Conservatism Is Winning In Schools

Written by Anthony Cash

What’s happening: School districts and universities are partnering with conservative organizations such as Hillsdale College and PragerU to reintroduce civic education in schools and replace what they see as anti-American propaganda.

Catch up: Amid the battles between parents and left-leaning school boards over transgenderism and critical race theory, educators are looking to restore trust in public schools.

Why it matters: Giving parents alternatives to the left-leaning education system is more popular than critics suggest. Polls show that swing state voters trust Republicans with education over Democrats, and the right’s pro-parent and patriotic outlook resonates with many Americans, leading the party to victories in Florida and Virginia.

• Even in New York City: Candidates running on merit-based education standards won sweeping victories in New York City’s school council elections.

1776 Curriculum: A Philadelphia-area school district is the latest to require social studies teachers to use Hillsdale College’s 1776 Curriculum. This free educator-created curriculum gives teachers lesson plans, worksheets, and resources that teach American history in a way that upholds America’s founding principles, in contrast to the far-left, journalist-created 1619 Project.

PragerU Kids: Florida, Oklahoma, and New Hampshire approved PragerU children’s videos as supplemental materials for public schools. PragerU — famous for its short videos on policy, history, and morality — seeks to “teach classic American values” with material “that parents trust.”

Classical Learning Test: Florida also approved the Classical Learning Test (CLT) to compete with the SAT and ACT. The CLT tests students on their ability to engage in complex philosophic texts, focusing on memorization, logic, and debate.

Who’s fighting it? Teachers unions, the media, and Democrat politicians are pushing back against the new curricula, claiming that school districts are enforcing “right-wing propaganda.”