Florida Blocks New AP African-American Studies Curriculum
AllSides Summary
The Florida Department of Education blocked a new College Board AP African-American Studies curriculum, determining the course to be "inexplicably contrary to Florida law" and lacking "educational value."
The Details: The AP African-American Studies course is a new addition to the College Board curriculum, currently being tested in around 60 schools. According to the AP website, the course is crafted to "explore the vital contributions and experiences of African Americans" through the study of "literature, the arts and humanities, political science, geography, and science." Last year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis passed the "Stop W.O.K.E. Act," which banned the teaching of critical race theory in Florida. A handful of other states passed similar legislation targeting critical race theory.
Key Quotes: Jeremy Redfern, deputy press secretary for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), was quoted in Newsweek calling the curriculum "a vehicle for a political agenda" that "leaves large, ambiguous gaps that can be filled with additional ideological material, which we will not allow," adding that Florida classrooms "will be a place for education, not indoctrination." A statement from College Board said that the curriculum "is undergoing a rigorous, multi-year pilot phase, collecting feedback from teachers, students, scholars and policymakers."
How The Media Covered It: A RollingStone article said the curriculum rejection was part of a larger effort by DeSantis to remodel Florida education "in the image of the far right." The National Review article said College Board had "clothed the course in secrecy."
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
DeSantis Admin Defends Banning African American Studies Class
The administration of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis last week blocked a new Advanced Placement (A.P.) course for high school students on African American studies, which has sparked some criticism on social media.
The news regarding the course was first reported by National Review on Wednesday. The conservative news outlet wrote that the Florida Department of Education's Office of Articulation wrote a letter dated January 12 to the College Board, which oversees A.P.
The letter, which has been viewed by Newsweek, informed the organization that the African American studies course had...
From the Left
Florida Says AP African American Studies Program ‘Lacks Educational Value’
Florida has blocked the College Board from testing a pilot Advanced Placement African American Studies (APAAS) curriculum in the state under Governor Ron DeSantis’ “Stop WOKE” Act. According to a letter obtained by National Review, Florida’s Department of Education’s Office of Articulation said the curriculum “is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.”
The pilot course, which has been tested at 60 schools across the United States, aims to expand the advanced coursework offered by the College Board into the study of the African diaspora in the...
From the Right
DeSantis: AP African-American Studies Program, as Written, Violates Florida Law
The College Board — the group that runs the SAT test and the Advanced Placement (AP) program — has launched a pilot version of an AP African-American Studies (APAAS) course, to great fanfare in the mainstream press. Although the APAAS pilot has received plenty of publicity, the College Board has clothed the course in secrecy. The curriculum has not been publicly released, nor have the names of the approximately 60 schools at which the pilot is being tested.
In various press accounts, College Board advisers and teachers — so as...
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