I remember how it was -- JR
Ron DeSantis Sends Leftists Screeching With Latest Victory Over Woke Education
Few political leaders today are as adept at sending fragile leftists (who begrudgingly call America home) spiraling into inane screeching as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. And he might be the most successful culture warrior Republicans and conservatives have had on their bench in recent memory. From taking on Disney to protecting students and promoting individual freedom, his ideological and political opponents have not shown themselves equipped to defeat or even respond well.
This week, DeSantis notched another big victory, this one against woke and biased education — but with far-reaching impacts beyond the borders of his free state of Florida.
As he's done before, DeSantis seems to have set something of a snare for his political foes, hoping to bait them into defending the indefensible simply because to do otherwise would mean agreeing with DeSantis' concerns. That is, it was a brilliant plan that would, independent of the left's reaction, promote academic freedom and actual critical thinking for Florida's students.
This latest kerfuffle came about as a result of the College Board's decision to rework its Advanced Placement curriculum for African American Studies. Like the rest of mainstream educational developments of late, the redevelopment of the course reportedly intended to include woke, unbalanced lessons to integrate things such as the debunked 1619 Project and other Critical Race Theory principles, as well as things like "Marxist approaches to race."
"Reportedly," because the true contents of the curriculum were kept secret by College Board and most of the information about the course came from public comments by those developing the outline for the reworked African American Studies program.
Guy summarized some of the writings from those who got their hands on the curriculum, and those reviews found that it "proselytizes for a socialist transformation of the United States" and attempts to "promote leftist radicalism, with virtually no readings providing even a classically liberal point of view, much less some form of conservatism."
So, when the College Board began the pilot for the new course while keeping most of its contents secret, the DeSantis administration slapped it down. "As presented, the content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law," the Florida Department of Education said, alluding to Florida's Stop WOKE Act that protects students from the racist tenets of CRT. Florida left the door open to future work with the College Board if it would "come back to the table with lawful, historically accurate content."
When Guy eventually obtained the syllabus for the APAAS that included "subjects such as 'intersectionality and activism,' 'black queer studies,' 'postracial racism,' prison 'abolition,' and the 'reparations movement,'" it became even more understandable why the DeSantis administration had concerns.
But the reasonable stance from DeSantis — based on state law and concerns that College Board was not being transparent with the curriculum — didn't mean that the left tempered their out-of-control emotions. They claimed DeSantis was banning African American studies completely, said it was proof of racism, compared him to book-burners, and pointed to DeSantis' alleged anti-intellectualism. Even Biden Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre took the bait in a briefing and called DeSantis' position "incomprehensible."
Well, Democrats and leftist academics may have gotten a bit ahead of themselves (again) because it turns out the College Board caved, at least in some areas of the curriculum. On Wednesday morning, College Board announced its new APAAS course would remove Critical Race Theory, queer theory, and black feminism, as Townhall reported. The course will, as an addition, include a research project idea centered on black conservatism.
The leftists who had been frothing about DeSantis' position on the initial biased curriculum, as they usually do when they realize they've lost a battle, did not take the news well. They, also as usual, immediately race-baited and attacked College Board and DeSantis for ending the study of black history on the first day of black history month.
The backlash against the College Board was swift, even though its president, David Coleman, announced the changes while denying political leaders had anything to do with them. That wasn't enough on Wednesday and won't be enough to mollify the leftists whose existence seems to depend on sustained outrage.
So the leftists will continue to screech while DeSantis picks up another success in his administration's work to protect Florida from those who wish to force their leftist principles on its rising generation.
In doing so, DeSantis not only notched an apparent victory against woke academics and secured better educational offerings for Florida students, but he also gave other state executives another playbook to follow as they seek to take control of education away from inane coastal leftists and ensure it fits what parents expect and students need.
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Social-justice programming for every college student
By Nicholas Giordano
The social-justice warriors are pushing full steam ahead with their plans to turn our classrooms into indoctrination dens. The State University of New York system, in which I’m a political-science professor, just announced expanded “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice” requirements for every degree program starting in fall 2023.
That’s right — DEISJ classes are required to earn a degree, even in departments outside liberal arts such as math, science and engineering.
These initiatives do nothing more than cultivate division, distort reality, eliminate the power of the individual and insult any fair-minded person. DEISJ is a cultural movement, not an academic discipline, inhibiting academic freedom and doing little to prepare students for the workforce.
This curriculum has no place in education. Americans — parents, students, employers — need to defend our nation’s academic institutions, which are critical to forming a citizenry equipped to uphold our republic through economic productivity and civic engagement.
