Even when schools adopt a well-designed, balanced curriculum, many teachers will ignore the curriculum and do their own thing, writes Robert Pondiscio of the American Enterprise Institute on The Free Press. Most teachers go online to find lessons and resources, opening the door for interest groups eager to sell products and push ideologies, he writes.
Children at a Brooklyn school were sent home with a Black Lives Matter "activity book" promoting “queer affirming,” “transgender affirming,” and “restorative justice” tents of the movement, reported Francesca Block in The Free Press. The book was not authorized for classroom use by the district, she noted. It apparently came from the “Share My Lesson” website run by the American Federation of Teachers. More than half of all public school teachers are members.
"Knowing the curriculum or programs a school district has 'adopted' is a cracked lens," writes Pondiscio. "Absent regulations specifically requiring teachers to post all lesson plans and materials online on a daily basis, including material they create or find on the internet, it’s nearly impossible to say with any certainty what occurs inside the black box of the public school classroom."