Education Week - August 17, 2022 - 9

the negative aspects of American history
will be covered in summer training
sessions, but state law prohibits
instruction that requires students to
" feel guilt, anguish, or other forms of
psychological distress for actions, in
which he or she played no part, committed
in the past by other members
of the same race or sex. "
Asked about this issue, Masyada
said: " The real focus here is making
sure teachers can straddle that line. "
" You can approach this material, you
can be honest about this material, but
you need to keep your opinions separate
from it, " he said. " Stick to the primary
sources, stick to the facts, and then
you're doing your job as an educator. "
Shannon said she's not sure how to
navigate a critical lens on patriotism
while also not running into the new
Florida law.
" I just see a lot of difficult conversations
coming up, " she said.
Messaging in professional
development also draws concern
If the language of the standards
themselves already drew questions
from educators, the ongoing summer
training sessions have fueled concerns
and confusion.
The Florida education department
anticipates more than 2,750 educators
will attend its trainings. And with
$106 million backing the initiative-
including an online certificate course
for teachers debuting this fall-it's an
investment meant to set Florida apart.
" I think definitely the intent here
is to really serve as a model for other
states, " Masyada said.
An education department spokesperson
said that the trainings were
closed to the press.
High school teachers attending one
of these trainings in South Florida
were alarmed at the focus on " Christian
and conservative ideology, " The
Miami Herald reported in June. Training
slides published by the newspaper
include messages, for example, stating
that it's a misconception that " the
Founders desired strict separation of
church and state, and the Founders
only wanted to protect freedom of
worship. "
A separate slide stated that " 2/3 of
the Founders held slaves-[but] even
those that held slaves did not defend
the institution, " seemingly downplaying
the Founders' role as enslavers.
Shannon, who attended a training
in June, questioned the emphasis
on Christianity in a session on the
ideological origins of the country.
" We've always taught that freedom
of religion means you can practice or
not practice in any law-abiding way
that you feel without intrusion from
the government, " she said. " And this
just felt very, 'Well, the whole country
was founded on Christianity.' "
She added that there was less of
a focus on pedagogy and more of a
recap of fundamentals such as the
branches of government and a review
of founding documents.
" I was confused as to why I was
being told things that as a civics
teacher, I already know, " she said.
State Commissioner of Education
Manny Diaz, Jr. has defended
the training sessions, saying that the
Florida education department " will
ensure that instruction remains focused
on facts, especially in the context
of American history, to provide
an accurate depiction of our nation's
founding. Partisan indoctrination in
the classroom is over. "
A variety of groups have contributed
to the training, among them Masyada's
group, the right-leaning Bill of
Rights Institute, and the conservative
Hillsdale College of Michigan, a private
Christian college.
Hillsdale College in particular
played an active role in the revision
of the standards and the program, according
to the Miami Herald. The college
did not respond to a request for
an interview with Education Week.
But at an event it sponsored in February,
Hillsdale College President
Larry P. Arnn spoke with Gov. DeSantis,
noting its influence on what
students learn.
" There are several states where
Hillsdale College turns out to be a
prime influence on the teaching of
civics and other things in the state, "
he said. " And Florida is the one where
it was easy, and it was easy because
they're competent, these people. "
National impact already emerging
As Florida moves forward with its
new approach to civics and social
studies, there's already at least one
state paying close attention.
A new law in Arizona requires students
to engage in " comparative discussion
of political ideologies, such as
communism and totalitarianism, that
conflict with the principals of freedom
and democracy that are essential to
the founding principles of the United
States of America. "
That's the same language of
Florida's 2021 law requiring such instruction
in high school. It seems to
implicitly point students towards a
favorable view of capitalism and the
U.S. system of government, and when
Florida passed it, supporters said that
it would help curb surveys showing
some Americans have a favorable
view of socialism.
And the conservative Civics Alliance
coalition cites Florida's new
civics standards as a source for its national
social studies standards called
" American Birthright. " It claims Florida
" used a proper pedagogy to teach
K-6 students about America. " An education
policy development director of
the Florida education department is
also cited as an expert consultant for
the project.
The group contends that " far too
many education professionals work
consciously or unconsciously to minimize,
delegitimize, or eliminate the
history and the ideals of conservative
Americans-and, indeed, the history
and the ideals of moderate Americans
and of classical liberals. "
And it offers state lawmakers advice
on how to push for social studies
reforms. It says " governors should
appoint superintendents who are
dedicated to the cause of social studies
standards reform, and who will
themselves appoint more reformers
to the state education department. "
An example they cite? Florida's own
Gov. DeSantis.
EDUCATION WEEK | August 17, 2022 | www.edweek.org | 9
| WEBINAR
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What's the best approach to literacy when your
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Literacy is widely known as the ability to read
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Education Week - August 17, 2022

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