US Education Dept Announces $600 Million Grants Cut; Calls It Woke Spending
The US Department of Education has announced a drastic cut of over $600 million in grants given for training teachers and education agencies. The funding allocated to various institutions and nonprofits supported programs focusing on topics such as Critical Race Theory, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and anti-racism. The decision reportedly, came after a review of grants concerning the ideological content and race-based recruitment practices embedded in the programs.
The department has faced criticism for funding such initiatives, including workshops and professional development on topics such as dismantling racial bias and building cultural competence. The given practices were argued to be misaligned with its educational priorities.
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The $600 million in grants were being used to fund teacher preparation programs to train future educators on controversial issues. The programs included workshops on addressing systemic inequities, racism, gender-based discrimination, and homophobia. Some grants also funded culturally relevant teaching practices, focusing on socio-political understandings of race and promoting the dismantling of racial marginalization.
One such program offering professional development workshops was on ‘Building Cultural Competence’ and ‘Centering Equity in the Classroom.’ Another program was on strategies for addressing systemic forms of oppression and providing spaces for educators to confront their biases through critical reflection.
Recently, the Department of Education terminated over $350 million in grants and contracts to Regional Educational Laboratories and Equity Assistance Centers, calling it ‘woke’ spending. These cuts aim to curb wasteful and ideologically driven initiatives that did not align with the best interests of students and taxpayers.
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The decision, reportedly, marks a significant break from the earlier administration’s focus on equity-based training and seeks to reshape federal funding in the education sector.
