Curriculum Transparency In A Nutshell:
Our public schools exist because we pay for them. Every parent who sends a child to a taxpayer-funded school has the right to know what their children are taught behind closed doors.
In Depth:
“Hiding materials taught to children from their own parents seems like a line politicians should be wary to cross.”
Betsy DeVos
Many parents are asking, “what are they teaching in public schools?” And I, like most Americans, believe parents have every right to see for themselves what content their kids are learning.. It’s common sense. But there’s a new fault line emerging between those who believe parents have a right to know what’s being taught in public K-12 schools, and those who do not.
In theory, state laws across the country already affirm parents’ rights to access the instructional materials used in the classroom. But in states from Wisconsin to Rhode Island, it’s become clear, the vague assurances currently on the books offer parents no meaningful rights at all. Simple records requests from parents about course materials have been met with resistance and heavy fees from public school districts.
In response, we’re seeing states as diverse as North Carolina, Arizona, Illinois, Texas, and Wyoming lead the way on advancing curriculum transparency initiatives. That’s because legislators understand wokeness is the left’s religion and outright “bans” of critical race theory or the 1619 Project won’t fix the problem. The liberal education establishment will simply rename, rebrand, or repackage these insidious ideas to get around so-called bans.
When robust curriculum transparency laws are enacted, parents themselves are equipped with the tools to hold schools accountable for their programming decisions. Schools will finally have an incentive to ensure prospective parents don’t feel alienated and chose to send their kids (and the substantial formula funding that comes with their kids’ enrollment) elsewhere.