On Sunday, The U.K. Daily Mail reported that Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has invited Hillsdale College to open 50 charter schools whose anti-woke curriculum will teach students that America is ‘an exceptionally good country.’  What a wonderful idea. We can’t expect to raise children who want America to live up to its potential if we keep telling them that America is a bad country. We have our flaws, and we have made mistakes, but we have learned from those mistakes and moved forward. It should be noted that the mistake of slavery, which the political left does not seem to be able to forget, was a worldwide mistake that America played only a small part of. Unfortunately, much of the leadership in our education system is not willing to admit that.

The article reports:

Hillsdale College, which has close ties with former President Donald Trump,  developed the ‘1776 Curriculum’ and is eager to add to its network of charter schools with the curriculum that focus on ‘the centrality of the Western tradition.’

That curriculum – which spans 2,400 pages – was set up in response to the New York Times 1619 Project, which frames the founding of the United States through the eyes of slaves, and has been blasted for multiple inaccuracies.  

Note that the article felt it necessary to describe Hillsdale College as a conservative college and to tie the teaching of actual American history to former President Trump. This is a blatant example of mixing spin in with content in a news article.

The article notes:

The college’s ‘1776 Curriculum’ is currently being used in the two dozen member schools in about 13 states, as well as several dozen more across the country, per its website. 

It comes as battles continue to rage across the US about what is being taught in public schools. Many parents have been outraged by the push towards divisive ‘equity’ lessons based on the teachings of critical race theory, which opponents say is divisive, and teaches white children that they are ‘oppressors.’

Florida has also enacted the Parental Rights in Education Bill – the so-called ‘Don’t say gay’ bill, in response to reports of teachers encouraging children confused about their gender identity to hide it from their parents, and even move them towards medical treatment given to transgender people.  

Hillsdale has been criticized for its curriculum, which puts a spin on American history and provides a negative take on the New Deal and global warming.

…Hillsdale, which was founded in 1844 by abolitionists, does not accept state or federal funding, including no student grants or loans. 

The Times reported this move allows the school to ‘avoid some government oversight, such as compliance with federal Title IX rules governing sexual discrimination.’  

Instead, the school relies partly on donations from conservative benefactors that are fueled by aggressive fund-raising campaigns, the Times reported, including on Rush Limbaugh’s radio program before he died, and in Hillsdale’s widely circulated digest, Imprimis, including a 2017 piece in which President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was called ‘a hero to populist conservatives around the world.’ 

Again, note the spin. Charter schools run by Hillsdale College are a definite threat to the education establishment, which tends to lean left. As this plan moves forward, you can expect a multitude of negative articles from the American mainstream media.