Horne: Arizona must get DEI out of teaching standards to keep US funding

Fearing loss of federal dollars, state schools chief Tom Horne wants the Board of Education to immediately start revising the standards used to train teachers in Arizona.

Horne noted that an order issued by Republican President Donald Trump on his inauguration day requires states to scrub any references to “diversity, equity, and inclusion” from programs that receive federal funds.

Horne, an elected Republican, contends there are items in Arizona’s professional teaching standards that could run afoul of that edict.

About $866 million in federal money is at risk, he said.

But education board members are not quite as anxious to rush into changing the rules.

At a meeting Monday, several said they have serious questions they first want answered. These include who would be on a committee Horne wants appointed to go through existing rules to ferret out provisions the Trump administration might find offensive.

They put off a decision on crafting new rules until their December meeting.

Horne warned that this delay could prove financially hazardous.

“I’m fearful that if we act too slowly, we may get caught in a situation where we can’t get it done in time and we’re facing the ax from the federal government,” he said.

‘Equitably engage learners’ wording questioned

As to whether there’s anything in the existing rules that would endanger federal funding, one possibility deals with current standards for learning environments.

Sid Bailey, an associate school superintendent under Horne, pointed out that one of these requires teachers to manage those environments “to actively and equitably engage learners by organizing, allocating, and coordinating the resources of time, space, and learner’s attention.” He told the board it may be necessary to excise the words “and equitably” to comply with the presidential directive.

Then there’s a provision saying teachers should communicate in a way that demonstrates respect and responsiveness “to the cultural backgrounds and differing perspectives learners bring to the learning environment.”

All that wording may have to go, Bailey said.

He said that’s why the rule-making process must begin with a committee to scour this and all the rules.

“I’m not a prophet and can’t predict what we would come up with,” Bailey said. But he said the rule-making process — and a study by a committee named by Horne’s department — would propose revising language “that’s no longer aligned with current federal directives.”

Arizona’s standards are not unique to the state.

The state board here adopted what are known as InTASC standards in 2011. That’s short for the Interstate Teachers Assignment and Support Consortium, whose standards are used to guide education and professional development for teachers across the country.

In essence, the standards are meant to make sure teachers have the knowledge and ability to ensure all students can learn.

Bailey told board members the 2011 revisions to InTASC adopted by the Arizona board included some key revisions, including emphasis on personalized learning, integration of 21st century skills and “support for diverse student needs.”

‘Solution in search of a problem’?

He said he and other Arizona Department of Education employees have since met with the deans at the colleges of education at the three state universities.

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“All university deans agreed that the teaching standards that they teach do not align with federal mandates and need adjustment,” Bailey said.

The universities must align their standards for preparing new teachers with the rules of the state Board of Education, the ones Horne wants to change.

Not everyone on the state board is convinced they need to rush to comply with what Horne sees as a risk to state funding.

“I just want to make sure that we’re not a solution in search of a problem,” said Daniel Coor, president of Arizona Western College, who sits on the state Board of Education.

Bailey said that’s not the case.

“We’ve got evidence that our universities, two of them, have already been challenged by the federal government, that are concerned with their course curriculum,” he said, not specifying which two.

He also pointed to a “Dear Colleague” letter that went out in February to all state education agencies from Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights in the U.S. Department of Education, detailing how his office is interpreting the law to make it illegal to use race in making any decisions.

Trainor wrote that there are “insidious” ways DEI programs keep students from fully participating in school life. “The (Education) Department will no longer tolerate the overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this nation’s educational institutions,” he wrote.

There was also an April request from the feds for the state to certify it is not using DEI, with a reminder of financial penalties for failure to comply.

Horne bashes ‘woke philosophies’

In an interview with Capitol Media Services, Horne said some of what’s in the rules needs to go — regardless of the possible loss of federal dollars.

Horne pointed to the one that says teachers should respect “cultural backgrounds and differing perspectives learners bring to the learning environment,” which he called unnecessary.

“They’re teaching academics,” he said. “And all kids, as individuals, can learn academics.”

The problem for Horne is how that guideline is interpreted and put into effect.

“When they are culturally sensitive, they dumb down the requirements for the minority kids,” he contended. “Minority kids can learn just as well as other kids. And you don’t need to treat them differently.”

Asked what’s wrong with ensuring that teachers “actively and equitably engage learners,” Horne responded that at one time, “equitable” was a positive word. “It meant ‘fair,’ “ he said.

“Now, with the ‘woke’ philosophies, ‘equity’ no longer means ‘fair,’ it means ‘equal results by race,’ “ Horne said. “And if you have equal results by race, you’re rewarding people for what race they belong to rather than what they’ve accomplished individually.”

Monday’s vote puts off until December for the board to decide whether to start the process of reviewing the rules, and not just the ones Bailey cited during the meeting.

Kathleen Weibke, a public-at-large member of the board, said she understood Horne’s desire to move forward immediately, but she wasn’t ready.

“I do think there are a lot of questions,” Weibke said. “And what I don’t want to do is start working on these standards and then have them changed again.”

Horne acknowledged he has no idea when the U.S. Department of Education will come back and start demanding proof that all traces of DEI have been wiped from any regulations or policies.