The U.S. Department of Education announced on Monday that it has terminated $600 million in grants for teacher training programs, including "Dismantling Racial Bias" and "Centering Equity in the Classroom."
The post Education Department Slashes $600M for ‘Divisive’ Teacher Training Grants appeared first on Breitbart.
Democratic lawmakers on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee sparred with President Donald Trump's Department of Education nominee Linda McMahon on Thursday over cost-cutting efforts underway by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an agency led by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
"I believe the American people spoke loudly in the election last November to say that they want to look at waste, fraud and abuse in our government," said McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
Pressed by Democrats, including Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, if she would follow through with cuts suggested by the "DOGE brothers," McMahon said she can be counted on to follow congressional statute "because that's the law."
TRUMP EDUCATION NOMINEE LINDA MCMAHON SAYS SHUTTING DOWN DOE WOULD 'REQUIRE CONGRESSIONAL ACTION'
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., also asked if McMahon believes DOGE should have access to "private student data," suggesting that their probes "should frighten everyone."
"It is my understanding that those employees have been onboarded as employees of the Department of Education, and therefore, they operate under the restraints of utilizing access of information," McMahon said.
"That's not my understanding," Murray shot back.
"That's my understanding," McMahon responded.
Murray said it was "deeply disturbing" that DOGE staffers aren't "held accountable" and that it should "frighten everyone" if they have access to students' private information.
INTO THE RING: TRUMP EDUCATION CHIEF PICK MCMAHON TO TESTIFY ON CUTTING 'RED TAPE' AMID DOGE SWEEPS
The Department of Education canceled over $100 million in grants for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training as part of a broader cost-cutting effort led by DOGE, Fox News Digital previously reported. DOGE announced the termination of 89 DOE contracts, totaling $881 million, including $101 million allocated for DEI programs focused on educating educators about oppression, privilege and power, in a post Monday on X.
"Your tax dollars were spent on this," Musk wrote of the DOE spending.
DOGE reported that the Department of Education spent an additional $1.5 million on a contractor to "observe mailing and clerical operations" at a mail center, a contract that was also terminated in the dramatic spending audit.
At one point, moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine raised the terminated contracts as she asked about fears from some educators that grants for tutoring might be on the chopping block.
"There are many worthwhile programs that we should keep," McMahon said in response to Collins. "But I'm not yet apprised of them. I want to study them. I'd like to get back and talk to you more and to work with you."
DOGE has been on a tirade to cut spending within the DOE, including terminating three grants in early February, one of which funded an institution that had hosted faculty workshops on "Decolonizing the Curriculum." Trump's early executive orders launched a federal review of DEI practices in federally funded educational institutions.
McMahon testified during Thursday's hearing that she has "not" had any conversation with Musk about the Department of Education.
McMahon emphasized during her confirmation hearing opening remarks that the federal government ultimately is impeding American students from accessing quality education.
The post Education Secretary Nominee Linda McMahon in Confirmation Hearing: ‘Listen to Parents, Not Politicians’ appeared first on Breitbart.
President Donald Trump expressed that he wants the Department of Education to be "closed immediately," describing it as a "big con job."
The post Trump Calls for Department of Education to Be ‘Closed Immediately’ appeared first on Breitbart.
VIRGINIA BEACH (WAVY) — High school students in the environmental studies program in Virginia Beach City Public Schools have combined a lot of math with their science in recent weeks, in the form of counting — marking and providing an inventory all of the more-than-5,000 trees on Pleasure House Point, where it's transforming from woods to wetlands.
Trees are on the move as Virginia Beach site turns from woods to wetlands
The trees they counted ended up as a map on the city's website. It gave these environmental studies students a chance to leave the classroom and branch out.
"This project has really differed from all the other projects that we've done," said Riley Brown, a senior at Ocean Lakes High School, "because we've gotten to partner with public works and the city arborists."
A tree would be relocated if the trunk was two inches or smaller in diameter. Ocean Lakes senior Caylin Szilagi now uses that new measuring skill whenever she sees any trees.
"If we're out walking, it's kind of like a fun guessing game to see how our skills have improved, and I'm actually pretty good at guessing," she said.
These students see beyond the trees to the greater impact of environmental issues.
"So while we might focus on issues here at Pleasure House Point, me and my classmates also like to look from a world-focused view of issues around us, and I feel like that's really meaningful," said Reese Longwater, an Ocean Lakes junior.
