critical race theory
Education advocates say Ohio legislature should focus on funding, not regulating curriculum
Groups keeping an eye on the Ohio legislature’s handling of education are hoping the General Assembly focuses on funding and appealing to new teachers, rather than bills regulating curriculum and “divisive” issues. The Ohio Education Association is continuing it’s push to eliminate mandatory retention from the third-grade reading guarantee, focusing their attention getting through to […]
Parents: Education should include mental health, trust in teachers
A new study shows Ohio parents want to see students receive support inside and outside of the classroom, and they trust teachers to know how to lead their children. In a study conducted over six months by the Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio in partnership with Baldwin Wallace University’s Community Research Institute, more than 1,000 k-12 parents […]
Fear not education, but those trying to rob Ohio students of it
“Aristotle” has a great line that Aristotle never said or wrote: “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” This misattribution to Aristotle predates the Interwebs. The earliest it appears in print is in Lowell Bennion’s 1959 book, “Religion and the Pursuit of Truth.” The […]
Schoolchildren do need protected: from fearful, intolerant, bigoted bills pushed by lawmakers
“We’ve got to protect the children!” You hear the refrain repeatedly from the gems trying to legislate banning and bullying in Ohio schools with bad to worse bills. “Save the innocents,” bray the right wingers angling for a break-out MAGA moment and the religious right on a mission from God. “From what?” you ask, as […]
Newest ‘divisive concepts’ bill enters Ohio House
The newest bill to regulate school curriculums and keep out what legislators see as “divisive concepts” entered the Ohio House on Tuesday. State Reps. Jean Schmidt, R-Loveland, and Mike Loychik, R-Bazetta, brought House Bill 616 to the State and Local Committee, which prohibits all Ohio schools from “teaching or providing training that promotes or endorses […]
Putin rewrote Ukraine’s history. Ohio Republicans are rewriting American history
Americans are united in denouncing Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, including how he has justified it with a warped view of Ukrainian history and has crushed Russian dissent. Meanwhile, in Ohio, Republicans recently held hearings on legislation promoting a warped view of American history while crushing potential dissent. Unlike Ukrainians, we’re not under deadly assault, […]
Students, educators fight against bill that would prohibit teaching ‘controversial’ topics
The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. Students and educators across Ohio rallied Wednesday against the controversial house […]
Real education issues ignored by lawmakers inventing culture war to stoke parents, undermine schools
I’m all for transparency. Who isn’t? People with something to hide, right? That’s what the book-banning, history-sanitizing, fear-fanning culture warriors hope you’ll think with their latest diversion into so-called “curriculum transparency.” Hardliners, who jumped on the Fox News bandwagon to weaponize critical race theory as a threat to white people, are now queuing up to […]
History Thursday: 1619
You’d have to be completely out of the political loop — and I suspect you aren’t, if you are reading this — to not have heard of “The 1619 Project” and the brouhaha surrounding it. A publication of journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times, “1619” first appeared in an August 2019 issue of […]
Virginia parents, GOP lawmakers vow national push for ‘parents’ rights’ in public schools
WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers and Virginia parents trying to capitalize on their success in the November election on Tuesday gathered across from the U.S. Capitol to voice their opposition to mask mandates and lessons about racism in public schools. The ranking Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, […]
Race theory education bill gets changes sponsors hope make it more ‘positive’
One of two bills currently in the Ohio legislature attempting to address “critical race theory” in schools has received some changes sponsors say are in response to criticism. In the last year, conservative activists and politicians have launched an attack on “critical race theory,” which generally is not taught at the K-12 level and is […]
Ohio School Boards Association ends affiliation with national group over request to probe threats
WASHINGTON — The National School Boards Association is walking back its letter to President Joe Biden asking for federal help for school board members who have been harassed and threatened over masking requirements and discussions of race in public schools. The shift came after Republican members of Congress led by Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley raised strong objections […]