Some California school districts are teaching a version of the September 11th attacks that critics argue promotes a divisive, "woke" agenda by framing the event through the lens of Islamophobia and state-sponsored prejudice.
In the North Monterey Unified School District, the mandatory ethnic studies course reportedly teaches that 9/11 exposed and exacerbated existing prejudices against Arab and Muslim Americans, and served as a catalyst for Islamophobia. This curriculum mirrors materials from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), according to reports.
These curricula are part of a broader trend where "radical political activism" is being introduced into K-12 classrooms nationwide, according to Rhyen Staley, a researcher for Defending Education. He argues that these courses encourage students to adopt an anti-American and anti-Western mindset, viewing society through a framework of oppression, identity-based guilt, and class struggle.
The North Monterey County curriculum allegedly incorporates Marxist class resentment, links "whiteness" to settler colonialism, and utilizes a "Wheel of Power/Privilege." The course reportedly calls for students to push for "transformational change" through "critical hope," advocating for a neo-Marxist ideology.
Similarly, Minneapolis Public Schools' ethnic studies course reportedly incorporates critical race theory and Karl Marx's economic theories to teach that capitalism, through exploitation, leads to oppression, and that slavery, genocide, and white supremacy are rooted in capitalism and Western culture. Defending Education claims to have documented over 50 reports of similar ethnic studies curricula promoting such political agendas.
These ideologies are reportedly extending beyond ethnic studies. The New York City Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has called for public schools to adopt a "democratic socialist" framework. New York City's education strategy, known as "Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education," mandates that teachers and staff be aware of "past and present forms of bias and oppression," foster "critical consciousness," and use a race-conscious framework in daily instruction.
State-level entities also appear to be aligning with such platforms. New Mexico's Public Education Department's high school history curriculum reportedly centers "critical consciousness" as a standard for evaluating 9/11's impact on "diverse groups in America" and questioning "credible sources." It also reportedly promotes intersectionality, environmental activism, and defines equity as the allocation of precise resources to achieve equal outcomes among identity groups.
Critics contend that proponents of these curricula are cherry-picking negative aspects of Western history while presenting an overly simplified view of other cultures. They argue that a balanced education should present historical events with nuance, acknowledging both the failures and achievements of Western culture and the American experience.
Parents and community members are urged to advocate for rigorous and balanced education in K-12 schools, focusing on foundational academic skills rather than what is described as the promotion of divisive ideas to a captive student audience. The author, Rhyen Staley, holds a master's degree in elementary education and has over a decade of classroom experience.