2021
March The National Association of Scholars is proud to announce The Civics Alliance, a new coalition of education reformers, policymakers, and concerned citizens dedicated to preserving traditional civics education against the threat of New Civics. The Civics Alliance: Open Letter and Curriculum Statement
June Map: Where Critical Race Theory Is Under Attack
2022
Jan. –South Dakota, Louisiana, New Mexico– Education Week reviewed hundreds of standards and thousands of pages of public comment relating to the standards-writing processes in South Dakota, Louisiana, and New Mexico, all of which took up revisions in 2021, and interviewed writers, educators, and state officials Revising America’s Racist Past
March -Louisiana– Brumley said many of the changes were made in direct response to the public feedback on the original draft, which was generally negative. But it is not clear how representative that feedback was of parents’ opinions at large: Education Week found that many of those comments were cut and pasted from interest-group commentary—notably a document put out by the far-right National Association of Scholars. Louisiana’s History Standards Got a Closed-Door Rewrite. What’s In and What’s Out
June -Arizona– The bill is similar to a bill passed in Florida last year that was among a litany of other bills in the Sunshine State targeting socialism, communism and civic literacy. Nguyen pushed similar legislation last year, but it failed to win enough support to become law. Arizona High school graduation will be tied to learning about the evils of communism
June -Florida– The Florida Department of Education’s training of educators on new civics standards for K-12 public schools is underway and has prompted some critical comments. See for yourself: the slides shown to teachers during Florida’s civics training sessions
July –Florida- Already, the state’s approach is generating imitations. Civics Alliance, a conservative coalition of policymakers and academics, used Florida’s new civics standards as a model for its own national set of proposed guidelines, released late June. Arizona passed legislation in June containing passages lifted straight from a 2021 Florida law that, among other things, requires students to learn about the “blessings of liberty” and the “victims of other nations’ governing philosophies.”Revamped Florida Civics Education Aims for ‘Patriotism.’ Will It Catch On Elsewhere?
Oct. -Colorado– Republican State Board member Debora Scheffel had proposed tossing the civics standards developed by a committee of teachers, community members, and other experts and starting over using American Birthright as a base. American Birthright is a project of the Civics Alliance, a coalition whose mission statement says it formed to oppose a “new civics” more centered on global citizenship and activism than on understanding American ideals and responsibilities. Conservative American Birthright civics program rejected by Colorado State Board of Ed
Nov. -South Dakota– There are so many things not right with the proposed social studies standards as presented to the people of South Dakota, which includes Indigenous people. The processes for equity set by the State of South Dakota, specifically the South Dakota Department of Education, were not followed in this case. On the federal law side, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act states that the tribes be consulted on curriculum changes that address the tribes in South Dakota. This did not take place. ‘So many things not right’ with proposed social studies standards
2023
Jan. -Woodland Park, Colorado– The board of a small school district in Teller County passed a resolution Wednesday night to use the conservative American Birthright social studies standards that emphasize patriotism and American exceptionalism, just a month after the state board of education rejected them.The standards were championed by the district’s new interim superintendent, Ken Witt, a former Jefferson County board president. He was recalled along with two other board members in 2015 after they tried to inject patriotism into the history curriculum. Woodland Park School District adopts conservative American Birthright social studies standards after the state board rejected them
April –South Dakota– Critics of the standards raised concerns over age-appropriateness of topics, a heavy focus on memorization, and lack of emphasis on Native American history. Supporters argued the standards will increase students’ understanding of government structure and history and are free from political agendas. Social studies standards accepted despite opposition
April -South Dakota– The Hillsdale Effect:South Dakota’s Troubling New Social Studies Standards
April -Florida- “As this timeline will demonstrate, Adams was talked into abandoning his plan to go into think tank policy work to become a classical civics teacher and become Arnn’s right-hand man in creating the Patriotic curriculum both for Hillsdale College and President Trump.“The Hillsdale College “Grooming” of Jordan Adams
May -Ohio- Ohio’s legislative majority continues its dishonest attacks on democracy in the Buckeye State. House Bill 103 is a shameful attempt to micromanage Ohio K-12 educational curriculum based on ideology that is rooted in the politically motivated culture wars. Ohio House lawmakers proposing extremist right-wing rewrite of state social studies curriculum
July -Florida/PragerU– Florida approves use of conservative content from ‘Prager U’ in schools
Aug. -Texas/PragerU Texas education advocates condemn ‘PragerU’ curriculum
Aug -Montana/PragerU– Conservative nonprofit obtains Montana textbook license
- Parents voice concerns as conservative curriculum company enters Montana
- “What enticed me about them is that they fit the mold of social studies, civics, financial literacy as well as being adaptable to any learning model through that virtual platform,” Arntzen said.
