Yesterday was the first day of Black History Month. The College Board marked the occasion by releasing a revised framework for its new Advanced Placement (AP) course for African American Studies. The new version of the course, however, appears designed to mollify right-wing criticism.
Upon hearing that the College Board knuckled under to right wing bullying from a racist with presidential aspirations, I asked myself - what other courses have been changed/sanitized to address or avoid criticism from the right wing? And since the quick cave on this shows that the College Board is easily cowed, what value do any AP courses have as replacements for college level work? And I now fully understand why so many top notch colleges and universities are so selective in the APs they accept...and why the IB (International Baccalaureate) has become the gold standard for secondary education, supplanting the AP.
Must be nice making millions from a charitable non non profit whose main contribution to society is a test whose biases harmed a generation of minorities.
It would seem like "follow the money" is still highly applicable and capitalism and the greed it inspires, continues to keep us from evolving as a species/society and doing the "right thing". The College Board should be a little regretful...but you can be sure, they could care less. In life everyone always has a choice...few opportunities. Once the wrong choice is made, future opportunities become less rewarding, and the downward spiral continues.
The freedom that the the loudest Republican leadership elements are screaming for, has us burning books, aligning with dictators/authoritarians, accepting school shootings and allowing unqualified persons with malice to open carry, and win seats in HR and sit on meaningful committees as a consequence of blackmailing and subverting the government...etc. The freedom to be an idiot and do what you want with no regard for laws, rules or abiding to oaths or contracts.
Pretty cool... a 2 year long, no consequences, drunken, frat party. This is one way to run a country.
Within the Powers of the President..."The president shall take care that the laws are faithfully executed". As it stands I don't think their is a law against lying while in Public office...but there should be. Yelling "fire" in a crowed movie theater. Against the law, due to the obvious danger.
I think that the majority of the country would appreciate being able to count on the fact that their elected officials would be able to take the time to do the research to find out whether what they were saying in public was true....before they opened their mouths. As most "reporters" have the obligation to research and confirm there stories before putting them out in the public domain, if they are to be taken seriously.
Politicians take an oath of office. If they don't fulfill that oath of office by knowingly misleading the public is there a law that addresses that activity? An executive action that could sanction them. Trump had the power to lock the economy down over his ridiculous wall directly affecting the health and welfare of hundreds of millions of people. It would seem that a dysfunctional politician should be an easier task to deal with?
In the case of Congress persons' complicity in everything and anything Trump related should be investigated by legal authorities at the behest of the President and upon conclusive evidence of complicity, be indicted to stand trail.
It would seem our political options with Biden in office... we for the first time since Obama, finally have a President that understands our 200+ year endeavor as a country. It is never going to be perfect but Biden is as close as it comes in today's world. Should we not take advantage of this on opportunity to force the importance of an oath of office upon our politicians... by executive order?
Power is not constrained by words or documents or laws. Its only constraint is will. orangehead proved the President can do whatever he wants. The only reason any of this stuff works is because we all agree to it. orangehead is both stupid and incompetent, but if a smart competent crook comes along...
Henry, VERY well said. Allowing unqualified persons to sit in Congress in addition to being seditionist supporters. The laws are not being applied to these people. Money, power, foreign influence & propaganda are controlling us. We are under fascist control.
It’s frightening that the Governor of Florida has had such an effect upon the curriculum of our educational institutions. One racist Governor is leading the pack of all the other Right Wing nut bags and changing the face of education across America.
Just when there is beginning to be enough momentum for Black Studies to be available for all and enhance the American experience, you have these criminals, racists and fools mucking things up.
That College Board sounds like a momentous place. Revenues are down so what do we do? We pay our "management" and "leaders" even MORE, as though that would produce positive results.
Now the friendly RW bankers are there to help. All you gotta do is, whisper whisper whisper and you can All KEEP YOUR JOBS! We'll even pay you MORE!
And now of course, they will lie about the reasons for these unnecessary and inappropriate changes to what should be first class curriculum.
