DEI is now required for many public schools to get hired

There is no question that students face growing challenges as they return to classrooms across the country this month. But are school closures in the Corona era alone responsible for this?

The answer is a clear no.

The declining test scores and reading delays that have been widely reported in recent months are much more than just misguided COVID policies.

A new report from the National Opportunity Project shows that school districts across America – in both red and blue states – are now considering teachers’ social and political views in addition to teaching qualifications when hiring teachers.

This means that if the head of your child’s class was hired in recent years, there’s a good chance he or she was chosen not because of his or her qualifications, but because he or she passed an ideological litmus test.

The National Opportunity Project surveyed more than 70 school districts across America last year about their hiring protocols.

They also reviewed the district’s hiring documents, such as applications, interview questions and candidate scoring rubrics.

Here’s what NOP found: Applicants in the Denver Public School system for an elementary arts teacher position must: “Provide racial and educational excellence and work to dismantle systems of oppression and inequality in our community…”

In Georgia, the City Schools of Decatur requires racial and gender equity hiring teams to be staffed by “ensur.”[ing] that there is at least one person of color and one woman or gender diverse person in the interview panel. People who embody other aspects of diversity should also be included.”

Since when are these characteristics necessary to determine who should teach our children?

In fact, more than a third of school districts that responded to NOP’s call for transparency regarding their hiring practices revealed protocols that were clearly based on ideological bias.

Many more districts tout public engagement with divisive ideologies or DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion)-focused mission statements. We have long known that these types of controversial policies are commonplace in higher education; But only recently have they begun to permeate classrooms with preschool students.

What is the reason for all this? As the old saying goes, “HR is politics.”

The people behind this policy aim to change the culture of public schools by only hiring staff who represent their political and ideological views.

Districts’ DEI statements – or commitments to them “culturally responsive and sustainable education” in the case of the New York Public Schools – are not just lip service.

They inform all aspects of the public school experience, including who gets to be at the front of the classroom.

It is no wonder that far-left political viewpoints now dominate much of America’s public school systems. The application process is designed to weed out anyone who thinks differently or is independent.

The National Opportunity Project found that the same schools that give preference to teachers with certain political and social views also take other divisive and sometimes illegal actions.

In Fairfax County, Virginia, public school district applicants are asked, “What does equity mean to you?” ,” “Justice work,” and “Understanding that race is a social construct” are rated higher in a scoring rubric.

However, not everyone in Fairfax County believes this type of discrimination is acceptable.

The school district is facing a federal lawsuit for adopting race-based admissions at its selective math and science school.

In neighboring Loudoun County, Virginia, applicants for teaching positions are asked, “How would race and diversity impact your classroom?”

Meanwhile, Loudoun County Public Schools has been accused multiple times in recent years of racial and viewpoint discrimination and bias against a teacher and students.

In Evanston, a large suburb outside Chicago, the local high school district has increased its commitment to “Anti-racism” since at least 2020.

The National Opportunity Project’s research found that candidates for teaching positions “must demonstrate a commitment to social justice, equity, excellence and high expectations for all students.”

The district’s equity commitment even spurred the creation of Advanced Placement Calculus courses separated by race.

When it comes to our children, they need the best and brightest teachers at their side – not people who can pass a political litmus test.

As the gaping gaps caused by COVID-era closures attest, American students are struggling to catch up in the classroom and prepare for life after graduation.

Schools’ hiring policies should focus on introducing students to the most qualified adults, regardless of their race, personal political beliefs, or viewpoint on the news of the day.

Our students demand it – and deserve nothing less.

Patrick Hughes is founder and president of the National Opportunity Project, a nonprofit government monitoring and education organization.