Florida has recently approved the use of curriculum materials from PragerU, a right-wing nonprofit organization, in its schools.[0] PragerU Kids, a resource for schools according to Time magazine, was given the green light by the Florida Department of Education. However, it is important to note that PragerU is not an actual university and lacks accreditation.[1] Instead, it is a conservative media company that aims to spread right-wing ideology to both adults and children.[2]
This approval by Florida has sparked controversy and criticism from many who view PragerU’s curriculum as biased and misleading. One particular video featuring Frederick Douglass, a prominent abolitionist, drew significant backlash for allegedly misrepresenting his views on slavery and the history of abolition.[3] Social media users expressed their outrage and called the video “sickening.”
PragerU describes itself as a nonprofit organization that creates educational videos promoting American values.[4] Its website claims to offer an alternative to the dominant left-wing ideology prevalent in culture, media, and education.[5] The organization, founded in 2011 by conservative radio host Dennis Prager, produces videos on a wide range of political, economic, and sociological issues, often featuring well-known narrators such as Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens.
One of the main concerns surrounding PragerU’s curriculum is its treatment of climate change. Florida’s Department of Education has approved videos from PragerU that deny the science behind climate change. This decision has raised alarm among experts, who fear that the spread of climate change denial videos in classrooms could hinder climate change education. Many states base their curriculum on the scientific consensus that fossil fuel use is driving rapid global warming, but PragerU’s videos feature researchers who doubt this consensus.[0]
Adrienne McCarthy, a researcher at Kansas State University who tracks PragerU, argues that these videos target young and impressionable children with messages supporting fossil fuels and casting doubt on renewable energy resources.[1] She believes that PragerU is trying to cultivate a new generation of fossil fuel supporters. McCarthy also warns that the beliefs promoted by PragerU overlap with far-right extremist beliefs and fears that these ideas could become more mainstream.[1]
Despite these concerns, PragerU CEO Marissa Streit defends the videos, claiming that they provide a necessary balance to schools that she believes have been “hijacked by the left.”[6] Streit argues that there needs to be a healthy balance in teaching climate change, rather than instilling “climate hysteria” in young children. She repeats the common climate-denial motto that the climate is always changing and rejects the idea that fossil fuel burning is the cause of rising temperatures.[7]
The approval of PragerU’s curriculum in Florida has raised questions about the influence of right-wing advocacy groups in education.[5] Critics argue that PragerU’s materials present a distorted view of history, slavery, and racism in the United States.[8] They also express concerns about the organization’s funding, which has come from individuals in the petroleum industry. Florida’s decision to adopt PragerU videos has drawn comparisons to other instances where textbooks influenced by the fossil fuel industry downplayed or denied human-caused global heating.[1]
Michael Mann, a climate scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, criticizes the irony of Florida’s decision, stating that it would make Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels blush.[1] Mann accuses Governor Ron DeSantis of promoting agenda-driven disinformation instead of actual science to further the interests of fossil fuel funders.
In conclusion, the approval of PragerU’s curriculum in Florida has sparked a heated debate about the influence of right-wing ideology in education.[1] Critics argue that PragerU’s materials are biased and misleading, while supporters claim they provide a necessary balance to left-wing dominance in schools. The inclusion of climate change denial videos in the curriculum has raised concerns about the teaching of scientific consensus on the issue. As the debate continues, it remains to be seen how other states will respond to the use of PragerU materials in their classrooms.
0. “Climate change denial propaganda approved for use in Florida’s classrooms” National Center for Science Education, 7 Aug. 2023, https://ncse.ngo/climate-change-denial-propaganda-approved-use-floridas-classrooms
1. “Florida adds PragerU climate denial videos to approved syllabus for children up to 11” Irish Examiner, 10 Aug. 2023, https://www.irishexaminer.com/world/arid-41202319.html
2. “Florida wants to let a rightwing group teach history to children. This is appalling” The Guardian, 10 Aug. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/aug/10/florida-wants-to-let-a-rightwing-group-teach-history-to-children-this-is-appalling
3. “PragerU videos include Frederick Douglass, Black Lives Matter material” Pensacola News Journal, 9 Aug. 2023, https://www.pnj.com/story/news/education/2023/08/09/prageru-videos-include-frederick-douglass-black-lives-matter-material/70557223007/
4. “”Sounds about white”: PragerU Florida curriculum leaves netizens distraught as Christopher Columbus video goes viral online” Sportskeeda, 8 Aug. 2023, https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/news-sounds-white-prageru-florida-curriculum-leaves-netizens-distraught-christopher-columbus-video-goes-viral-online
5. “PragerU materials on slavery and social justice, approved for Florida schools, spark backlash” WTSP.com, 9 Aug. 2023, https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/education/prageru-slavery-florida-schools-douglass/67-bfea816a-cf24-4992-bc20-d4f7db73efd5
6. “Ron DeSantis Administration Approves Climate Denial Videos For Classroom Use In Florida” Benzinga, 10 Aug. 2023, https://www.benzinga.com/news/23/08/33697044/ron-desantis-administration-approves-climate-denial-videos-for-classroom-use-in-florida
7. “Media Loses Collective Mind Over Alternative Climate Curriculum” Cowboy State Daily, 9 Aug. 2023, https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/08/09/prageru-materials-that-dispute-climate-hysteria-tabbed-science-denial/
8. “Videos denying climate science approved by Florida as state curriculum” The Guardian US, 10 Aug. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/10/florida-ron-desantis-climate-vidoes-school-curriculum