They worked in partnership with the city, and with conservation groups such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Lynnhaven River Now and Friends of Live Oaks.
"We're giving a benefit to the city, and the city, by honoring this youthful voice, is helping the students," said Chris Freeman, environmental studies coordinator. "They'll have a legacy project right here in Virginia Beach to become the next environmental leaders."
Students also learned the skill of advocacy — getting someone to see the value in their mission.
Ocean Lakes junior Kaydyn Ismail said it was rewarding to see the students' work leverage a real-life cause-and-effect.
"The city responded really well, seeing, for example, with our data, they were able to change the construction entrance to preserve the oldest and largest trees in the area," she said. "Seeing their direct response [to] our advocacy has been really special to me."
And for some, this project is another step in their career path.
"Environmental policy or environmental management," said Salem High School senior Gavin Wehr, when asked what he'd like to pursue in college. "It really depends on where I go to college and what I decide to do. It's a great passion of mine. I love science."
A member of North Carolina’s largest school district’s board slammed critics of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and said the term is being bandied about by people who are racist in place of the "n-word."
Wake County Schools board member Sam Hershey began his remarks at last week’s meeting in Raleigh by saying that if people are "searching for truth, we’re going to have to wait about four more years for that because, man, I’ve never seen someone lie so much as that person," in an apparent reference to President Donald Trump.
Hershey, who is White, said that in recognition of Black History Month, he wanted to make some remarks about DEI in a meeting video posted to YouTube.
"I really want to highlight, as Dr. Ng mentioned, we're celebrating 250 [years of America] next year that … it’s really important to talk about people being hired based on their skin color. And for 250 years, it has been mediocre White men who have been hired based on their skin color."
DOGE SLASHES $100M IN DEI FUNDING AT US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
"And those are facts. – I've heard people say DEI is racist. If that's what you believe, you know nothing about diversity, equity, inclusion, and you know nothing about racism. And that speaks to you as a human being."
Speaking about Wake County as a whole, which includes Raleigh as well as Fuquay-Varina and Zebulon, Hershey said DEI ensures kids who need more educational help receive it without lowering standards.
"That's the thing that drives me nuts the most," Hershey said. "That's being real. And I've said this before: People who throw around ‘DEI hire,’ they're just replacing the n-word with ‘DEI hire.’ That's what they want to say. We get it. You guys are all losers."
BALTIMORE SUES TRUMP FOR DITCHING DEI
He referenced the recent helicopter-plane collision above Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia, where some pundits were hypothesizing about the personal identifiers of the pilots involved.
"Should I see a Black pilot or do I think they're a DEI hire? No, that's racism to think that way."
In Wake County Schools, he said, candidates are hired based on their qualifications and that it would be insulting not to do so.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"We’ve got vacancies, so we're not turning away people because they're White," he said.
A communications official for Wake County Schools told Fox News Digital, "I don't have any information to share with you," when reached on Thursday.
Superintendent Robert Taylor did not respond to multiple requests for comment, and several assistant superintendents, as well as Hershey, did not respond to emailed inquiries whether any reprimand or other action was being considered because of his remarks.
On X, formerly Twitter, Hershey's comments led to criticism, including one user who asked if he had ever listened to speeches from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"What happened to a world where one is not judged by the color of his skin (or other immutable outward characteristics for that matter?). Why should anyone consider skin color in hiring?"
"Sam Hershey has decades of experience in 'white man mediocrity," another user wrote. "Not exactly the best and brightest Wake County has to offer."
Linda McMahon made her stance clear on trans inclusion in women's and girls' sports during her confirmation hearing for education secretary on Thursday.
"I do not believe that biological boys should be able to compete against girls in sports, and I think now that certainly not only have the people spoken, because that was something that Trump ran very heavily on, but I believe the court has spoken," McMahon said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
A national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America (CWA) legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of "Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls and women’s bathrooms," as important to them. And 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important."
Trump vowed during his 2024 campaign to ban trans athletes from women's and girls' sports. Trump made good on that promise early when he signed the No Men in Women's Sports executive order on Feb. 5.
Prior to that, the Supreme Court ruled in August to deny a Biden administration emergency request to enforce portions of the former president's Title IX rewrites that would allow biological males in women's and girls' changing rooms.
HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE
And as McMahon looks to get confirmed as education secretary, she insists on carrying out the original mission of Title IX, and keeping women's sports for biological females.
"We are really back to what Title IX was originally established to do and that was to protect social discrimination. Women should feel safe in their locker rooms. They should feel safe in their spaces. They shouldn't have to be exposed to men undressing in front of them," McMahon said Thursday.
"I heard one person the other day say, ‘Well, guys should just hold the shower curtain in front of them so that they aren’t exposing themselves.' I mean really, that's just not what we should be doing. We should be making sure that Title IX, which is the law, should be enforced."
The Biden administration education secretary, Miguel Angel Cardona, supported allowing trans athletes to compete in women's and girls' sports.
Cardona helped draft the Title IX changes that would have prohibited blanket bans of transgender athletes on public school teams.
In a June 2021 interview with ESPN, Cardona said "transgender girls have a right to compete."
"Our LGBTQ students have endured more harassment than most other groups. It's critically important that we stand with them and give them opportunities to engage in what every other child can engage in without harassment," Cardona said.
"It's their right as a student to participate in these activities. And we know sports does more than just put ribbons on the first-, second- and third-place winner," he said. "We know that it provides opportunities for students to become a part of a team, to learn a lot about themselves, to set goals and reach them and to challenge themselves. Athletics provides that in our K-12 systems and in our colleges, and all students deserve an opportunity to engage in that."
Now, under the Trump administration, there will be multiple layers of efforts to prevent trans athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports, and McMahon's agenda will be one of those layers if she is confirmed.
A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, do not think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women's sports. Of the 2,128 people polled, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women's sports.
Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democratic, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — The black binder, the bold felt tip pen and a captive audience has been the scene of late as President Donald Trump follows through on some campaign promises, including one that would eliminate the U.S. Department of Education through an executive order.
Congress founded the department, and President Jimmy Carter signed it into law in October 1979.
In his inaugural speech, Trump parroted some of the same complaints about critical race theory that Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin banned from Virginia schools, although CRT was not taught in Virginia K-12 schools.
"And we have an education system that teaches our children to be ashamed of themselves — in many cases, to hate our country despite the love that we try so desperately to provide to them. All of this will change starting today, and it will change very quickly," Trump said at the Capitol building.
In Portsmouth, 18 of its 19 public schools are Title 1 schools.
That means the children need special attention and they need it right away. Fourth grade, says Portsmouth Public Schools School Board Chairman Dr. Cardell Patillo, is the unofficial academic deadline to have children's reading and math skills up to par in order to be adequately prepared for learning success throughout their time in school.
So far, funding for public schools has not been touched, but Patillo is still waiting to exhale.
In addition to presiding over school board meetings, Patillo owns two Head Start schools outside the city of Portsmouth.
"Well, it was complete panic amongst Head Start programs when the freeze was announced," Patillo said. "Head Start programs are totally dependent on federal funding."
Regina Mobley: What would you advise people to do if they're hearing your plea today and they're concerned that funding could be cut for public education and Head Start?
Dr. Cardell Patillo: Utilize your rights as citizens. Contact your local legislators and representatives. Tell them how important this funding is to you, your family, to those around you, and your community.
National Public Radio reports that a research arm of the Education Department has been all but shut down, and several contracts have been canceled.
It takes an order from Congress to abolish the Education Department, so it is unclear how the president would use an executive order to shutter an agency that employs more than 4000 employees.
The U.S. Department of Education is calling on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) to revoke the titles and championships awarded to transgender athletes competing in girls' and women's sports during the Biden administration.
The post Department of Education Calls on NCAA, NFHS to Strip Awards ‘Misappropriated’ by Trans Athletes appeared first on Breitbart.
The Department of Education (DOE) is canceling more than $100 million in grants to fund diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training as part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) sweep of "wasteful" spending.
DOGE, the department led by Elon Musk to cut costs within the federal government, announced the termination of 89 DOE contracts totaling $881 million in a post on X Monday night.
Of the nearly $1 billion, DOGE identified $101 million that was being used for DEI training, including teaching educators to "help students understand/interrogate the complex histories involved in oppression, and help students recognize areas of privilege and power on an individual and collective basis."
"Your tax dollars were spent on this," Musk wrote of the DOE spending.
