The Truth About DEI that Fear Mongers Don’t Want You to Think About
The federal Department of Education (DOE), which DOGE will probably eliminate soon, warned states that they would lose federal funding if they don’t remove DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) policies and programs – in two weeks! Colleges and universities began scrambling to scrape DEI from existence, responding to the Department of Education’s letter, which states, “the department will vigorously enforce the law.” Scrub everything until lit glows white.
It must be taken seriously. Non-compliance at a school could cut off federal dollars – or worse. What might happen if a student turns in their school for having curricula about slavery or the Trail of Tears, for example?
Oklahoma has already scrubbed DEI by codifying discrimination in an Executive Order and HB 1775, which limits how race and gender are taught in public schools and universities.
Oklahoma is ahead of the game in its race to the bottom regarding equity for historically marginalized people. We can’t forget that Ryan Walters, our state superintendent who never met a radical conspiracy he didn’t like, wants to terrorize little kids at school who might be undocumented, so he can send numbers to Pres. Trump. For what reason? Walters says it’s merely to have a count. I have trouble trusting him since Walters has shown he doesn’t stand for people of color, immigrants, LBGTQ students or any other child who doesn’t fit his white, male, Christian fundamentalist world view. His actions imply that everyone else is just taking up space and using up resources that are the right and privilege of white, male children.
Walters said, “DEI rightfully should be known as discrimination, exclusion, and indoctrination. It does not represent American values.” He is wrong about that for many of us who say that DEI does represent our American values. My grandfather was an eastern European immigrant. My grandmother’s parents were immigrants. The happiest day of my grandfather’s life, aside from his wedding day, was the day he became a U.S. citizen. (Just an aside – according to the American Immigration Council, in 2022 households led by undocumented immigrants paid $75.6B in total taxes, including $29.0B in state and local taxes and $46.6B in federal taxes.)
Does Saying It Make It So?
If the DOE, or for that matter, the Oklahoma State DOE, issues an edict that school districts cannot choose what to teach, who to teach and how to teach it, do districts have to comply? The law says “no.”
Since 1970, the U.S. Department of Education has been subject to the following law that states that the federal government may not interfere with state schools:
The law says: “No provision of any applicable program shall be construed to authorize any department, agency, officer, employee, of the United States to exercise any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum, program of instruction, [or] administration…of any educational institution…or over the selection of library resources, textbooks, or other printed or published instructional materials.”
The DOE does not tell schools what to teach.
Federal law does tell them WHO to teach – all kids! States are obligated to provide all children – regardless of immigration status – with equal access to public elementary and secondary education.
Similarly, the Oklahoma Constitution does not give the State Department of Education the power to dictate curriculum. It also says, “The Legislature shall establish and maintain a system of free public schools wherein all the children of the State may be educated.”
The Oklahoma State Superintendent isn’t supposed to tell districts what to teach or who to teach.
Knowing the law is one reason that appointing qualified professionals in cabinet positions or other positions of power is important. Otherwise, laws may naively not be followed or may be ignored altogether. Issuing a proclamation that is in direct conflict to established law is confusing, at the very least.
Who’s Afraid of Equity?
Here is a wonderful example of the difference between “equity” and “equality” from the Annie E. Casey Foundation:
Well-meaning people often use the terms “equity” and “equality” interchangeably when discussing matters related to race and social justice. While both terms have to do with “fairness,” there are key differences as the application of one over the other may lead to drastically different outcomes. Equality requires that everyone receives the same resources and opportunities, regardless of circumstances and despite any inherent advantages or disadvantages that apply to certain groups. Equity, on the other hand, considers the specific needs or circumstances of a person or group and provides the types of resources needed to be successful.
Equality assumes that everybody is operating at the same starting point and will face the same circumstances and challenges. Equity recognizes the shortcomings of this “one-size-fits-all” approach and understands that different levels of support must be provided to achieve fairness in outcomes.
A highly circulated image seeks to provide a visual illustration of the differences between equality and equity. The image depicts three people standing behind a fence, watching a baseball game. The three individuals are all different heights, with the tallest of the three being able to see over the fence without any help. The other two are not tall enough to see over. Equality provides each of these people with identical boxes to stand on to peer over the fence. The tallest person, who didn’t need the box in the first place, now stands even higher, continuing to enjoy a perfect view of the game. The second person can now see over the fence, and the third person, even with the help of the box, is still too short to see over.
The image also depicts what equity would look like in this same scenario. In the equity version, the tallest person does not receive a box and is still able to enjoy the game. The second person is given one box to stand on, and the third person is given two boxes to stand on. Now, all three can enjoy the same view of the game.
What Does the DOE Do? Or Who’s Afraid of Diversity?
If the DOE isn’t indoctrinating children, then what does it do? The DOE enforces Title IX, which prohibit sex discrimination in education. For example, there was a time when girls’ sports were not a thing. I can remember that. The DOE oversees over a trillion dollars in student loans for students who can’t afford to pay for college, and it also oversees Pell Grants for low-income college students. It protects students’ civil rights, including students with disabilities through IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Act). If the DOE is dismantled, parents of children with disabilities may have a harder time getting services.
Overall, who benefits from DOE funds?
- States with more students per capita
- States with more poor districts
- States with more rural areas
- States with lower local taxes
- It takes up slack in state funding
In other words, the DOE is not disseminating WOKE ideology. It is protecting civil rights, helping oversee the funding of educational opportunities for low-income students, filling the gaps for states that need extra dollars (equity), and making sure that students with disabilities receive services and supports outlined by IDEA.
Most of us have probably been living our lives, sending our kids to school, going to work, taking the dog for a walk, all the while not paying attention to the State Department of Education or the U.S. Department of Education. Public schools have become a battleground for opposing views of the rights of marginalized populations, immigration, LBGTQ+ and more. Fear mongering works. It creates division. Fear can prime the pump for those wishing to privatize public education with charters and vouchers. It can work to underfund public schools, take away the right to a free and equitable public education and undermine teachers.
Using DEI as a bugaboo for dismantling a bedrock American institution – the public school – only sinks all of our boats. There is room for everyone to rise. The reality is that most children attend public school. Shouldn’t our leadership be working on improving public education, not taking it away?