Why did PragerU lie about being approved in Texas schools? – Reckon

Julie Pickren, a Republican member of the State Board of Education, and PragerUs CEO Marissa Streit jointly announced Tuesday that kids in the Lone Star state would be offered the full gamut of the organization's controversial educational offerings. (Michelle Zenarosa, PragerU)

The right-wing education and media group PragerU seems like its infiltrating some of the biggest public school systems in the country right now.

Earlier this month, it was announced that the unaccredited group had been permitted to offer climate denial educational resources in Florida. Then, just days ago, PragerU inexplicably turned up in Texas.

And it caused a lot of confusion. Julie Pickren, a Republican member of the State Board of Education, and PragerUs CEO Marissa Streit jointly announced Tuesday that kids in the Lone Star state would be offered the full gamut of the organizations controversial educational offerings.

Those include videos denying climate change and rewriting known and widely accepted truths about African-American history, including that slavery was a compromise, among other controversial positions. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis welcomed the groups videos and said they offered a more balanced view than the indoctrination currently offered within the states public schools.

In the joint video, Pickren, present at the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol building, said, We are definitely ready to welcome PragerU into the great state of Texas.A blurb beside the video said the group was now an approved education vendor in the state.

The only problem is, its not true.

Keven Ellis, the chair of the State Board of Education, said in a statement that no one from PragerU had contacted him or ever presented to the board.

Why did Pickren and PragerU lie?

My inkling is that shes (Pickren) attempting to politicize upcoming state school board meetings, said Emily Witt, a spokesperson for the Texas Freedom Network, an Austin-based nonpartisan, grassroots organization that supports religious freedom, individual liberties, and public education. Were about to go into a textbook adoption process for science textbooks here in Texas next week, and she may be trying to influence that process before it has even started.

Texas has the countrys second-largest public school student body, with just under 6 million students. California is first with 6.8 million, and Florida third with 3.4 million.

PragerUs rise to prominence has mirrored the rapid escalation of right-wing populism that took hold after Pres. Donald Trump first ran for office in mid-2015. It started in 2009 as a platform for founder and conservative radio host Dennis Prager to reach out to teenagers and college students. The group has become known for its 5-minute videos that take controversial subjects and put a conservative spin on them, often to the point where they rewrite history and, in many cases, downplay slavery and racism in the United States.

Ameshia Cross, the assistant director of Higher Education Communication at The Education Trust, echoed Witts comments about PragerU and pointed to other issues in the Texas public school system.

I think that this move in this narrative is quite frankly hyperpolarizing and is being done on purpose, she said. The problem here is Texas has become a battleground for equity for minority students. Were watching the Houston Independent School District, one of the largest minority school districts in the country, be taken over by a state that doesnt care about facts or the students.

Witt said the Board of Education will consider textbooks discussing climate change and evolution, among other science issues. Texass State Board of Education has a long history of allowing books that ignore, erase, and gloss over information often guided by partisan politics.

A January 2020 analysis of eight textbooks offered in California and Texas identified hundreds of subtle differences. For example, a California version of one of the textbooks notes that the Second Amendment allowed for some gun regulations. The Texas version did not. Teens in both states learn about the Harlem Literary Renaissance and its impact on African-American life. The Texas version says some critics dismissed the quality of literature produced.

However, according to Witt, this latest iteration of adopting what some say is right-wing propaganda and disinformation in classrooms has reached a new level.

Weve had right-wing members before, and weve fought about evolution, especially in textbook adoption, even going as far back as 20 years ago, she said. So weve certainly had members that have tried to sway the public to come in and denounced textbooks that teach the truth about science and history and all of the subjects frankly, but it is pretty unique and new for a member to blatantly lie and then have an organization also lie on their behalf.

Pickren did not respond to a request for comment.

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Why did PragerU lie about being approved in Texas schools? - Reckon