Writing for Frazzled About Education, Jed Lookout examines the new federally enforced patriotism for schools.
On May 26, the U.S. Department of Education, in association with the Labor Department, officially announced a new partnership to promote “patriotic education.” It was something we’ve known was coming since January 29 of last year when President Trump announced he was going to “end radical indoctrination in public schools,” but what wasn’t clear was when this was going to happen.
And it turns out the exact time to do this was as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary. According to Jack Roberts at Campus Reform, ten grants will be awarded, totaling around $20 million, to nonprofits, private businesses, and public institutions. The awards are meant to be for recipients that “demonstrate the ability to “improve the quality of American history, civics and government.””
But what, according to the Trump administration, does that mean? It could mean the “History Rocks” program of religious civics curriculum for kids, which McMahon has been traveling the country to promote that is associated with the America First Policy Institute, Turning Point USA, and Hillsdale College. It could also be the America 250 Initiative, a “coalition” that partakes in “nationwide programs including state tours, lectures, student competitions, and teacher summits [to] celebrate our nation’s rich history, inspire citizens of all ages to reflect on America’s story, deepen understanding of civic responsibility, and reinforce the shared values that unite us as one nation.”
That organization, by the way, is associated with Moms for Liberty.
But the truth is: patriotic education is whatever McMahon and Trump want it to mean.
”Under the previous Administration, schools were encouraged to prioritize anti-American, race- and gender-based ideologies in the classroom, rather than to equip students with a comprehensive and honest understanding of American history and founding principles,” the statement from the Education Department says.