Along with there being life skills that should be taught in schools, there are also social issues that should be taught in school to educate students. Most students in k-12 do not take the time to sit down and watch the news and stay updated with current events, therefore they are not aware about the world around them. It is known too well that the world how it is today is dangerous, and scary, but it is all caused by the humans living in the world. If the students are educated on the topic and understand what they can do to prevent future events such as the current ones just by being educated and fixing their behaviors, it can create a better future for themselves and their future families.
Yahoo News speaks about how education committees in South Dakota are beginning to limit critical race theory classes in their education systems. Critical race theory is a “theory created by legal scholars and educators in the 1970s that argues racism is a common experience faced by non-white people in the U.S., that racism is institutional and that it benefits white people.” Concepts in this course include “The basic tenets of critical race theory, or CRT, emerged out of a framework for legal analysis in the late 1970s and early 1980s created by legal scholars Derrick Bell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Richard Delgado, among others.” The argument with this topic is that administrators and the comite feel as if the schools are forcing students to invoke some sort of political activism and feel as if politics is not an appropriate topic to be discussed in school. They also feel that the schools are trying to push one sort of political agenda which they also feel to be inappropriate for a public school setting. Due to this, the House of Education Committee passed one of Governor Kristi Noem’s bills, that would limit any “political indoctrination” in public K-12 schools. Although there are many topics that are known to be forbidden in public schools and deemed as inappropriate such as religion or politics (especially staff and students personal opinion on the topics), critical race theory does not have to be taught in such a way. Although there is some teachings and information to it that involve education and the government “The core idea is that race is a social construct”.
Edweek explains that many readings and writings on the topic of critical race theory seem to be portrayed in a political way, specially in the eye of the conservative Republican but the main idea of critical race theory is the societal morals it holds. Critical race theory discusses social topics such as discirmination of certain people whether it be due to their skin color, ethnicity, economic status etc. The summarized the actual and true idea of critical race theory to be known as the basis of all diversity and inclusion efforts regardless of how much it’s actually informed those programs. Critical race theory is known to be about social justice and not politics, it leads down that path due to the current state of our American government as a result of the way politicians think about these underspoken groups of people. Other people say that critical race theory teaches students that all white people are inherently racist or bad people which is not the case. It can be interpreted this way due to the fact that if this topic is going to be taught then one must start with background and context, just like how any other topic is going to be taught, and due to the American history that has happened, the Europeans (or white) people are portrayed as the superior ones against any other race, which can be seen to not be the same way society functions today. Critical race theory, although is a tricky topic to teach without making some students, parents, or staff/administrators feel uncomfortable, it can be done, it is not an impossible task. Teaching students the concepts that are involved in this course would be beneficial for them, as well as those around them because they will be better participants in society and be able to keep up with the quick progression and development of American society.
Topics such as critical race theory should not be kept away from the hands of public school students. Once students get to high school, they are able to take classe such as American history at all levels that speak on politics, or AP government and politics that speaks about the current and past status of American government and politics, it is in the name of the class. The information taught in the class would be extremely helpful to all at the end of the day and at the end of the students education.
Critical race theory has caused a lot of controversy. It is interesting to read about the different perspectives on it. I think it is something that will continued to be debated on in school districts for years to come.
i agree with you snd i hope it continues to go down this path
I do believe that the critical race theory should be taught in schools. Many people try to stray away from the topic because it calls for many uncomfortable conversations. Once you break these barriers about race and racism especially in America, then people will be able too see and try to understand how racism effects people all around.
I really like the direction you are taking with this blog. I agree that critical race theory is a necessary topic of conversation in schools and the political right tends to view it as a political topic and feels victimized by its teachings, even though it is much deeper than a left or right issue. This is a currently relevant topic which makes it a good subject for your CI blog. I’m interested in seeing where you take it.
thank you. i have a lot of ideas coming up now that i have figured out the right direction to take this topic
I think that political views should not be pushed upon students, but Critical Race Theory should not be considered a political issue (unfortunately it is though). High school students should learn about topics like this, whether through an elective or required class. I thank you for including that this theory does not think that all white people are bad and racist. It is about recognizing that we have white privilege. That simply means that while we have our problems, minorities experience those problem even worse due to the color of their skin. History is an important part of this. After all, many US text books show how the British colonized the savage Native Americans. However, the Native Americans were not savage. They had their own cultures, religion, and way of life. Critical Race Theory is important to expose racism in our everyday life.
i think the topic needs to be taught properly in order for it to be seen in the right light
I hope schools can teach it the right way without offending anyone or pushing beliefs onto students.