TRUMP PUTS HIGHER EDUCATION ON NOTICE FOR ‘DANGEROUS, DEMEANING, AND IMMORAL’ DEI TEACHINGS
According to DOGE, the education department spent another $1.5 million on a contractor to "observe mailing and clerical operations" at a mail center, which was also terminated in the recent spending sweep.
"DEI was never about ‘equity’—it was about enforcing ideological conformity and institutionalizing discrimination. Shutting down these wasteful, divisive programs is a win for every student," Nicki Neily, founder and president of Parents Defending Education, said in response to the spending cut.
"More states need to follow suit," Neily said.
TRUMP EDUCATION DEPT LAUNCHES PROBE INTO ‘EXPLOSION OF ANTISEMITISM’ AT 5 UNIVERSITIES
Erika Donalds, wife of Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, also wrote in response that "the kids can’t read."
DOGE has been leading efforts to vacuum spending within the DOE, announcing in early February the termination of three grants including one funding an institution that had reportedly "previously hosted faculty workshops entitled 'Decolonizing the Curriculum.'"
In his first slew of executive orders, President Donald Trump launched a federal review of DEI teachings and practices in educational institutions receiving federal funding.
Amid the Trump-Vance crackdown on certain teachings, several colleges, such as Missouri State University and West Virginia University, have begun closing their DEI offices.
Fox News' Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
While the nation anticipates an executive order from President Donald Trump to dismantle the Department of Education, New York Democrats sparked a debate about its legality. The White House says cutting wasteful government funding is "not a crime in a court of law."
Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y, and Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., held a press conference at a Manhattan public school this week, calling Trump’s plans for the education department "illegal" and "unconstitutional." The White House said the Democrats are "gaslighting" Americans.
"Earlier this week, we learned that the Trump administration is drafting an executive order to shut down the Department of Education," Gillibrand said on Sunday. "This would jeopardize thousands of New York jobs, and billions of dollars in federal funding for New York's kids, teachers, families and schools. We're here to show them that we are ready to fight for our kids, fight for our communities and fight for our schools."
As Trump is expected to take steps this month to defund the Department of Education, Democrats began another week of Trump's second term protesting the Department of Government Efficiency. The Trump administration dismissed the protests as an attempt "to recover from their embarrassing loss" in November.
MAXINE WATERS, HOUSE DEMS RIPPED FOR 'UNHINGED' CLASH WITH SECURITY GUARD AT EDUCATION DEPT
"The Democrats have no plan on how to recover from their embarrassing loss, and it shows. Instead of working to become a party that focuses on the will of the people, they are hell-bent on keeping their heads in the sand and gaslighting on the widely supported mission of DOGE. Slashing waste, fraud, and abuse, and becoming better stewards of the American taxpayer’s hard-earned dollars might be a crime to Democrats, but it’s not a crime in a court of law," White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary, Harrison Fields, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Gillibrand on Sunday reminded New Yorkers that dismantling the Department of Education would require Congressional approval.
"What he's doing is illegal. It's unconstitutional. It's unconstitutional and illegal. It's unconstitutional because Congress is the only body that is allowed to decide how the taxpayer dollars that New Yorkers send to Washington is spent.
Hochul warned New Yorkers that they will pick up the tab if Trump shuts down the Department of Education.
"The largest part of your local property tax bill is your school taxes," Hochul said. "If that money evaporates from the federal government, where are they going to go? This is going to hit homeowners and businesses, and I want them to be aware of this consequence."
Hochul said defunding the Department of Education could deny students Pell Grants, a federally funded program that helps low-income students pay for college, and New York City’s public school nutrition programs, which provide free breakfast, lunch and after-school meals for students. Hochul urged New York Republicans to speak up in Washington for New York’s public school students.
"This is an outrage," Gillibrand added. "The Trump administration is stealing money from our kids, from our teachers and from our schools. These are New York tax dollars."
The New York Democrats said shutting down the Department of Education could cost New York’s 2.6 million students almost one billion dollars annually.
Hochul and Gillibrand join a growing coalition of Democrats speaking out against Trump’s education plans. Democrats protested outside the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., on Friday, demanding an audience with acting education secretary Denise Carter. Carter is keeping Linda McMahon’s seat warm during her senate confirmation process.
The United States Department of Education is calling on the NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) to strip the records and awards "misappropriated" by transgender athletes competing in girls and women’s sports less than a week after President Donald Trump signed an executive order effectively banning them from competition.
