An investigation by Defending Education says at least 100 colleges of education use Southern Poverty Law Center materials and social justice standards to train future and current educators, sometimes with support from federal grants.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Teacher preparation programs across 38 states and the District of Columbia are using curriculum and training materials developed by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “Learning for Justice” initiative, according to a new investigation examining the organization’s influence on colleges of education and K-12 instruction.
The report published by Defending Education says at least 100 colleges of education have incorporated SPLC lessons, resources or Social Justice Standards into programs that prepare future teachers or provide continuing education for current educators and administrators. The Virginia-based nonprofit argues that the reach of those materials gives the SPLC a significant role in shaping classroom content, teaching practices and the perspectives educators bring into public schools.
The SPLC is a progressive advocacy organization known in part for maintaining an online “Hate Map” that identifies organizations it classifies as extremist or hateful. The group’s Learning for Justice program, formerly known as Teaching Tolerance, offers classroom lessons, professional development tools and standards centered on identity, diversity, justice and collective action.
Defending Education said many colleges do not prominently disclose their reliance on the materials, making the full extent of the program’s use difficult to determine from publicly accessible course descriptions alone.
“This report also examines academic journal articles, doctoral dissertations, and master’s theses to provide additional insight into how SPLC materials and Social Justice Standards are incorporated into Colleges of Education, teacher preparation programs, and K-12 classrooms,” the report states. “Importantly, few COEs outwardly acknowledge their use of SPLC materials; instead, many COEs hide their usage and promotion behind faculty login pages.”
The report reviewed teacher preparation programs, academic publications, graduate research and continuing education requirements to determine how Learning for Justice materials are incorporated into college coursework and school district training. Because colleges of education prepare new K-12 teachers while also training existing faculty and administrators, the report argues that their instructional frameworks can have a long-term effect on public school policies and classroom practices.
Several programs cited in the investigation received federal support. Northern Arizona University and the Flagstaff Unified School District obtained a $275,000 National Science Foundation grant for a computer science initiative that incorporates Learning for Justice’s Social Justice Standards. In California, the Department of Education awarded a graduate program $3.3 million to “develop and cultivate educators-in-training” using “social justice teaching ideas and practices,” including “Social Justice Standards from Teaching Tolerance.”
The University of Maryland College of Education also incorporates the SPLC framework into a master’s program for science, technology, engineering and mathematics teachers. The program includes a central theme titled “Equity, Access, and Anti-bias Education,” which integrates Learning for Justice standards and related instructional practices.
At the state level, the Maryland State Department of Education uses Social Justice Standards in regulations governing teacher induction programs operated by local school districts, according to the report. Those programs are intended to support educators entering the profession and can influence the training they receive during their first years in the classroom.
Other examples include the University of Michigan, whose teacher education program emphasizes “more just and equitable elementary science teaching” and draws from Learning for Justice materials. Kutztown University in Pennsylvania requires future educators to complete a “teaching tolerance module” as part of coursework intended to develop an understanding of diversity.
The investigation identified additional colleges in California, Massachusetts, Oregon, Virginia and Washington that use SPLC resources. It also found examples at public universities in Republican-led states, where courses focused on equity, multicultural education and diversity incorporate Learning for Justice materials or similar standards.
At the University of Florida, education students are required to complete a course titled “Equity Pedagogy Foundations.” The course examines race, class, ability and sexuality and how those subjects affect children and educational outcomes.
Florida Atlantic University offers courses including “Introduction to Diversity for Educators,” “Equity Issues in Multicultural Education” and “Education in Multicultural Society.” The University of North Texas requires readings from Learning for Justice’s Social Justice Standards in an advanced teaching course, while the University of Kansas incorporates the SPLC’s emphasis on the “importance of multicultural education” across its teacher preparation programs.
Western Kentucky University requires education students to complete a diversity-focused course that includes the book “There’s a Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom” among its assigned readings.
Defending Education contends that these programs promote political and ideological perspectives that extend beyond conventional teacher preparation. The organization describes its mission as restoring what it considers high-quality, nonpolitical education and has criticized the use of race, gender and social justice frameworks in public schools.
Supporters of equity-focused teacher training argue that such coursework helps educators understand students from different backgrounds and identify disparities in schools. Critics maintain that the programs can embed contested political theories into professional requirements and introduce those ideas into classrooms without sufficient transparency or parental awareness.
The new findings follow a previous investigation into public funding received by the SPLC, which reported that the organization obtained millions of dollars from state and local governments, universities, school districts and other taxpayer-supported entities.
Those funds were used to distribute SPLC programs and materials, including resources for public schools, according to the investigation. The organization states that its mission includes “dismantling white supremacy” and “creating a world where Black and Brown communities are represented and respected by our democracy.”
The Defending Education report argues that the combination of public funding, professional training requirements and limited disclosure has allowed Learning for Justice materials to become deeply embedded in teacher education programs. Its findings suggest that the SPLC’s influence extends beyond individual classroom resources and into the institutions responsible for preparing future educators and determining professional standards for those already working in public schools.
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