them for just a couple of years with 2020 COVID, and admissions departments found themselves absolutely swamped and basically unable to manage the deluge.

Most schools have gone back to testing requirements by now.

[Blackhawk]

That's a shame. I don't disagree with testing requirements, but the SATs are a horrible, horrible system. College Board has to be one of the worst organizations I've had to deal with.

[Smoove_B]

I'm putting this story about school book bans here because I think someone accidentally gave away the plot:

Mayon said at one point that the district should just get rid of the libraries, convert the space to a classroom and fire the “media specialists” since children could go to the public library or have their parents order the books from Amazon if their parents wanted them to read the material.

“Why not move on from the antiquated measures?” he asked. “There’s better ways to do this” than to have “crap” books that are taking up space and having everyone go over material that no one is reading anyway, he said.

Arguing they don't need books in school. Here we are.

[LordMortis]

Let's get rid of libraries... If people want to read books they can always buy them or go to a library...? Don't know who Mayon is, but they definitely sound like the sort of person I don't want to trapped having a beer or holiday meal with.

Also, since when is "liberty" about about restrictions and bans and removals and "safety"? I missed that day in libertarian dogma class. Was it the same day as mandating guns for teachers to protect against unrestricted gun access for children with no household gun safety requirements?

[YellowKing]

It's also ignoring the fact that some kids simple do not have access to Amazon or public libraries. Either due to financial situation or their parents just don't give a damn. For many, many children, the school library is the ONLY way for them to access books.

I've mentioned it before but my wife works for a solidly middle-class elementary school which has a really high level of engagement from PTA and parents. And yet even for a school like that, the number of kids who come to school hungry, or are suffering abuse is shockingly high. If it's that bad there, I can't imagine what it's like for schools in lower-income districts.

[LawBeefaroni]

Also, since when is "liberty" about about restrictions and bans and removals and "safety"? I missed that day in libertarian dogma class.

Probably since rhe Mises Caucus took over. Their only goal now is to not pull votes from Trump and pull as many as they can from Biden.

In May 2022, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) said that "Members of the Libertarian Party are concerned about the Mises Caucus winning control of the party at the May 26 national convention, ushering in an era of collaboration between the U.S.'s largest third party and the hard-right movement inside the Republican Party”.[50] The SPLC said that Caucus chair and founder Michael Heise had cited donations received from Patrick M. Byrne and nominated Daryl Brooks for Governor of Pennsylvania.[50] Both Byrne and Brooks promoted the conspiracy theory that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump, the SPLC said.

[LordMortis]

I never supported the universal school breakfast programs that came up in 90s until I learned the extent of children whom are food insecure or worse and that providing them took children not being able to learn due to hunger off the table. I still don't care for the idea from an on high perspective but pragmatically mine eyes have been opened.

[Holman]

That's a shame. I don't disagree with testing requirements, but the SATs are a horrible, horrible system. College Board has to be one of the worst organizations I've had to deal with.

Agree. But universities get tens of thousands of applicants, and an admissions staff of a few dozen people has to process all of those in the span of six months. Without some kind of thick quantitative filter, it's impossible.

[Jaymann]

How about you place all the applications into a giant rotating bin like they use for the lottery. Imagine the labor savings.

[Blackhawk]

That's a shame. I don't disagree with testing requirements, but the SATs are a horrible, horrible system. College Board has to be one of the worst organizations I've had to deal with.

Agree. But universities get tens of thousands of applicants, and an admissions staff of a few dozen people has to process all of those in the span of six months. Without some kind of thick quantitative filter, it's impossible.

There absolutely needs to be a system, but the current one is awful. Dealing with one typical kid and one special needs kid going through the process showed me just how horribly the SATs/College Board is broken. It was miserable. My own SATs, decades ago, were just as much of a PITA. I scored a 1480 out of 1600, which got me into every school that I applied for. It didn't reflect the fact that, despite being intelligent, I was academically unqualified for most of them. And then there's the effect that the focus on these tests have on teaching curriculums. The tests are, apparently, all that matter. Not skills, not ability, not retention, not problem solving, not understanding - just the tests.

[Punisher]

How about you place all the applications into a giant rotating bin like they use for the lottery. Imagine the labor savings.

Even better.
Make an online lottery that's run by ai. No wasted paper and no labor cost to rotate and select names like a bingo ball.

[Grifman]

[Isgrimnur]

[Holman]

Incidentally, Twitterer Kristin Du Mez there is the author of the excellent Jesus and John Wayne.