The statement follows a letter sent by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of General Counsel (OGC) to the NCAA and the NFHS on Tuesday urging the organization to "restore to female athletes the records, titles, awards, and recognitions misappropriated by biological males competing in female categories."
The statement went on to call on the organizations to strip any accolades from those athletes that "unfairly competed against girls and women in athletics," adding that doing so would align the groups with the new policy.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Trump signed the "Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports" order on Wednesday, which will require entities that receive federal funding to align with Title IX, which the Trump administration changed last week to recognize protections on the basis of biological sex — undoing former President Joe Biden's 2024 rewrite.
Surrounded by female athletes, Trump declared at the signing ceremony that "the war on women’s sports is over."
In response to the executive order, NCAA President Charlie Baker later released a statement stating that the Board of Governors would review the executive order and take steps to align the organization’s policy in the coming days.
"We strongly believe that clear, consistent and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today's student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump's order provides a clear, national standard," the statement read.
"The NCAA Board of Governors is reviewing the executive order and will take necessary steps to align NCAA policy in the coming days, subject to further guidance from the administration. The Association will continue to help foster welcoming environments on campuses for all student-athletes. We stand ready to assist schools as they look for ways to support any student-athletes affected by changes in the policy."
The following day the NCAA officially updated its gender eligibility policy that "limits competition in women's sports to student-athletes assigned female at birth only."
Candice Jackson, Deputy General Counsel, said in a statement Tuesday that the NCAA’s decision to change its policy was only the first step.
"The next necessary step is to restore athletic records to women who have for years been devalued, ignored, and forced to watch men steal their accolades. The Trump Education Department will do everything in our power to right this wrong and champion the hard-earned accomplishments of past, current, and future female collegiate athletes."
The executive order has been met with pushback.
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) said it will continue to follow the state's law that allows athletes to participate as whichever gender they identify as, a spokesperson told Fox News Digital last week.
The Education department’s latest plea is also expected to be met with similar rebuffs.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
There are the Black elites and then there are the rest of us. Ibram X. Kendi is one of them. Despite his middle class upbringing and current vast material wealth, he has made a living out of telling America that she is a systemically racist nation and that Blacks are her perpetual victim. He has also made a living out of telling Whites that they are racist unless they repent and become anti-racists in the manner formulated by him.
The one thing that Kendi has not done is uplift the Blacks born into the underclass in cities all across America. Though he may profess to care about his brothers and sisters, it is only lip service. For to truly help develop and uplift them would eliminate his bread and butter: racism.
I thought good riddance when I heard that Boston University was closing Kendi’s Center for Antiracist Research. He had raised nearly $55 million for his Boston University center, including $10 million from Twitter’s former owner, Jack Dorsey. During his time there, he averaged $35,000 per 60 minute speech — at the speech he gave at Cal State Northridge, he showed up 15 minutes late for a Zoom speech and still collected the full amount for 45 minutes of work. Not only that, he wrote books that have found their way into almost every K-12 school library across America.
FOUNDER OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY’S ANTIRACIST RESEARCH GROUP DEPARTS AS CENTER PREPARES TO SHUT DOWN
This man exploited the aftermath of George Floyd’s death to deepen the Black victimization cult in America. So I was glad to hear that he was gone from Boston University. Then I heard he was moving onto Howard University to set up a nearly similar center called the Institute for Advanced Study. A representative from this new center stated that it’s purpose is "advancing research of importance to the global African Diaspora, including inquiry into race, technology, racism, climate change, and disparities."
It also promises that it will be "built on the highest standards of intellectual inquiry."
What malarky, to put it politely.
Kendi is nothing more than a race hustler dressed up in the uniform of academia. That is why I was disappointed that Howard University, perhaps America’s most famous historically Black university, was taking in this racial victim charlatan.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION
We have had over 60 years of victimization poisoning the minds of Blacks and we’re on the bottom of nearly every educational statistic. Too many of our Black academics focus on race and not on development. Like Kendi, they exploit Black pain for the money in the bank account, the fancy car they drive, and the rosy house they live in and when they’re asked how much longer before Blacks get justice, they always say, there’s so much more work to be done.
I am the opposite of Kendi and his peers. I don’t believe in the politics of Blackness or exploiting our history of oppression for gain. I believe in the only one thing that matters in this nation: individual development.
