We don't need orders from states or Congress on teaching race. We know our students best.
Today's USA TODAY Opinion columns start with the national effort to control how the issues of race are being taught in classrooms. From there we offer up a great Pride Month column on what it's like to come out several times and finish up with the idea that perhaps apologizing isn't a sign of weakness.
We know our students best
Ronn Nozoe is the CEO of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. He writes today about the new trend of state and federal leaders trying to dictate how race issues are taught.
"As educators wrap up the 2020-21 school year and prepare for a “new normal” this fall, one of the tasks on deck is curriculum planning. In talking to school leaders around the country, I've heard many concerns regarding state legislatures deciding how individual schools teach students about race and racism in American history and train educators on diversity, equity and inclusion. The National Association of Secondary School Principals believes that those in the schools – educators and school leaders – should make curriculum and professional development decisions, not those in state or federal Capitol buildings.
Local control is the heart of the U.S. education system at the primary and secondary levels. Communities within one state vary widely, as do their needs and priorities. That’s why our education system prioritizes school decision-making at the local level. Of course, there are standards and benchmarks that apply to all schools when it comes to curriculum. Significant and specific commonalities, such as subjects taught and concepts covered, exist for good reason."
Today's editorial cartoon
- The drought watering ban patrol: Today's Toon
Pride month: On coming out
Louis Z. Anderson offers a column that is personal and examines what it's like to come out to friends and family, repeatedly.
"Coming out is hard. So take a lesson from someone who has done it (almost) more times than he can count.
The first time I came out was in my freshman year of high school: Just like most other little gay teens, I was “bisexual” – “experimenting.”
Sometimes I've been met with confusion, sometimes I've been met with love. But I've learned coming out gets easier."
How Southern Baptists finally got it right
The largest gathering of Southern Baptists in two decades overwhelmingly demanded a third-party investigation of its executive committee.
How Southern Baptists finally took steps to stop sexual abuse in churches
There isn't enough apologizing
Bill Maher thinks there is too much apologizing in America.
He made this head-scratching assertion on a recent episode of his eponymous HBO show in response to the online backlash against director Lin-Manuel Miranda for casting light-skinned Latinos in leading roles for the screen adaptation of the Broadway musical “In the Heights.” The movie is based on the real-life New York City neighborhood Washington Heights, which boasts a community largely made up of Afro-Latinos.
We have to let go of the idea that apologizing is weak, writes Kirsten Powers, a CNN news analyst.
This newsletter was compiled by Louie Villalobos