Should Critical Race Theory be taught in schools

Jeff Berkowitz and Terry Martin discuss the teaching of critical race theory in public schools in Illinois and around the country. Jason Riley (who is black), writing in the Wall St Journal has lamented that our priority is not to teach math and reading in K-12, but to turn our schools into politically correct, activist, social justice boot camps. This is despite the fact that about 70% of the blacks being taught in the inner city grade schools and often in high school cannot read at grade level. Further, Martin notes that these black students should be permitted to escape these failing public schools by using tax dollars to attend private or charter school of their choice that would immeasurably improve their chances of learning how to read, write and do math much better. Critical race theory has entered classrooms via the New York Times 1619 Project, which claims the Revolutionary war was fought to preserve slavery and earned its creator, Nikole Hannah-Jones a Pulitzer Prize and the offer of a tenured position teaching at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Journalism. Columbia University Professor John McWhorter (who is black) argues Hannah-Jones’ claim about the Revolutionary War “Is simply false, but our current cultural etiquette requires pretending that isn’t true -because she is black.” Hannah-Jones claim, which is disputed by legions of black and white scholars who are much more expert on the matter than her, will be broadcast unquestioned, in educational materials being distributed across the nation by teachers’ unions, including the National Educational Association, which has more than three million members and gives massive campaign contributions to politicians, primarily Democrats. That is how critical race theory is being used to indoctrinate tens of millions of American students with inaccurate teaching of history. Martin claims a focus on Critical Race Theory means students won’t learn about the hundreds of thousands of Americans who fought and died in the Civil War to preserve and move toward a more perfect union by abolishing slavery. The students, under Critical Race Theory, won’t learn, says Martin about how whites and blacks protested together in the 1960s to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965, both of which have been implemented over the last half century to achieve a better and constantly improving America. Public Affairs show host and Illinois Channel’s Chicago Bureau Chief Berkowitz argues during the show that teachers’ unions in IL and around the country want “Implicit-bias” training and “Woke political ideology “ curriculum to be how teachers are taught to instruct kids. IL teachers’ unions don’t call their pedagogy Critical Race Theory. Instead, they and the Illinois State Board of Education (“ISBE”) label their training and curriculum “Culturally Responsive Teaching and leading standards. Initially, these “Standards,” which are to be used by IL to certify teachers, were labelled as “Progressive.” When Republicans in the Illinois Legislature objected on the basis that teachers were supposed to be politically neutral, the ISBE didn’t change the substance of the Critical Race Theory standards, just the label. Berkowitz argues behind this all is the Critical Race Theory belief by IL administrators and teachers that we should teach white kids they are oppressors and black kids that they are oppressed. Often, students in the classroom are separated into all black and all white groups. Berkowitz and Martin suggest this kind of teaching promotes racism by teaching our kids to judge each other by the color of their skin, not the content of their character, the exact opposite of Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream- which apparently is to be dropped from the Critical Race Theory history and curriculum. Berkowitz and Martin suggest that teaching Critical Race Theory to K-12 students will rob all young Americans of their rich heritage and the truth about American History, as the United States has evolved over the last two centuries into a “More perfect union,” that stands for freedom and equal opportunity for all Americans, of every race, color, sex, religion, national origin, creed and sexual orientation. Follow us on Twitter: @IllinoisChannel website: IllinoisChannel.org DONATE to help fund our Independent Coverage: https://illinoischannel.givingfuel.com/donatenow

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