Pennsylvania Education Department's "Woke" Guidelines Controversy: A Comprehensive Overview
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) recently found itself at the center of a heated debate regarding its approach to culturally relevant education. This controversy culminated in a lawsuit, a settlement, and revised guidelines for schools across the state. This article delves into the details of the controversy, exploring the initial guidelines, the objections raised against them, the resulting settlement, and the new framework now in place.
The "Culturally-Relevant and Sustaining Education Program Framework Guidelines" (CR-SE)
In 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Education established a set of instructions under their "Culturally-Relevant and Sustaining Education Program Framework Guidelines" (CR-SE), requiring schools to adopt a particular approach to teaching. These guidelines aimed to address biases in education, micro-aggressions, stereotypes, prejudices, and encourage critical thinking about economic, political, and social power structures. A key component of the CR-SE guidelines was mandating teachers to "design learning experiences and spaces for learners to identify and question economic, political, and social power structures in the school" and to "disrupt harmful institutional practices, policies, and norms." The intention was to empower K-12 teachers “with the skills they need to help all students achieve academic success and reach their full potential -- no matter their background.”
The department believed this framework would provide tools to help teachers create school environments where every child feels seen, valued, welcomed, and affirmed. Kristina Moon, a senior attorney with the Education Law Center in Philadelphia, argued that the curriculum provided tools to help teachers create school environments to achieve those goals. Moon stated that failing to acknowledge the lived experiences of racism, sexism, anti-immigrant bias, and other challenges students face can lead to educators failing to connect with students, resulting in unintended bias, discrimination, and disengagement.
Legal Challenges and First Amendment Concerns
However, the CR-SE guidelines quickly drew criticism and legal challenges. The Thomas More Society, a faith-based legal group, filed a lawsuit against the PDE in April 2023 on behalf of a group of parents and public school districts. The lawsuit argued that the mandate violated their First Amendment rights, asserting that the policy “sought to mandate that educators affirm and impose on their students highly ideological beliefs about contentious social and political issues.”
Thomas Breth, special counsel for the Thomas More Society, stated that the initial regulation was a “blatantly ideological” and an “attempt to inject ‘woke’ activism into school curricula.” Attorneys for the Thomas More Society argued that the guidelines violated the First Amendment and were issued in violation of state regulatory law.
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Settlement and Rescission of the CR-SE Guidelines
In November 2023, the PDE agreed to settle the suit and rescind its CR-SE guidelines. Just days after the settlement, the department issued new suggestions under their new "Common Ground Framework," though schools are no longer required to comply with the guidelines.
The Thomas More Society hailed the settlement as a significant victory. Breth stated, "We are incredibly pleased with this settlement agreement, which forces the Pennsylvania Department of Education to rescind the state’s ‘Culturally-Relevant and Sustaining Education’ guidelines - securing an important victory for Pennsylvania parents, students, and teachers." He further added, "Our agreement is a triumph against the Department’s blatantly ideological and illegal attempt to inject ‘woke’ activism into school curricula across Pennsylvania, which demanded educators affirm their belief in these ideological tenets and then impose the same upon their students."
The "Common Ground Framework": A New Approach
Following the settlement, the PDE introduced the "Common Ground Framework" as an optional tool for Pennsylvania schools. Erin James, the department press secretary, emphasized that the new guidance would empower K-12 teachers “with the skills they need to help all students achieve academic success and reach their full potential -- no matter their background.”
The department noted that the Common Ground Framework is an optional tool for Pennsylvania schools that allows districts to comply with the regulatory requirements of state code. James stated that the Pennsylvania Department of Education is proud to offer this resource as an improvement on previously issued guidance, with an expanded focus on digital literacy, mental health, and trauma - real issues that impact those in all spaces of learning within every Pennsylvania community. The new guidance addresses “learners from varying socio-economic backgrounds and those with different abilities and is an effort to create an inclusive learning environment for all students.” It also provides guidance to help educators handle issues related to mental wellness, trauma-informed approaches to instruction, engagement with technological and virtual strategies.
