72 Comments

Those of us who didn’t grow up in America have watched the continuing and often violent suppression of the Black population with mounting incredulity. That a significant minority of the population with outsize influence can deny that systemic racism, and the legacy of systemic racism such as redlining do not continue to disadvantage the Black community today is mind boggling. To then have the audacity to pass “laws” to censor school and public library books and threaten the livelihood of teachers and librarians, is beyond belief. Normal in Putin’s Russia and other totalitarian states; in America? Really? I’m disgusted.

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The College Board is learning what everyone who has licked authoritarian boots knows: Those shiny boots will always kick your appeasing b*tt out of their way when you've outlived your usefulness. #fafo

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De Santis is a real tough guy. He s threatening to withdraw all AP classes. And who does that hurt?

The College Board ?

He certainly doesn’t care a scrap if it hurts college bound students.

As it stands Floridas kids will have a pitiful education , based on his , De Santis rules box.

They can’t learn anything

Thats offensive to De Santis.

And anything of value is . He wants to create ignorant little robots that learn little and feel nothing, while their parents hover over them.

I once heard an important and true statement.

“Our job , as parent’s , is to

prepare our children for living and coping in the ‘real world’ . “

Tell me how De Santis gets even close to that .

He does not .

This privileged Yale graduate lives in a fantasy world . His own.

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Thanks for following them through the weeds and swamps, tracking all the ducking and dodging!

So helpful to the rest of us.

What a gift!

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The dumbing down of the United States continues apace and if anything, it is accelerating.

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The Florida Governor is betting that his theatrics will appeal to Republican presidential primary voters. An added bonus for him is that ignorance will keep him and his likeminded Republicans in office. Florida is and has been ranked among the bottom rank of education in the country. They have low taxes and less expensive housing so people are moving there. The College Board has lost credibility with any schools that are really concerned about education.

So what have we learned here? The insanity and malevolence go on and on !

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Sorry if this is a little outside the topic. One of the messages the right-wing is pounding their fists about is that teaching about minority hardships is causing the majority guilt.

Back in 1977, there was a highly publicized and watched TV miniseries called "Roots". The series was a generational story about a family from when they were taken from Africa through their lives as free people in the American South. The themes included slavery, lynchings, institutional racism (term not used back then), Jim Crowe and in the follow-up series, the Civil Rights Movement.

I was only 13 when I saw the original series. Now, my memory could be foggy and, admittedly, I may not know all about the 70s zeitgeist other than being an extremely awkward teenager living in my own awkward middle school world in the NY City suburbs. I can't speak for all, of course, but IIRC, the American attitude was more acknowledgement than guilt. I do remember the story and actors were praised and won a lot of awards.

There were no 24 hour news networks "advising" us how to feel back then, but that is another whole topic.

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Used to be when Mike Wallace and 60 Minutes knocked on a door it struck fear in the hearts of the Subjects behind the door.

By cracky, Judd and staff, I can imagine that has become the norm for your knock be it electronic or otherwise.

Great work. Keep rattling the saber of truth in Journalism as

It is too far gone from our country and we need you.

Subscribe to PI those of you on here for free. That is one way you can help your country.

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There is probably no way that an honest AP American history course could be written that would meet the fascist interpretation of American history. So DeSantis’s threat to pull Florida from all AP courses should be taken seriously. Of course the College Board is looking at its profit/loss statement and academic integrity is just an afterthought in their analysis.

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I believe the blame game of "politics" on this subject is simply a pathway around the discussion and recognition of the underlying root of the problem, which most always seems to be "dollars and cents". Like so many other social conflict issues, what it comes down to in the end, is the cost of doing business/survival. When having sat on corporate boards..."survival" has most always been equated with capturing market share and improving the ROI. It instills the optioin of considering pushing or exceeding the limits because..."...it's our survival that is at stake..."

Why the repeated claim of politics? Isn't politics all about money?

Again it's the "Money". Most all shareholders, politicians, business owners, workers, etc. have money as one of their primary concerns. (Despite what they may tell you when being interviewed)

It might be a tough hurdle for humanity to jump but if Earth's inhabitants are going to realize their full potential...their addiction to prioritizing "dollars and cents" for survival has got end. The true value in life should be the discovery of new, better, improved, less stressful, ways to survive as a species. The accumulation of wealth should not be the motivator. Money should be a convenient tool used for achieving a value balance when trading goods and services.

We have the most Earth/humanity threatening changes ahead which will far exceed anything that the planet and its inhabitants have ever experienced and "We Are Failing Biggly".

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You have a great track record and do a wonderful public service. Next job Please lay out why AARP supports the privatization of Medicare under Medicare REACH!

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As a parent of a recent high school graduate, I know that colleges look at students taking AP classes as demonstrating 'rigor'. If the school offers AP classes and the student doesn't take any, that can affect their application as well. In one instance, a Big 10 school my son was interested in applying to said 'upper level math' was needed to apply, and Statistics or 'College Math' did not count. That means Calculus, and Calc is only offered as AP, at least at the schools in our area.

There is much to say about the pressure to take tons of AP classes (my son took 3), to get high scores on the tests to place out of Gen Ed classes (two of the AP classes he took counted for the same Gen Ed, so he didn't 'need' one of them, which is why you should only take AP classes that you are interested in!) There is not enough publicity about dual enrollment classes, which may not be available in all schools, and not a standardized selection of classes (both my kids took one dual enrollment class, but we didn't know it was dual enrollment until they were told they also had to sign up with the community college. The class was taught at the high school).

But the parents of high school students in Florida, who may have considered themselves 'safe' from DeSantis because of the color of their skin or economic status, should realize that their children's future college applications are at risk. Because why would DeSantis be satisfied with just shutting down one class? In a press conference, he talked about 'looking for alternatives' to AP, and I'm sure he will at least set up some kind of exploratory committee looking into a Florida version of AP classes.

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The College Board needs new leadership. They appear to be promoting white supremacy, not merely acceding to Florida’s bullying. Who in their right mind thinks you can teach African American studies without teaching Kimberle Crenshaw or bell hooks? Or without mentioning Black Lives Matter (which, not for nothing, was creased by Black queer women)? 🙄

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Good for you, Judd. I had been looking for a timeline - there is no better one than yours. Thank you for putting it all together when the NYT could not.

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The College Board is either run by or caved into a buncha degenerate racist scumbags, and now wants to cover its ass.

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He who controls the present controls the past and he who controls the past controls the future.

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