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The real reason the right wing is flipping out over “critical race theory.” Journalist Jeff Bryant digs into what’s behind the right-wing hoopla about “critical race theory”: “It’s not at all hard to imagine that an effective strategy for pushing white families out of public schools is to raise fears that their children are being indoctrinated with values and beliefs that could divide them ideologically or emotionally and draw a wedge between them and their families and neighbors.”
“The controversy [about critical race theory] ‘exploded in the public arena this spring,’ reports Education Week, ‘especially in K-12, where numerous state legislatures are debating bills seeking to ban… [critical race theory’s] use in the classroom.’”
“The specifics in these bills ban teachers from addressing concepts related to race and gender, for instance, prohibiting teachers from making anyone ‘feel discomfort or guilt’ because of their race or gender.” AlterNet
Private school vouchers aren’t cheap. Robert Shand and Henry Levin find that universal private school vouchers would increase the total cost of education by between 11 percent and 33 percent. Nationally, this would amount to from $66.5 billion to $203 billion per year. National Education Policy Center
IDEA at it again. The CEO and COO of the infamous Texas charter school chain IDEA Public Schools have been fired after a forensic review found “substantial evidence” that top leaders misused money and staff for personal gain. This follows 2019 revelation that the chain’s leaders tried to use public money to lease a private jet. Houston Chronicle
Utah charter schools at a crossroads. The number of students signing up at Utah charters schools has decreased for the first time in almost a decade. 2KUTV
How we’re fighting back
New Mexico expands community school model. New Mexico has issued 50 grants totaling $6.6 million to schools to plan for or to implement the community school strategy in the 2021-2022 school year. Funding includes $3.7 million from the federal government for school improvement. KRWG
Educators come together in New Orleans. Bricolage Academy has become the latest New Orleans charter school to unionize as part of the United Teachers of New Orleans. Sixty educators cast ballots and 70 percent were in favor of forming a union. WWNO
“Not only a place of learning, but also a resource for the community.” The Learning Policy Institute documents the story of Social Justice Humanitas Academy, a community school located in Southern California’s San Fernando Valley. Learning Policy Institute
Photo by CT Senate Republicans.