The new guidance is also designed to help educators “better understand and relate to students experiencing homelessness and food insecurity, military-connected students and their families, students who have experienced trauma, students with disabilities or special needs, children of migratory seasonal farm workers, and more.”
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Carrie Rowe, the deputy secretary of elementary and secondary education, said this framework retains an emphasis on cultural awareness, but the department clarified language and added two new pieces to incorporate an emphasis on mental wellness and trauma-informed instruction.
Key Differences Between the CR-SE Guidelines and the "Common Ground Framework"
The "Common Ground Framework" differs from the CR-SE guidelines in several key aspects:
- Mandatory vs. Optional: The CR-SE guidelines were a mandate, requiring schools to comply with the outlined approach. The "Common Ground Framework," on the other hand, is an optional resource that schools can choose to adopt.
- Focus on Power Structures: The CR-SE guidelines placed a strong emphasis on teachers designing learning experiences to identify and question economic, political, and social power structures. While cultural awareness remains a competency within the "Common Ground Framework," the focus on power structures is less pronounced.
- Expanded Scope: The "Common Ground Framework" expands its scope to include areas such as digital literacy, mental health, and trauma-informed approaches to instruction, addressing issues that impact students in all learning environments.
- Emphasis on Specific Student Groups: The new framework specifically aims to help educators better understand and relate to students experiencing homelessness and food insecurity, military-connected students, children of migratory seasonal farm workers, students with disabilities, and students who have experienced trauma.
Reactions and Implications
The settlement and the introduction of the "Common Ground Framework" have elicited a range of reactions.
Kristina Moon, a senior attorney with the Education Law Center in Philadelphia, called the agreement a blow for students, parents, and teachers, arguing that the original curriculum provided tools to help teachers create school environments where every child feels seen, valued, welcomed, and affirmed.
Jonathan Plucker, an education policy professor at Johns Hopkins’ school of education, noted that the settlement found common ground in acknowledging that a student’s background affects their learning. However, he also pointed out that the education department and the plaintiffs argued about what types of diversity matter. Plucker also suggested that the settlement could serve as a bellwether for other states, as events in Pennsylvania often ripple through the rest of the country. He noted that DEI efforts have increasingly come under fire, with legislation in at least 18 states banning or restricting how schools can talk about race and relentless attacks on them from Republicans through the 2024 campaign. The pendulum is swinging back, he said.
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Crystal Edwards, principal of the W.D. However, districts such as Philadelphia say they will continue to build culturally relevant practices into their professional development programs. Monique Braxton, a spokesperson for the district.
El-Mekki said that among Black males who go to college, education is among the most popular majors. The problem is that inequities in K-12 education have impacted Black males to a greater degree than other segments of the population. “There is a reason” that more African Americans don’t go into teaching, El-Mekki said. What they experience during their own schooling makes them less likely to enter the teaching profession themselves. “That speaks to how educators of color experience their colleagues and supervisors,” he said. “We all have to take collective responsibility, and not just assume people of color aren’t interested. Training about cultural differences is valuable for all teachers, not just those who are white.
The Broader Context: DEI Initiatives and the Culture War
The Pennsylvania education department's "woke" guidelines controversy is part of a broader national conversation surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in education. Pennsylvania’s initial framework was part of a nationwide emphasis on diversity, inclusion, and equity initiatives that grew out of the racial reckoning of 2020, when the nation was confronting its racist past and how it persisted in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis-and others.
Culturally relevant pedagogy stems from a framework introduced in the 1990s on the type of instruction that helps all students-especially students of color-succeed academically, accept and affirm their cultural identity, and learn how to challenge inequities.
These initiatives have become increasingly politicized, with some critics arguing that they promote divisive ideologies and indoctrination. This has led to legislative efforts in some states to ban or restrict certain topics related to race and gender in schools. The settlement agreement also comes as Philadelphia - and the rest of the country - struggles with a teacher shortage crisis. One of the drivers of this crisis has been a steady decline in the number and proportion of teachers in Philadelphia who are Black.
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