Big white lies
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No images? Click here  September 20, 2023 Greetings, Meteor readers, The first week of school is just about done. Congratulations, you’ve all survived! Only an entire academic year to go.  In today’s newsletter, we examine the new(ish) way conservatives are trying to reshape history, applaud successful women, and share some weekend reads. Academically yours, Shannon Melero  WHAT’S GOING ONBig white lies: Over the last few months, a particular threat has been in the air: inaccurate historical teachings. What once felt like a uniquely red-state problem has now crept its way into the curriculum of a Pennsylvania school district. According to Popular Information, the Pennridge School Board is requiring teachers to incorporate lessons from the 1776 Curriculum into their social studies classes. The simplest way I can think to explain this curriculum, developed by Hillsdale College in Michigan as a right-wing guideline for educators (and in direct response to the historically accurate 1619 Project), is slavery apologetics for kids. This new K-12 curriculum teaches students that although the founding fathers participated in slavery, not all of them actually wanted to and eventually freed their slaves. It also trots out the tired argument that the Civil War wasn’t really about slavery at all but was instead about states’ rights. (Ahem, no.) Ninth graders will be served a piping hot plate of propaganda that claims “what was unique to America was the right to vote at all” and the “rapid rate” in which the vote was given to women. (The latter is demonstrably false.) The 1776 Curriculum is just the latest far-right attempt to rewrite history—and cater to the relatively small but loud voices reinvigorating American exceptionalism. It’s become so pervasive that Florida’s public university system is about to approve a heavily Westernized Christian alternative to the SATs called the Classic Learning Test. Previously only used as an admission test for private Christian colleges, the CLT promotes a “classical” curriculum and will be an option for students applying to public universities across the state. What’s clever about the CLT is that its inherent racism is not immediately obvious. The reading comprehension portion of the exam focuses on writings by figures like Martin Luther and Thomas Aquinas. It also places “an emphasis on Greek, Roman, and early Christian thought.” That’s fine if you’re trying to get into seminary school, but a “classical” education isn’t exactly a marker of a student’s readiness to enroll in Florida State. Not to mention that the test legitimizes a style of teaching that cuts out the works of women and writers of color. This move toward a revisionist, borderline-white-power version of history would be laughable if it weren’t all so insidious. Even before modern white supremacists and Moms for Liberty started infiltrating school boards, most American history classes were struggling to provide the full picture to students. It’s bad enough that most Millennials got a gentle, glossed-over version of world events like Columbus “discovering” America (i.e. committing genocide), but now basic, long-held facts are up for debate. AND: 
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 WEEKEND READS 📚On fútbol: Spanish soccer has been holding our attention for the last few weeks. But the women of La Roja have been fighting an uphill battle for years. (The Athletic) On the optimal self: Fitness and sleep tracking can be great. Until your tracker starts gaslighting you. (Slate) On trial: Google. (The New York Times)  FOLLOW THE METEOR     Thank you for reading The Meteor! Got this from a friend? Subscribe using their unique share code or snag your own copy, sent Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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