DEISJ drives are a cancer spreading throughout American institutions. To meet SUNY’s requirements, students must master specific criteria for spotting and responding to “dynamics of power, privilege, oppression, and opportunity” in all aspects of the past and the present.
As the largest university system in the country, with 64 institutions serving nearly 1.3 million students, SUNY is clearly doing its part to create a new generation of public virtue signalers. Unfortunately, it’s just one of many higher-education institutions that would rather students master DEISJ’s core components than prepare for a lifetime career. The University of Massachusetts, Drake University, Brandeis University, Villanova University and the University of California system are among the many schools adopting this radical framework.
SUNY says DEISJ courses “must explicitly address how institutional and societal structures lead to inequities across groups.” Such learning outcomes push the narrative that America is, and will continue to be, a systemically and institutionally racist country. The framework ignores the great strides made over the last two centuries and doesn’t allow any debate.
As a political-science professor, I can say that DEISJ desecrates the American identity and makes a mockery of our national motto, E Pluribus Unum — Out of many, one. From many different people, from different places, we create one nation united by core values such as liberty, self-government, equality and individualism.
Instead, DEISJ initiatives promote a victimhood culture and encourage tribalism by putting identity above country in the name of equity. Their objectives are intellectually shallow and ideologically driven as they mischaracterize America and our history. Even worse, they foster resentment and bitterness towards our country, which has provided so much opportunity despite our past sins.
Higher-education institutions should focus on equipping students with the ability to think critically, developing interpersonal skills and preparing them for the labor market. Given enrollment declines, a trend showing no signs of abating, parents and students should use the power of the purse and choose schools that value sound academic principles over woke ideology.
Alumni can also play a role in defeating DEISJ. Alumni giving makes up 23% of the money colleges and universities raise. Alumni should seriously reconsider their contributions if their alma maters continue to pursue an ideological agenda.
And corporations account for 13% of all college and university contributions. Employers can also withhold cash and continue to look at alternative ways to vet talent — some, like Google, Tesla, Bank of America, General Motors and IBM, have dropped degree requirements, and more are likely to follow. Colleges cannot afford to lose their support.
DEISJ is a lucrative multibillion-dollar industry peddling propaganda and division that we must root out of our education system. Over the last two decades, faculty like me have witnessed the collapse of academia and a drop in academic standards. We can and we must stand up to this madness and say enough is enough. Our country depends on it.
https://nypost.com/2023/02/01/social-justice-programming-for-every-college-student/
*************************************************Diversity professor verbally attacks student after being triggered by term 'terrorist attack': complaint
A clinical psychologist and professor who teaches a mandatory diversity class at George Washington University allegedly created a hostile environment that promoted violence against civilians, according to a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights.
Dr. Lara Sheehi sits on the board of the USA-Palestine Mental Health Network and practices clinically from "a trans-inclusive feminist and liberation theory model." She "works on race and white supremacy,[and] decolonial struggles."
In one instance raised in the civil rights complaint – Dr. Lara Sheehi – while teaching a course about "diversity awareness" and to "sensitize future therapists to biases" – allegedly verbally attacked a student as they spoke about terrorist attacks in Israel which have killed civilians, including American citizens.
Sheehi "took offense at the student’s use of the term ‘terrorist attack,’" the complaint, which was first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, said. "The professor then claimed that the student’s comment invoked Islamophobia even though the student never mentioned Palestinians, Arabs, or Muslims in her comment."
Dr. Sheehi also brought in a speaker who "advocated violence against Israelis—and by extension Jews," the complaint said.
One Jewish student said they were "crying," and feeling "deeply unsettled and unsafe" after the speaker was brought in.
According to the complaint, when a student told Sheehi they felt "unsafe in a program that would invite a speaker who endorsed violence against Israeli civilians and who, therefore, may celebrate the murder of her Israeli relatives. In response, Professor Sheehi called the student’s comment a 'damaging Islamophobic anti-Palestinian' comment and added that ‘a stone is nothing compared to an army.’"
"[T]he fact of the matter is that a speaker was brought in [by Sheehi] that advocated violence against Israelis—and by extension Jews—and that is antisemitic, yet is being explained away," the student said.
The complaint said the professor retaliated against them when they made complaints to the university.
Sheehi did not immediately respond to a request for comment and George Washington did not immediately answer whether the diversity professor was stripped of academic duties as its own internal investigation begins. However, they referred Fox News to a statement which claimed they were "committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment where all feel safe and free of harassment, hostility or marginalization."
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My other blogs: Main ones below
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
http://jonjayray.com/blogall.html More blogs
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