The Southern Poverty Law Center's (SPLC) educational program, 'Learning for Justice,' is being used to train future K-12 teachers in colleges of education across 38 states, according to a report released by the watchdog group Defending Education.
The report, which examined 100 colleges of education, found that the SPLC's materials, formerly known as Teaching Tolerance, and its Social Justice Standards are embedded in teacher preparation programs. These programs include courses titled 'Equity, Access, and Anti-bias Education,' 'Teaching for Social Justice,' 'Critical Consciousness,' and 'Socially Just Teachers.'
Researchers discovered the SPLC's standards integrated into required education courses, teacher candidate handbooks, student teacher evaluations, lesson planning assignments, departmental frameworks, and professional development for educators. The watchdog group noted that many universities obscure their use of these materials behind faculty login pages.
"It is quite clear that the SPLC’s programming has more than a trivial impact on education," said Defending Education Director of Research Rhyen Staley. "Pre-service teachers should not be forced to adhere to or promote politically charged ideologies to obtain a degree. Furthermore, students and their families deserve an educational experience that is free of political bias and promotes balanced viewpoints."
The report highlights specific institutions where the standards are incorporated. For instance, California State University, Sacramento's College of Education, and William & Mary's School of Education require pre-service teachers to integrate the Social Justice Standards into coursework, lesson planning, instruction, and professional evaluations. William & Mary's handbook reportedly states these standards "reflect the School of Education's philosophical approach to teaching and learning."
Western Washington University reportedly evaluates student teachers on their integration of these standards into lesson plans, requiring "clear links to identity and diversity anchor standards found in Learning for Justice/Teaching Tolerance Standards." Brandeis University indicates that the standards guide its "Teaching for Social Justice" teacher education program.
Beyond undergraduate programs, the SPLC's influence has reportedly extended to graduate programs, grant-funded initiatives, and state policy. The University of Maryland College of Education incorporates the standards into a master's degree program for teacher leadership, and the Maryland State Department of Education includes them in new teacher induction regulations.
A spokesperson for the Maryland State Department of Education stated that the department "does not generally develop curriculum; we establish statewide standards." The spokesperson added they were unaware of any local school systems incorporating SPLC materials into training for teachers or board members.
The report also points to taxpayer-funded projects utilizing SPLC materials. A $275,000 National Science Foundation grant supporting Northern Arizona University's project and a $3.3 million U.S. Department of Education grant awarded to Claremont Graduate University are mentioned. The latter institution's grant proposal reportedly stated it would "introduce Fellows to the following core social justice teaching ideas and practices," including the Social Justice Standards from Teaching Tolerance.
The findings emerge amid increased scrutiny of the SPLC. In April, the Justice Department filed an indictment against the organization, alleging donor fraud related to payments to confidential informants within extremist groups. SPLC Interim President and CEO Bryan Fair denied wrongdoing, characterizing the charges as politically motivated during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in June.