And soon he will be campaigning for the Presidency. Their goon squad wields a lot of influence, as this report shows. We're not out of the woods yet, as far as saving Democracy goes.
Why are we afraid of teaching the real unvarnished truths of our history? We have done horrible things at the expense of other humans since setting foot in this great land. We need to own our mistakes and our greed when it comes to our history. We cannot move beyond our past without acknowledging it fully. Thank you for writing this piece and following the money.
Thank you for this and shame on tne NYT which left out a lot of the crucial information you provide. It would make an excellent AP Language and Composition exercise to COMPARE the 2 analyses. Look at the critical pieces of info they left out in sanding down the edges in what feels to me like a fundamentally dishonest way. In terms of $, how does the college board rake it in for “AP instruction” independent of the “assessments”? I get they make money from tne fees for AP exams. But as someone who taught in schools with AP courses, what’s the money pot there? I might have used old practice tests but help me understand that part of the income stream for college board in that. Thank you got your great work.
Grifter...well put. What a great undeserved salary he received for dissing the very people’s he was supposed to give credence to! Fine writers and all students today and for the future have been accorded a ‘no voice’ position.
Way to go, Repugs! You show your disgusting white supremacist efforts under the guise of ‘Freedom’. Free to be ugly, loudmouth, racist, authoritarian, bullies
I’m more interested in how the students of Florida “feel” when they apply for higher education and/or employment elsewhere in the USA. When they are met with puzzling looks at their abject ignorance they will finally know that they were cheated by Republican placeholders, but by then it will be too late for them. To a certain extent, for the rest of their lives, they will remain ignorant not knowing what they don’t know. Most of the rest of country, however, will know the true story. . .that taxpayer money paid for a generation of ignorance. Well done Florida.
Doug, there are plenty of private universities…Liberty University, for example, who will accept all of these types. In addition, they have a pipeline to jobs in the NSA etc. Can hardly stand to think about it. They will have plenty of options!
Once again thanks. In the long run, I suspect the College Board is ushering in its demise. If I had children in the school system I'd pull them out of AP courses. (Send them to Community College for credits!) By caving they show who they are.
My takeaway from this is that the "sanitizers" of America's history are busy "whitewashing" our past for the current generation. They don't want white students to "feel bad" about being white, or have to think about how white privilege has been beneficial to them in America. Nor think about what it's taken away from people of color & other cultures, who came to these shores, seeking the same dream.
In a nutshell the tact seems to be, desensitize white kids ( the rest are a footnote), via the educational systems, one generation at a time. God forbid they become " woke" through their studies. That they develop concepts like sensitivity and compassion, tolerance & acceptance for the
" other;" who may be different. Who has not benefited so much from America's bounty. Not benefited so much from justice in our court & penal system. Not had much of a place at the table of plenty, in corporate boardrooms & in government, the seats of power. The folks who had to work harder & often longer to achieve any sense of parity, than the white entitled little $#!+$, when they were just as educated, just as smart, just as savvy; just to prove themselves. And sometimes even then....
The College Board should be ashamed, but here we see how money indeed does talk & truth walks, right out the freaking doors of our educational systems..colleges none the less, where the average middle or working class parent & or students, pay a serious premium to " play" in the halls of learning; because most don't have it in their spare, back pocket. They have to borrow it; thus borrowing against their futures.
And the likes of a DeSantis & Abbott (essentially trump clones, only maybe only slightly less privileged and slighly more intelligent) get to influence courses that young adults might choose to take.
So, what are people "learning" to accept in this generation?
No "choice " for women in their choice of birth control & bodily autonomy. ( Trust me, fewer opportunities for choice in a women's future will come.)
No choice in the courses you take, if the "emotionally" & " intellectually" dead (opposite of being "woke") legislators in your state want history & truth in your education to be further diluted. A world where imagination, creativity & intelligence will be whittled away, until we are all in emotional, intellectual & some of us literally in shackles, for speaking the truth of our life experiences & collective history. What next? Will the holocaust deniers be given a credible seat in the halls of education too? Is an " approved" state religion coming to your door soon? Because these people have been steadily buying a place at the legislative table.
