American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten claimed during a Wednesday event in New York that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies were all that stood in the way of fascism.
The woman who claims that the children belong to teachers is now claiming that DEI is the only thing that can save America from fascism.
Public education refuses to keep its hands off our kids.
Be informed, not misled.
President Donald Trump issued multiple executive orders targeting DEI policies and programs in the federal government, saying they create “an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system.” Weingarten accused opponents of DEI programs of seeking to wipe out the “civil rights movement” during an episode of “State of New York” on 92NY.
The Daily Caller says, “In the last two or three years, the behavior of some is very, very, very dangerous,” Weingarten claimed while discussing her new book, Why Fascists Fear Teachers. “The erasure of the civil rights movement and of equal opportunity… making [the] words diversity and inclusion toxic when there was just a civil rights survey that said, 88% of people in America believe in diversity, the attempt to Balkanize, to undermine pluralism and the attempt to stop teachers from in schools all across America, not just pre-K through 12, but in higher education from teaching, critical thinking and problem solving. To me, all of that is [what] gets you on the road to fascism.”
This is typical "public ed" talk.
First, she talks about "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DEI) as the magic potion that will save our "democracy."
It's actually a Republic according to Ben Franklin.
She then pivots to talking about "The erasure of the Civil Rights movement and of equal opportunity..."
"Equity" and "equal opportunity" are not the same thing.
"Equity" artificially manipulates outcomes, so everyone will feel good about themselves, or whatever: There are supposedly no winners or losers.
"Equal Opportunity" is just that: The opportunity to win, with the possibility or risk of losing.
According to the Daily Caller, Weingarten also accused opponents of engaging in “dehumanization,” recounting a clash with Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia during a hearing, noting that Greene apologized for past statements.
Weingarten previously claimed during a November 2023 interview with Julia Manchester, the national political correspondent for The Hill, that criticism of her was motivated by homophobia and antisemitism.
It is true. Weingarten is both a lesbian and she is Jewish, but that's not the problem that most parents are focused upon.
It's the lack of performance of public education that concerns most parents.
According to the Nation's Report Card’s 2024 data, student test scores still remain below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels nationwide, while math and reading scores saw their biggest drop in 50 years, according to data released in 2023 by the National Center for Education Statistics.
The "Report Card" report begins with this:
The Nation's Report Card released today shows continued declines in reading for U.S. students, compounding a decline in the nation’s reading scores that started prior to the pandemic.
In 2024, average reading scores on The Nation’s Report Card declined by 2 points for both 4th and 8th grade students compared to 2022. This steepens the 3-point decline seen in both grades between 2022 from 2019. Students took the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as The Nation's Report Card or NAEP, between January and March 2024.
No state saw gains on NAEP Reading in either grade compared to 2022; only one large urban school district that participates in the voluntary Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) program — Atlanta Public Schools — had gains in 4th grade reading, compared to 2022.
"Student academic achievement is the cornerstone of national success and security. This makes a lack of academic progress today a direct and urgent threat to our collective future." said Governing Board member Patrick Kelly, who teaches AP U.S. Government and Politics outside Columbia, S.C. The continued declines in reading scores are particularly troubling. Reading is foundational to all subjects, and failure to read well keeps students from accessing information and building knowledge across content areas."
The 2024 results show that fewer than a third of students nationwide are working at the NAEP Proficient level in reading at both grades. Scoring at the NAEP Proficient level means consistently understanding written text and interpreting its meaning.
Around 40 percent of 4th graders are working below the NAEP Basic level in reading, the largest percentage since 2002. Fourth graders scoring below NAEP Basic likely cannot recognize a reason for a character's action implied in a story. About a third of 8th graders nationwide are failing to hit the NAEP Basic benchmark in reading — the largest percentage ever.
Takeaway
I personally do not believe that public education as we know it can be saved. Clearly, "more spending", "smaller classrooms", etc., are not helping.
AI doesn't have the answer either: If you ask, AI says this:
"Public education is perceived as failing due to a decline in academic performance, with student proficiency in reading and math below pre-pandemic levels. Contributing factors include chronic underfunding, teacher shortages, and large class sizes, which lead to lower quality instruction. Additionally, schools face significant challenges with student behavior, including chronic absenteeism, anxiety, and in-school substance and weapon confiscations, and many Americans believe the system is not effectively preparing students for future jobs or college."
A Pew Research study found that about half of U.S. adults (51%) say the country’s public K-12 education system is generally going in the wrong direction. A far smaller share (16%) says it’s going in the right direction, and about a third (32%) are not sure.
A separate Center survey of public K-12 teachers found that "82% think the overall state of public K-12 education has gotten worse in the past five years. And many teachers are pessimistic about the future."
A solution to our failing government-run school system is found in Deuteronomy 5:5-9:
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Connected. Be Prayerful.