Moral Panic in the Classroom

Fresh Air

NPR

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4.4 • 34.4K Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2022

⏱️ 46 minutes

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Summary

Florida officials recently rejected a slew of math textbooks, claiming they included "prohibited topics." NYT journalist Dana Goldstein theorizes the objections related to social-emotional learning. The goal of social-emotional learning is to provide kids with a set of skills that they can draw on when they face challenges later in life, Goldstein explains. But some conservatives see it as something that opens the door to larger discussions about race, gender and sexuality.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for this podcast comes from the New Bower Family Foundation, supporting
0:04.7	WHY Wise Fresh Air and its commitment to sharing ideas and encouraging meaningful conversation.
0:11.3	This is Fresh Air, I'm Terry Gross.
0:13.9	The schools have become a battleground for culture war issues from fights over masks to the
0:19.6	content of math textbooks.
0:22.0	The best example now is Florida, where Governor Ronda Santos has signed into law the
0:26.5	parental rights and education bill, known by its critics as the don't say gay law, because
0:32.0	it limits the way sexual orientation and gender identity are spoken of in the classroom.
0:37.7	Last week, DeSantis signed the Stop Woke Act, which prohibits instruction that could prompt
0:43.5	students to feel discomfort about a historical event because of their race, sex, or national
0:48.8	origin.
0:49.9	Florida has also rejected 42 of 143 math textbooks, because they incorporated
0:55.9	prohibited topics or unsolicited strategies, including what's described as critical race theory.
1:02.6	Florida officials have given little evidence to back up these claims.
1:06.6	My guest Dana Goldstein got access to 21 of the rejected math textbooks and analyze their
1:12.5	contents.
1:13.7	She's a national correspondent for The New York Times covering how education policies impact
1:19.0	families, students, and teachers.
1:21.3	She's been reporting on education since 2007.
1:24.6	Dana Goldstein, welcome back to Fresh Air.
1:27.7	So you've been covering education since 2007.
1:30.3	Are you seeing something new in terms of how culture war issues are being fought in the
	...

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