But know at the end of this journey, the white, wealthy, entitled male will still dominate in the throne of power & all the rest of us, will be allowed a place, still worshipping, adoringly at their feet, if we don't continue to push back. This is just as the DeSantis, the Abbots & the rest of the Maga bee hive "minds" want it to remain. One generation at a time. Now that's some serious " grooming" going on.
Well said and at times, poetic. There IS some serious "grooming" going on dammit. I hate that we are reduced to us and them but that's how the "them" want it. Thank you
I recalled a previous issue with The College Board but had to Google for details. Judd previously wrote a piece about how Indiana state speaker of the house Todd Huston was simultaneously employed by TCB and in a position to use his role to influence standardized testing. The expose’ was quickly followed by Huston’s resignation from TCB. The power once associated with TCB has been in decline for many years as colleges and universities made decisions to de-emphasize standardized test scores in the college admission process. They’re losing money and looking to regain status, which they’re betting on the current scheme to help them achieve. This fits into the larger picture that includes the case before SCOTUS that would put an end to affirmative action. This could get ugly but I think in the long run this backfires all the way around.
I’m seeing this a little differently. As the College Board said, the revised curriculum was largely complete by Dec 22, well before DeSantis said anything. I think the College Board gave in to all of the right-wing criticism, probably to preserve their cash cow. Then someone leaked the changes to DeSantis, who quickly ran to get in front of the parade to pretend he is leading. I don’t know if DeSantis has any core beliefs, but his is an unparalleled opportunist.
Upon hearing that the College Board knuckled under to right wing bullying from a racist with presidential aspirations, I asked myself - what other courses have been changed/sanitized to address or avoid criticism from the right wing? And since the quick cave on this shows that the College Board is easily cowed, what value do any AP courses have as replacements for college level work? And I now fully understand why so many top notch colleges and universities are so selective in the APs they accept...and why the IB (International Baccalaureate) has become the gold standard for secondary education, supplanting the AP.
Another fine and detailed exposé. The financials indicate what is actually happening, whereas most generalized news coverage doesn’t mention it.
That's a most apt description of the MSM. "Generalized news coverage" says it all for me.
Must be nice making millions from a charitable non non profit whose main contribution to society is a test whose biases harmed a generation of minorities.
Not. Nice.
It would seem like "follow the money" is still highly applicable and capitalism and the greed it inspires, continues to keep us from evolving as a species/society and doing the "right thing". The College Board should be a little regretful...but you can be sure, they could care less. In life everyone always has a choice...few opportunities. Once the wrong choice is made, future opportunities become less rewarding, and the downward spiral continues.
The freedom that the the loudest Republican leadership elements are screaming for, has us burning books, aligning with dictators/authoritarians, accepting school shootings and allowing unqualified persons with malice to open carry, and win seats in HR and sit on meaningful committees as a consequence of blackmailing and subverting the government...etc. The freedom to be an idiot and do what you want with no regard for laws, rules or abiding to oaths or contracts.
Pretty cool... a 2 year long, no consequences, drunken, frat party. This is one way to run a country.
Henry I believe you summed it up nicely!
What a f**k fest we have here!
Within the Powers of the President..."The president shall take care that the laws are faithfully executed". As it stands I don't think their is a law against lying while in Public office...but there should be. Yelling "fire" in a crowed movie theater. Against the law, due to the obvious danger.
I think that the majority of the country would appreciate being able to count on the fact that their elected officials would be able to take the time to do the research to find out whether what they were saying in public was true....before they opened their mouths. As most "reporters" have the obligation to research and confirm there stories before putting them out in the public domain, if they are to be taken seriously.
Politicians take an oath of office. If they don't fulfill that oath of office by knowingly misleading the public is there a law that addresses that activity? An executive action that could sanction them. Trump had the power to lock the economy down over his ridiculous wall directly affecting the health and welfare of hundreds of millions of people. It would seem that a dysfunctional politician should be an easier task to deal with?