Sept. -Florida & Oklahoma– are both conservative states making changes to their education systems this year, pushing back on what they claim is an increasingly “woke” agenda in classrooms. What Is PragerU: Controversial Conservative Platform Entering Classrooms In Florida And Oklahoma
Sept. -Oklahoma/PragerU Oklahoma is promoting a history curriculum using videos by conservative group PragerU
Sept. New Hampshire/PragerU Conservative group PragerU wins approval to offer online course to NH students
Sept. -Pennsylvania- “For example, the Hillsdale curriculum repeatedly suggests that America’s Founding Fathers had deep reservations about slavery. The ninth grade Pennridge curriculum will require a Hillsdale lesson that encourages students to “[c]onsider also that even among the southern founders who supported slavery or held slaves, several leading founders expressed regret and fear of divine retribution for slavery in America, such as Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington.” The curriculum states that, “Some freed their slaves as well, such as George Washington.” The same wording is also included in the required Hillsdale lesson for fourth graders.” Pennsylvania school district requires social studies classes to incorporate right-wing propaganda
Oct. Garfield Re-2, Colorado– An effort to adopt a controversial, conservative set of social studies standards fell flat in Garfield County Wednesday night, after its district Re-2 school board voted to stick with the state-approved curriculum. The board’s 3-1 decision to adopt the state standards comes after months of debate over the American Birthright Standards (ABS), which promote patriotism, Christianity, and American exceptionalism. After community protest, Garfield County school board lays to rest conservative social studies curriculum
2024
Jan. -Arizona/PragerU Arizona superintendent announces partnership with PragerU
May -Louisiana/PragerU Louisiana will let public schools show right-wing group’s ‘edu-tainment’ videos, sparking outcry
Sept. -South Carolina/PragerU SC Superintendent announces partnership with conservative media organization PragerU
Oct. -Idaho/PragerU Idahoans have mixed reactions to divisive PragerU curriculum
2025
May -Oklahoma– Oklahoma’s new social studies standards for K-12 public school students, already infused with references to the Bible and national pride, were revised at the direction of state School Superintendent Ryan Walters. New standards for Oklahoma high school students promote misinformation about the 2020 election
Nov. -Texas– David Randall, executive director of the Civics Alliance and research director of the National Association of Scholars, was also appointed a content adviser. He has criticized standards he felt were “animated by a radical identity-politics ideology” and hostile to America and “groups such as whites, men, and Christians.” Randall has written that vocabulary emphasizing “systemic racism, power, bias, and diversity” cannot coexist with “inquiry into truth — much less affection for America.” He has called the exclusion of the Bible and Christianity in social studies instruction “bizarre,” adding that no one “should find anything controversial” about teaching the role of “Judeo-Christian values” in colonial North America. Another panelist is Jordan Adams, a self-described independent education consultant who holds degrees from Hillsdale College, a Michigan-based campus known nationally for its hard-right political advocacy and efforts to shape classroom instruction in a conservative Christian vision. That group includes David Barton, a far-right conservative Christian activist who gained national prominence arguing against common interpretations of the First Amendment’s establishment clause, which prevents the government from endorsing or promoting a religion. Barton believes that America was founded as a Christian nation, which many historians have disproven. Texas State Board of Education advisers signal push to the right in social studies overhaul
Nov. -Florida- In Florida, newly adopted social studies standards on communism instruct educators to teach students about the “repackaging of Marxist ideology” in current political discourse, and the “dangers of propaganda” in modern media. Historians have said the standards present a skewed picture and minimize the consequences of McCarthyism in the United States.Communism, American Exceptionalism Latest Flashpoints in State History Standards
2026
Jan. -Nebraska– “These aren’t good standards,” Royers told the Examiner. “This isn’t the right way to teach history.”Royers also said the way the proposal is written steps on the toes of local boards of education. He said Murman should “let teachers write the social studies standards.”New bill would require Nebraska K-12 schools to teach anti-communist lessons
Feb. -Utah/PragerU “Jonathan Zimmerman, professor of education history at the University of Pennsylvania, told PBS News last year that the problem with the videos is that they “pretend that they’re simply factual.” While they may not be factually inaccurate, they have a “very distinct perspective,” he told the news outlet. Schools Get Conservative Group Videos After Complaints of ‘Woke’ Ideology
March -Tennessee– “Teaching the truth to protect freedom,” Bowling said during the meeting. “America’s founding principles, individual liberties, limited government and constitutional rights stand in direct opposition to communist ideology.”Tennessee bill mandating lessons on the ‘history of communism’ passes Senate