What a waste to give Kendi all that money when it could have been put into foundational development that equips the young with a mind, thereby allowing him or her the opportunity to truly thrive in the world. That is how you achieve true diversity — by developing those who were born into less fortunate circumstances.
So it is my hope that Howard University recognizes its responsibility as an education establishment to reject the Kendis of America and move forward onto the path of development — a path we should have been on since the 1960s.
We have squandered far too many young minds to the race hustle and it is our sacred duty to our people who survived slavery and segregation to do right by the youth of today.
We cannot afford any more dead ends.
On Monday’s broadcast of “CNN Newsroom,” Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) acknowledged that it’s fair to say American students are behind, but that’s not an argument that the Department of Education isn’t using its money well and it would be better
The post Dem Rep. Hayes: Students Are Behind, But That’s Mostly ‘Red States’ So We Need ‘Congressional Oversight’ appeared first on Breitbart.
A left-wing, vampire-obsessed after-school program teacher is accused of sexually abusing two young girls for years at a Harlem school in New York and filming child sex abuse material, according to a new lawsuit reported on by the New York Post.
The post Report: Leftist, Vampire-Obsessed After-School Teacher Accused of Sexually Abusing 2 Young Girls in NYC appeared first on Breitbart.
Sunday, in a preview of his Super Bowl pregame show interview, President Donald Trump said Elon Musk was finding fraud and abuse in the government.
The post Trump: Musk Will Find Millions of Dollars in Fraud and Abuse at Department of Education, Military Next appeared first on Breitbart.
Artificial intelligence may be the new frontier for childhood schooling, but the idea of teacherless classrooms has received mixed reviews from state education officials.
Unbound Academy, a Texas-based institution billing itself as the nation’s first virtual, tuition-free charter school for grades 4 through 8, reportedly employs AI to teach students in a way that can be geared toward the individual student without "frustration[s]" sometimes present in traditional schooling.
While such schools have seen success in being approved to educate students in Arizona, Unbound was formally rejected by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital.
WY MAN SOUGHT BID TO ELECT FIRST AI BOT MAYOR
In a letter to an Unbound Academy official with a Lancaster office address, Secretary Angela Fitterer said her office has found "deficiencies" in all five criteria needed for approval to teach Keystone State students.
Pennsylvania’s Charter School law denotes a school must demonstrate sustainable support for the cyber charter school plan from teachers, parents and students. It must also exhibit the capacity to provide "comprehensive learning experiences," enable students to meet academic standards, and abide by Section 1747(a) of the law, which pertains to governance, policy, facility and assessment.
"Artificial intelligence tools present unique opportunities in the classroom that educators across Pennsylvania are already exploring how to effectively, ethically and safely implement," a spokeswoman for Fitterer told Fox News Digital.
"However, the AI instructional model being proposed by this school is untested and fails to delineate how artificial intelligence tools would be used to ensure that the education provided aligns with PA state standards," she said.
In its application, Unbound cited its work with "2HR Learning" an "innovated educational approach that combines AI technology, personalized learning paths, and a focus on life skills development to revolutionize the learning experience," according to the Scranton Times-Tribune.
However, Unbound saw success in Arizona, which approved an academy for the 2025-26 school year, while being rejected in three states besides Pennsylvania, according to the Arizona Republic.
Two hours are set aside for core instruction, and the rest of the day is geared toward students pursuing "personal interests" and life skills workshops.
Unbound Academy co-founder MacKenzie Price told the paper the Grand Canyon State was appealing because of its welcoming of school choice tenets.
Another state official on the frontier of educational evolution is Oklahoma Superintendent of Education Ryan Walters.
SCOTUS TO CONSIDER EFFORT TO ESTABLISH NATION'S FIRST PUBLICLY-FUNDED RELIGIOUS CHARTER SCHOOL
In recent months, Walters has spearheaded efforts to return the Bible to schools, root out foreign influence in curriculum, and AMIRA – a new literacy initiative, among other endeavors. His state is also set to appear before the Supreme Court this term in regard to interest in allowing a Catholic charter school to receive state funding.
Walters said he has not yet seen an application for Unbound or any other AI-powered charter school, but believes that if parents desire the option in the Sooner State, he will consider it.
"You have to show parental support that they're asking for it," he said.