In the case of Congress persons' complicity in everything and anything Trump related should be investigated by legal authorities at the behest of the President and upon conclusive evidence of complicity, be indicted to stand trail.
It would seem our political options with Biden in office... we for the first time since Obama, finally have a President that understands our 200+ year endeavor as a country. It is never going to be perfect but Biden is as close as it comes in today's world. Should we not take advantage of this on opportunity to force the importance of an oath of office upon our politicians... by executive order?
Power is not constrained by words or documents or laws. Its only constraint is will. orangehead proved the President can do whatever he wants. The only reason any of this stuff works is because we all agree to it. orangehead is both stupid and incompetent, but if a smart competent crook comes along...
Henry, VERY well said. Allowing unqualified persons to sit in Congress in addition to being seditionist supporters. The laws are not being applied to these people. Money, power, foreign influence & propaganda are controlling us. We are under fascist control.
It’s frightening that the Governor of Florida has had such an effect upon the curriculum of our educational institutions. One racist Governor is leading the pack of all the other Right Wing nut bags and changing the face of education across America.
Greg Abbott of TX is doing the same thing but keeping it quieter until he achieves his censorship goal.
Imagine the harm he could do as president.
It’s truly horrifying to even imagine.
Just when there is beginning to be enough momentum for Black Studies to be available for all and enhance the American experience, you have these criminals, racists and fools mucking things up.
That College Board sounds like a momentous place. Revenues are down so what do we do? We pay our "management" and "leaders" even MORE, as though that would produce positive results.
Now the friendly RW bankers are there to help. All you gotta do is, whisper whisper whisper and you can All KEEP YOUR JOBS! We'll even pay you MORE!
And now of course, they will lie about the reasons for these unnecessary and inappropriate changes to what should be first class curriculum.
And soon he will be campaigning for the Presidency. Their goon squad wields a lot of influence, as this report shows. We're not out of the woods yet, as far as saving Democracy goes.
Why are we afraid of teaching the real unvarnished truths of our history? We have done horrible things at the expense of other humans since setting foot in this great land. We need to own our mistakes and our greed when it comes to our history. We cannot move beyond our past without acknowledging it fully. Thank you for writing this piece and following the money.
Thank you for this and shame on tne NYT which left out a lot of the crucial information you provide. It would make an excellent AP Language and Composition exercise to COMPARE the 2 analyses. Look at the critical pieces of info they left out in sanding down the edges in what feels to me like a fundamentally dishonest way. In terms of $, how does the college board rake it in for “AP instruction” independent of the “assessments”? I get they make money from tne fees for AP exams. But as someone who taught in schools with AP courses, what’s the money pot there? I might have used old practice tests but help me understand that part of the income stream for college board in that. Thank you got your great work.
I've been familiar with grifter David Coleman since the Common Core debates. This is exactly what I would expect from him.
Grifter...well put. What a great undeserved salary he received for dissing the very people’s he was supposed to give credence to! Fine writers and all students today and for the future have been accorded a ‘no voice’ position.
Way to go, Repugs! You show your disgusting white supremacist efforts under the guise of ‘Freedom’. Free to be ugly, loudmouth, racist, authoritarian, bullies
Say more!
I’m more interested in how the students of Florida “feel” when they apply for higher education and/or employment elsewhere in the USA. When they are met with puzzling looks at their abject ignorance they will finally know that they were cheated by Republican placeholders, but by then it will be too late for them. To a certain extent, for the rest of their lives, they will remain ignorant not knowing what they don’t know. Most of the rest of country, however, will know the true story. . .that taxpayer money paid for a generation of ignorance. Well done Florida.
Doug, there are plenty of private universities…Liberty University, for example, who will accept all of these types. In addition, they have a pipeline to jobs in the NSA etc. Can hardly stand to think about it. They will have plenty of options!
Truth
Once again thanks. In the long run, I suspect the College Board is ushering in its demise. If I had children in the school system I'd pull them out of AP courses. (Send them to Community College for credits!) By caving they show who they are.
