From the media, and even from his state’s governor, the head of the Oklahoma education system has defended a recently approved high school history curriculum that teaches irregularities and “contradictions” in the 2020 election.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Republican Oklahoma’s public leadership superintendent Ryan Walters said the state was “in the middle of a dramatic turnaround” in education, making it possible with President Donald Trump’s dismantling of the federal department of education.
Walters said change has been driven by parents and grandparents in Oklahoma, who demands the state return to education fundamentals and eliminate left-wing or legacy media-driven narratives in the school’s curriculum.
“We want these parameters regarding our standards, so we know that kids are taught facts and that the left-wing agenda is not being forced onto them,” he said. “I think that’s going to continue to be what parents and grandparents want here, so I think we need to listen to them.”
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From the media, and even from the left, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, right and even from the left, Oklahoma’s public leadership overseer, defends the recently approved high school history curriculum that teaches irregularities and “contradictions” in the 2020 election. (Getty Images/Istock/Ryan Walters via Chris Kleponis/Polaris/Bloomberg)
Perhaps the most controversial change in the state’s education reforms is the Oklahoma academic standards set for recently approved social studies documents. High school teachers are to instruct students to “instruct them to identify inconsistencies in the 2020 election results.” Voters, and “conflicts in unprecedented ‘bell county’ trends. ”
The change has been widely criticized by the media and some state leaders.
The New York Times stated that Rep. John Waldron, vice-chairman of the Oklahoma House Democrat Caucus, denounced Walters, “The superintendents have campaigned to end the indoctrination in our schools, but what we’re doing instead with these new standards is to promote indoctrination in our own brand.”
Meanwhile, representative of Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt told Fox News Digital that the change was “another distraction from what kids can read.”
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A representative for Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt told Fox News Digital that the change was “another distraction from what kids can read.” (Fox News/Charlie Craits)
But Walters refuses to be upset. He argued that by including discussions about the 2020 election, the state encourages students to become “critical thinkers” rather than promoting a specific perspective.
“The left doesn’t want children to look at numbers, look at data and ask questions about elections. Look, they never had an election like 2020. That means literally every process has changed to it. “We make sure that when kids are studying history, when they look at numbers, look at data, they see what historical records show us.”
Walters believes this is an important step to ensure that teachers are talking about the 2020 election. [they tell students to] Look at the numbers and look at the data. ”
“Let the students do that deep dive. I think it makes them a better student. I think it makes them more balanced people,” he said. “I also think it teaches you to think for yourself as you move into the future.
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Walters said he believes this is an important step to ensure that teachers talk about the 2020 election. [they tell students to] Look at the numbers and look at the data. ” (ap photo/sue ogrocki, file)
Although it has already been approved by the state board of education, the standard requires approval from the legislature or the governor.
He said he was “optimistic”, but Congress would approve the curriculum, but Walters accused him of being “never a trumper” and targeted Stitt.
“It’s really a shame,” he said. “If the governor comes out and forces students and wants to tell them that Joe Biden won the 2020 election and that he doesn’t want him to see the facts or think about it, it’s about getting out of his stage with the Oklahomans.”
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Walters argued that by including discussions about the 2020 election, the state encourages students to become “critical thinkers” rather than pushing for a specific perspective. (istock)
In response, Stitt’s president Abegail Cave said the governor is more concerned about the decline in the state’s test scores. She accused Walters and some members of the school board of directors of “concentrating more on actually creating headlines and political victory than Oklahoma kids can actually read.”
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The cave called the idea that Stitt was never a “outrageous” tort.
“He voted for Donald Trump, but he’s never a trumper. It’s once again Ryan Walters is trying to spin the story and get the water covered in mud for no reason,” she said.
The Cave pointed to Stitt’s recent public emergence, praising Trump’s actions against the federal Department of Education, saying “the governor firmly believes that education should be left to the state.”
Peter Pinedo is a political writer for Fox News Digital.
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