March -Iowa– And, of course, the bill is not an Iowa idea. It’s another warmed over, red-state-think-tank idea. In this case it’s the work of the National Association of Scholars and the Civics Alliance, conservative groups trying to dictate how history, civics and social studies are taught across the country to promote their narrow worldview and their right-wing “American Birthright” curriculum. Iowa Republican lawmakers see history education as a political weapon
March -South Dakota– But the National Association of Scholars says the Common Core has injected too much confusion into math education and lacks rigor. The group aims to instead introduce more memorization of math facts and pare down the number of words used to describe the knowledge that students should be taught at each grade level.After fights over social studies standards, conservative activists come for math
March –Oklahoma- The Education Department, now led by state Superintendent Lindel Fields, released a new draft of the social studies standards on Jan. 29 that deleted references to Bible stories, Jesus and the polarizing content. The new standards, available for public comment until late February, otherwise resembled the version Walters’ administration developed.Oklahoma New social studies standards pass Oklahoma State Board of Education vote
April -Oklahoma The National Association of Scholars (NAS) and the Civics Alliance congratulate Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Lindel Fields, the members of Oklahoma’s State Board of Education, and Governor Kevin Stitt for their work to improve Oklahoma’s social studies standards. Oklahoma’s social studies standards adoption process has been unusually tangled, but the end result has been a substantial improvement. New Oklahoma social studies standards restore patriotism, civic foundations
April –Texas– The new framework also would eliminate sixth grade world culture courses altogether. Because topics are taught in chronological order, students would only learn about ancient history in earlier grades. Additionally, the history of Black Civil War heroes and indigenous people were left out of early outlines The board also appointed nine content advisors to help guide the curriculum, and only one has experience working in a Texas public school. Three others—David Barton, David Randall, and Jordan Adams—hold far-right views, and the Texas Freedom Network previously launched a petition calling for their removal. .Texas Inside Texas’s controversial social studies overhaul
April -Texas– “They’re writing topics that are being taken as standards for kindergartners and first graders when they really don’t even have a good understanding of the cognitive and developmental abilities of 6-year-olds,” she said.Dougherty said that while using chronological order makes sense on the surface, the curriculum jumps from ancient history to Texas history. She said jumping around topics will make it hard for younger kids to get a good grasp of history and connect abstract ideas to the present.” Texas is changing its social studies curriculum. Critics say it’s too state-centric
April -Utah- “But opponents of the law argue that placing such emphasis on text from one religious tradition is inherently proselytizing. Requiring teachers to interpret Biblical passages “will inevitably blur the line between education and religious endorsement,” reads a March 31 statement from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for the separation of church and state.” Another State Is Requiring Students to Study the Bible in School
April -Texas- “The State Board of Education has approved a draft proposal to overhaul the state’s social studies standards. Critics say the new standards will minimize diverse perspectives in how U.S. history is taught.”Texas education board advances history standards critics say remove diverse views
April -Texas- “AHA senior program analyst Julia Brookins testified before the Texas State Board of Education about the review of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards for social studies on April 10. She testified that the state was creating standards out of alignment with established best practices for which no educational and professional development resources currently exist, only to then “commission a custom educational product with a huge contract, awarded to a political ally, for an educational resource that is designed to fit the unvetted, destructive standards.” AHA Staff Criticizes Texas Social Studies Standards Revision Process Before State Board of Education
April- Florida- “With the resurgence of communist ideologies across the United States and throughout the world, it is more important than ever for students to understand the catastrophic failures and human suffering caused by communist regimes,” said Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas.” Florida communism classes will get new update later this year
May- Florida Florida has a new U.S. history course. How is Hillsdale College connected?
Florida creates ‘anti-woke’ AP history alternative for students The state announced a state-developed alternative to taking an Advanced Placement (AP) course in U.S. history, which students take in high school to count for college credits.
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