Thanks again as always.
My takeaway from this is that the "sanitizers" of America's history are busy "whitewashing" our past for the current generation. They don't want white students to "feel bad" about being white, or have to think about how white privilege has been beneficial to them in America. Nor think about what it's taken away from people of color & other cultures, who came to these shores, seeking the same dream.
In a nutshell the tact seems to be, desensitize white kids ( the rest are a footnote), via the educational systems, one generation at a time. God forbid they become " woke" through their studies. That they develop concepts like sensitivity and compassion, tolerance & acceptance for the
" other;" who may be different. Who has not benefited so much from America's bounty. Not benefited so much from justice in our court & penal system. Not had much of a place at the table of plenty, in corporate boardrooms & in government, the seats of power. The folks who had to work harder & often longer to achieve any sense of parity, than the white entitled little $#!+$, when they were just as educated, just as smart, just as savvy; just to prove themselves. And sometimes even then....
The College Board should be ashamed, but here we see how money indeed does talk & truth walks, right out the freaking doors of our educational systems..colleges none the less, where the average middle or working class parent & or students, pay a serious premium to " play" in the halls of learning; because most don't have it in their spare, back pocket. They have to borrow it; thus borrowing against their futures.
And the likes of a DeSantis & Abbott (essentially trump clones, only maybe only slightly less privileged and slighly more intelligent) get to influence courses that young adults might choose to take.
So, what are people "learning" to accept in this generation?
No "choice " for women in their choice of birth control & bodily autonomy. ( Trust me, fewer opportunities for choice in a women's future will come.)
No choice in the courses you take, if the "emotionally" & " intellectually" dead (opposite of being "woke") legislators in your state want history & truth in your education to be further diluted. A world where imagination, creativity & intelligence will be whittled away, until we are all in emotional, intellectual & some of us literally in shackles, for speaking the truth of our life experiences & collective history. What next? Will the holocaust deniers be given a credible seat in the halls of education too? Is an " approved" state religion coming to your door soon? Because these people have been steadily buying a place at the legislative table.
But know at the end of this journey, the white, wealthy, entitled male will still dominate in the throne of power & all the rest of us, will be allowed a place, still worshipping, adoringly at their feet, if we don't continue to push back. This is just as the DeSantis, the Abbots & the rest of the Maga bee hive "minds" want it to remain. One generation at a time. Now that's some serious " grooming" going on.
Well said and at times, poetic. There IS some serious "grooming" going on dammit. I hate that we are reduced to us and them but that's how the "them" want it. Thank you
I recalled a previous issue with The College Board but had to Google for details. Judd previously wrote a piece about how Indiana state speaker of the house Todd Huston was simultaneously employed by TCB and in a position to use his role to influence standardized testing. The expose’ was quickly followed by Huston’s resignation from TCB. The power once associated with TCB has been in decline for many years as colleges and universities made decisions to de-emphasize standardized test scores in the college admission process. They’re losing money and looking to regain status, which they’re betting on the current scheme to help them achieve. This fits into the larger picture that includes the case before SCOTUS that would put an end to affirmative action. This could get ugly but I think in the long run this backfires all the way around.
I’m seeing this a little differently. As the College Board said, the revised curriculum was largely complete by Dec 22, well before DeSantis said anything. I think the College Board gave in to all of the right-wing criticism, probably to preserve their cash cow. Then someone leaked the changes to DeSantis, who quickly ran to get in front of the parade to pretend he is leading. I don’t know if DeSantis has any core beliefs, but his is an unparalleled opportunist.
Your depiction of desantis is spot on.
The spread of racial censorship in Republican led states is deplorable and will be the leading issue in the 2024 election.
History curriculum according to DeSantis:
God created earth — a list of achievements by white Anglo Saxons (sorry DeSantis you don’t qualify) — wars white people won — today.
DeSantis looks like a weaponized version of George Wallace. Old George would be very jealous were he still alive.