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California Globe Newsletter

Friday November 4, 2022

Politicized Education Explains Steep Academic Declines and Big Achievement Gaps in California

The state spends nearly $25,000 per student in K-12, yet we are ranked #40 nationally

By Frank Xu, November 3, 2022 2:50 am

Woke Policies and Actors to Blame

Contrary to the propagandist notion that progressive education policies can produce better and fairer results, our next generation in America’s most progressive and diverse state are worse off academically, compared with three years ago and compared with their peers elsewhere. So, what happened?

During the last three years, California schools have embarked on a pilgrimage to lead the nation in embracing far-left ideological dogmas. In 2021, it became the first state in America to mandate ethnic studies for high school graduation. The finalized state curriculum still contains key elements of critical pedagogy that emphasize racialized identities, collective struggles and victimhood, while a more radical version called Liberated Ethnic Studies is making inroads in many local school districts.

The California State Board of Education has been considering a revolutionary mathematics framework for its public K-12 schools. Instead of focusing on improving proficiency, the new framework touts anti-racism, and decentering whiteness as worthy goals on one hand, and proposes eliminating gifted programs and advanced tracking in the name of equity.

In addition to championing woke curricular changes, California schools have also chased the political fashion trend of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). A plethora of school boards voted to approve “Board Policy 0415- Equity,” pledging to dismantle “a history of exclusion, discrimination, and segregation.”

My group, Californians for Equal Rights Foundation (CFER), undertook a pioneering research project that examined the prevalence of thought indoctrination in 44 California school districts.  Our empirical study, looking into board policies, school district developments, and board meeting minutes, found that 24 of these districts, including 10 elementary school districts, have official DEI policies and 30 expended public education funds on paid DEI training such as professional development sessions and curricular development.

Indeed, radical ideologues and education bureaucrats, who are driven by political agendas, money and a desire to protect the status quo, should take much of the blame for the abysmal state of public education in California. But at the institutional level, teachers’ unions are the biggest culprit. Not only have they poured massive funds to support partisan candidates at the national and state levels, unions are now putting a thumb on the scale in local school board races.

My group’s latest research pilot discovered that over $600,000 have been injected into a handful of school board campaigns in San Diego as of October 27, 2022. Traditionally, school board candidates spent $5,000 or less in their campaigns. But in San Diego Unified School District, the San Diego Education Association PAC has put in over $150,000 to help two of its hand-picked candidates and a stunning $91,000 to oppose a pro-education candidate.

Disastrous Outcomes Hurt the Disadvantaged Disproportionately

Proponents of woke education pride themselves as the arbiters of love, tolerance and truth. But the reality shows a stark contrast. Deteriorating educational results hurt vulnerable students the most. According to both the Nation’s Report Card and CDE’s Smarter Balanced results, learning gaps affecting low-income students, English learners and “students of color” have deepened. According to Ibram X. Kendi, “If discrimination is creating equity, then it is antiracist. If discrimination is creating inequity, then it is racist.” By this standard, policies contributing to the increasing academic achievement gap must be the opposite of “anti-racism” and a sign of discrimination.

Something is clearly wrong in our public education system. The state spends nearly $25,000 per student in K-12, yet we are ranked #40 nationally. Politicized, agenda-driven education has victimized countless California students and teachers’ unions overshadow the education policy making processes from Sacramento all the way down to local communities.

Nothing changes if nothing changes.

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My commentary on the above

I can’t really add much to this.  This is a clear explanation of what happens when you teach WOKE policies and they are incorporated with Critical Race Theory teachings.  California is destroying its education system and with it the future of its children.

A Key paragraph in the above is:  “Indeed, radical ideologues and education bureaucrats, who are driven by political agendas, money and a desire to protect the status quo, should take much of the blame for the abysmal state of public education in California. But at the institutional level, TEACHERS UNIONS ARE THE BIGGEST CULPRIT (my emphasis). Not only have they poured massive funds to support partisan candidates at the national and state levels, unions are now putting a thumb on the scale in local school board races.”

Teachers Unions are in effect, “buying” the loyalty of School Boards and those School Boards first priority ought to be educating their students and not “bowing” to the Teachers Unions “WOKE” political agenda.

Teachers Unions are making a massive and sustained effort to influence K-12 grade students with the Propaganda, Grooming and Indoctrination of the Agenda of the LGBTQ, Transgender, Gender Identity and Critical Race Theory groups.  Their focus on the 5-13 year old youth of our nation is most damaging as youth in this age group are the most easily influenced and can be permanently damaged psychologically as well as mutilated physically.  This is a crime against our children and in my mind unforgiveable.

Bob Bandy – November 2022

I encourage you to share this excellent article from the California Globe Newsletter by Frank XU with family and friends.