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Education expert says courses like this signal need for ‘complete syllabus transparency’
A University of Florida professor scrubbed optional readings on “anti-racist” and “anti-bias” education from her syllabus after receiving inquiries from The College Fix.
In this class, “students develop and/or implement instructional strategies consistent with their personal philosophies of early childhood education,” according to the course description.
The original version of the “Early Childhood Curriculum” syllabus, available in early July, offered students two different writing options.
Option A would require students to read articles such as “Creating anti-racist early childhood spaces” and “An Inclusive, Anti-Bias Framework for Teaching and Learning about Race with Young Children. Young Exceptional Children.”
The latter reading states that because picture books feature white characters, “a trip to the public library may implicitly communicate to young children that ‘whiteness’ is superior.”
The assignment also required students to read about “White Privilege and institutional racism.”
However, Professor Tara Mathien scrubbed these references after being contacted by The Fix for comment.
Students could now read about “Pathways to inclusive and equitable quality early childhood education” and “the development of social and emotional learning skills” instead. Explicit references to “white privilege” and “racism” have been removed.
The Fix first emailed Mathien about her course on July 9, asking how anti-racism fits into early education and how teachers can implement anti-racism in the classroom. Mathien responded by saying to “take a look at the syllabus and the assignment in question,” and noting she would be happy to comment on more specific questions.
The Fix followed up with questions about what bias looks like in an early elementary setting, asking whether it comes from students or teachers, and asking for specific examples of it in elementary education. The Fix did not receive a response; however, the syllabus was updated the next week.
The director of higher education at the Goldwater Institute said the syllabus’ content is not isolated to this class.
Timothy Minella told The Fix via email that “unfortunately, this is typical behavior in higher education.”
“Professors at schools of education fill their courses with politicized content like ‘anti-racism,’ but then engage in furious scrubbing of that content when asked about its relevance,” Minella said.
“Florida citizens should know that this ‘social justice’ content is being taught at schools of education at a time when fewer and fewer students can read at grade level,” Minella told The Fix.
“Courses like this one demonstrate the need for complete syllabus transparency at all public universities,” Minella said.
The transparency would allow taxpayers to hold “institutions accountable for teaching appropriate and rigorous material,” and allow students to “make informed decisions about what courses best serve their educational goals.”
Mathien has an interest in syllabus development, writing book chapters on “the anti-syllabus as a culturally responsive-sustaining approach to online instruction” and “developing culturally responsive curriculum in higher education.”
She also studies and presents on “[t]rauma-Informed Communities of Inquiry,” according to her faculty bio.
MORE: UW-Madison trains future teachers in ‘anti-racist behaviors’
