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Nikole Hannah-Jones Doesn’t Understand ‘The Idea That Parents Should Decide’ What Schools Teach

Nikole Hannah Jones is an author. New York Times journalist and architect of the 1619 Project, a Pulitzer Prize–winning series of articles that recontextualizes the central roles that slavery and racism played in America’s founding. Even though many critics have raised serious questions regarding some pieces, some are being taught in schools.

Hannah-Jones doesn’t like to leave curriculum decisions up to other district officials, and is therefore less likely to be able to teach. Recent interview with Hannah-Jones on Meet the PressHannah Jones confessed to not understanding the idea that it was up to parents to decide what is being taught.

The comments of former Virginia Governor were widely discredited. Democrat Terry McAuliffe was running against Glenn Youngkin in the 2021 gubernatorial election. McAuliffe’s statement denying that parents should play a paramount role in the education of their own children is rightly seen as a realigning moment—one that allowed Youngkin to run (and win) on a platform of making the public education system accountable to families. Hannah Jones believes McAuliffe did have it right, even though his comments are not well-received.

The Meet the Press Hannah-Jones attempted consistency in interview. She stated that she and other educators do not have the expertise necessary to determine what school curriculum should include. She said, “I am not a professional teacher.” It is somewhat unclear that she claims to be a tenured professor at Howard University School of Communications. She is actually a professional teacher.

The idea that parents must give up all rights to the public school system is not popular. And misguided. Parents can become involved too much in school affairs and get individual books taken from the library shelves. However, parents often find things that are objectionable more alarming than they should.

Fairfax Public Schools, Virginia, invited IbramX. Kendi to speak as an activist and writer for the book. How to Be an Antiracist And Antiracist BabyYou can have a chat with administrators and principals via e-mail. Kendi received $20,000 per hour to give a talk. He also sold $24,000 of his books to the district, who argued that any arrangement that results in unequal results on racial lines was racist.

According to the National Education Association, schools should offer a criticism of “empires, white supremacy and anti-Blackness, anti–Indigeneity; racism, patriarchy and cisheteropatriarchy; capitalism, ableism and other forms power and oppression at intersections of society”. It doesn’t matter whether you define this sort of thing as critical race theory—though the NEA certainly does—it matters that activist educators are working to include it.

It is best to offer parents the greatest education options. Choice of school. Family should be empowered not to engage in all-consuming, venomous battles over which schools should teach students. They should be given the ability to use their education money to find the best schooling options for their kids. Noting that there is more choice, the critical race theory debate would not be relevant. There are reasons‘s J.D. Tuccille. Tuccille.