Thread by @InsiderNews

The Republican furor over ‘critical race theory’ — a college-level concept that isn’t taught in K-12 schools — caught many in the education world by surprise.

Now education leaders are pushing back against misinformation.⬇️

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At school board meetings, the term “critical race theory” has become a politicized catch-all for books, resources, and teaching about race.

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When Angela Grunewald first heard complaints about “critical race theory,” the superintendent of Edmond Public Schools in Oklahoma had to Google the term to learn its meaning.

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This approach to examining racial bias in US laws and institutions is most often taught in law school, but Democrats say Republicans are intentionally misusing the term as a racist “dog whistle” to white conservative voters.

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GOP candidates, hoping to use the issue to make inroads with parents in 2022 elections, have been encouraged by Republican Glenn Youngkin’s win in Virginia after he pledged to “ban” critical race theory on the first day as governor.

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The misinformation is generating “huge concern” among superintendents, Dan Domenech, who runs @AASAHQ, said. And they need a new response strategy.

He pointed to controversies over books that became politicized in Virginia.

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The @LearnfromHist national coalition launched in September to push back on misinformation about history and social studies, including the teaching of critical race theory.

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“The harm is real,” said @LearnfromHist coalition spokesman Cesar Cardenas, pointing to school communities already reeling from the pandemic and are now dealing with threats against their education leaders.

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Grunewald wrote up a response because she wanted the community to know the accusations were false.

One participant claimed their social-emotional learning curriculum, which deals with goal-setting and managing emotions, was critical race theory.

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Domenech said his association is working on recommendations for superintendents to help them engage the community. Education leaders should ask parents who are angry about “critical race theory” to explain it and show examples of it in the curriculum, he said.

Educating the public will be an ongoing effort, Grunewald said. She wants to make sure the district remains transparent about what they’re teaching.

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