What does “curriculum transparency” really mean?
Unpacking the trend of censorship and government overreach in America’s public schools
“In addition to the extra work it would place on teachers, “curriculum transparency” sends the message that there isn’t trust in the professionals we place in our schools. We as teachers would feel much more supported by parents if they allow us to fully do what we are trained to do, without a “watchdog” mentality. Parents can be such a great asset to teachers when they aid in trusting and supportive ways.” -GUSD teacher
Save Glendora Schools, the organization that has recruited and funded school board candidates Gary Clifford and Shaunna Elias are calling for increased “curriculum transparency.” In fact, Shaunna Elias lists it as one of her main priorities on a direct mail piece.
A review of the publicly available materials from Shaunna Elias and Save Glendora Schools doesn't provide answers as to how they would “increase” curriculum transparency. There are calls to ban Critical Race Theory, or CRT, on their website and social media accounts, (CRT is not taught in Glendora’s public schools, we confirmed with Interim Superintendent DiGrazia in an email), but nothing outlining the steps they would take to achieve increased curriculum transparency.
Glendora Forward believes that Glendora teachers already do a great job of curriculum transparency, accomplished through back-to-school nights, universal parent access to parent/student accounts like Canva, and other mechanisms that show what their students are learning. Teachers often are explicit about the parent-teacher partnership in children’s’ education, and for more controversial subjects like sex education, parents can review the material and opt-out (see our blog on parents’ rights).
Do Save Glendora School’s candidates believe that teachers and schools should do more to meet this transparency goal? If so, what?
What does “curriculum transparency” mean for Glendora schools?
Coordinated National Effort to Enact "Curriculum Transparency" Measures
The “curriculum transparency” initiative is a national effort by those who are seeking government control and censorship over classroom instruction. Since SGS and their backed candidates have been vague about what transparency measures they would like to see in addition to the ones that are already in place in GUSD, we must look to districts and states that have implemented policies under the banner of “curriculum transparency.”
There are many out there, including several from Michigan and Iowa, that provide concerning clues as to what they have in mind.
Michigan’s House Bill 5722 would “require teachers at public schools across the state to submit lesson plans, assignments, class readings, quizzes, and all other class material to a public database, in the name of “curriculum transparency.” Districts that fail to comply with these rules would lose 5% of their total state funding.
The immediate context for the sudden flood of interest in public school curriculum is fueled by the ongoing national conversation concerning “critical race theory,” a little-understood academic discipline that has become a looming fear in the minds of a sizable percentage of Republican voters (source, DePaw University).
By using a friendly term “transparency,” these initiatives are working to codify government overreach into the day-to-day operations of the classroom.
Other policies that have been enacted under the banner of “curriculum transparency” include:
· Mandating that teachers make curriculum and syllabi available prior to the first day of school. This curriculum must be reviewed and approved by the district prior to implementation.
· Requiring that any adjustment to this curriculum during the school year be approved, in writing by the school district by the end of the affected school week. All literature, research projects, and writing assignments be approved as part of this process.
· Mandate that schools provide a list of each certified teacher or other authorized individual who is charged with implementing the curriculum.
· Require that the district adopt policies for selecting, reviewing, and removing library books at parents’ request.
These new requirements would also be a burden for already overworked teachers. When asked about the national trend of curriculum transparency, a GUSD teacher said:
“In addition to the extra work it would place on teachers, “curriculum transparency” sends the message that there isn’t trust in the professionals we place in our schools. We as teachers would feel much more supported by parents if they allow us to fully do what we are trained to do, without a “watchdog” mentality. Parents can be such a great asset to teachers when they aid in trusting and supportive ways.”
Debra Pace, the school’s superintendent in Osceola County in Florida, one of the 17 states considering this legislation, was quoted in the Washington Post as saying: “Our teachers are so overwhelmed. We’re doing everything we can to take things off the plate for our teachers that aren’t absolutely essential. This would be an incredible burden that I think would just send people over the edge” (Washington Post article).
Glendora Forward supports our students’ freedom to learn, we trust and support our teachers, and we strongly support the mission of public schools.
Do Save Glendora Schools and Shaunna Elias?
If they are not in lock-step with the national initiative on "curriculum transparency,” we invite them to share specifically how they see this concept implemented in Glendora’s schools.