"You also have to be very transparent. Where's the technology based out of? Who is developing it? We do not want any situation where you've got a CCP or [similar] country, involved there with the technology. . . . You need to be very upfront. Where is the technology developed? What is the curriculum look like?"
With Oklahoma’s major agricultural sector, many schoolchildren work hours on their family farms when they’re not in class. Walters said virtual learning has helped Oklahoma families in the near-term, and suggested an AI school would have a similar setup.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He said his state is always open to the next frontier of childhood education.
"Catholics have some of the most successful schools in our state in the country. They brought us a model that said we'd like to try out so many of the things that have worked for us in our private schools at a charter school. We can make it available for more kids," he said.
"We appreciate the Catholic Church for putting the application before us [and] the radical atheists and teachers union folks – they're dead wrong on this."
Walters said – just as Harrisburg deemed the AI-powered charter school did not meet its qualifications – Oklahoma believes the new Catholic charter school met its criteria.
"This is the next frontier of school choice – we want more schools. We want more charter schools."
Fox News Digital reached out to Unbound Academy for comment and further information on its other state applications.
Teachers in Massachusetts warned that President Donald Trump's recent executive actions targeting "woke" education in America's schools would hurt students and threaten the academic freedom of teachers in the classroom, according to a new report.
On January 29, Trump signed an executive order stripping federal funding from K-12 schools that teach critical race theory (CRT) and that promote "radical indoctrination" in gender ideology.
The teaching of CRT, and other controversial content in schools, has sparked backlash from parents at school board meetings across the nation over the past several years. During his presidential campaign, Trump pledged to cut federal funding for schools that promote CRT, transgender ideology and "any other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content on our children."
Some New England teachers are worried the new restrictions on teaching CRT could cause teachers to self-censor out of fear that any discussion on race would make them a target of the new administration, The Boston Globe reported.
TEACHER'S UNIONS PROTEST TRUMP'S EXECUTIVE ORDERS ON EDUCATION WHILE SCHOOL CHOICE ADVOCATES CHEER
"It’s sending a chilling effect," retired history teacher Tom Jordan said. "Every teacher I’ve talked to is completely freaked out by it."
According to the Globe report, the largest teachers' unions in the state have come out to denounce Trump's attack on CRT.
Jessica Tang, president of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, told the Globe, "If we’re not taught that history and we don’t know what happened, then we don’t understand why things are the way they are today. And then I think it undermines democracy in the longer run."
Marcus Walker, a humanities teacher at Fenway High School in Boston, worried that Trump's actions would harm the academic freedom of teachers and set up students to learn a "dishonest" view of America's history.
"As citizens, we are obligated to be responsible. We’re obligated to understand our government, to learn how the government works, and we’re obligated to get accurate information," Walker said in the report. "All of that gets short-circuited if we’re teaching history that is dishonest."
RANDI WEINGARTEN SOUNDS ALARM ABOUT TRUMP MOVING TO ELIMINATE EDUCATION DEPT: ‘NOT LEGAL’
In 2021, the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents released a statement denying that CRT was taught in K-12 schools in the state.
Trump's order on CRT was met with criticism from national teachers' unions and praise from school choice advocates.
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten accused Trump of unfairly tarnishing teachers and making their jobs more difficult with the executive order on CRT.
"Today is a sad day because the Trump administration is doing exactly what it accuses others of: creating division and fear in classrooms across America," Weingarten wrote in a press release.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
Nicole Neily, president of Parents Defending Education, told Fox News Digital that she believes American parents want the reform Trump is bringing to the education space.
"President Trump’s Executive Orders on DEI, CRT, gender ideology, and school choice are extremely welcome news to parental rights advocates across the country," Neily said. "We have been waiting for an administration that treats parents as allies rather than enemies and works to curb the proliferation of leftist political ideology in the classroom, while helping to reorient schools towards their original purpose of teaching students the fundamentals necessary to succeed and thrive."
Trump signed a flurry of executive orders targeting federal funding for schools as testing scores continue to drop, according to the Nation's Report Card.
Trump administration officials are reportedly weighing a plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Tuesday.
Fox News' Rachel del Guidice contributed to this article.
On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow,” Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief and “Alex Marlow Show” host Alex Marlow argued that the federal Department of Education should be scrapped and it would improve education when localities and families are in
The post Marlow: Firing Everyone at DOE Will Bolster Localities, Families and Improve Education appeared first on Breitbart.
Login