Several researchers told Reuters that PragerU misrepresented their findings in videos about climate change. Some videos have also drawn ire from scientists. Critics contend that the group’s videos inject a right-wing bias into the classroom, and civil rights groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Human Rights Campaign have described PragerU content as propaganda. The expansion of PragerU into public schools has alarmed some parents and educators - especially leading into an election year in which culture-war debates over education promise to be a prominent issue. In another, the abolitionist Frederick Douglass defends the Founding Fathers for not outlawing slavery. Cartoon Columbus responds, “Being taken as a slave is better than being killed,” and insists it is “estupido” to judge him by modern moral standards. In one animation, two time-traveling kids ask Christopher Columbus whether he enslaved Indigenous people. The PragerU Kids video content ranges from lessons for teens about why universal health care systems in countries like Canada are worse than the United States’ system, to an explanation for young children about Israel’s Iron Dome. Its recent videos feature messages opposing transgender health care and suggesting Americans say “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy holidays.” Last year, the organization debuted a line of cartoons and classroom materials aimed at school children, called PragerU Kids, which over the last six months has received approval from four state education agencies. Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen, meanwhile, says her state’s new relationship with PragerU will help educators recognize “how to teach things.” New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut, in his appearance, explains enthusiastically that students in his state can use PragerU videos to meet a high school graduation requirement, noting, “It’s quality content - it’s highly engaging for the kids.” In one clip, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters says he “could not be more excited to get this content into our classrooms,” adding that he used PragerU videos himself as a history teacher.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |