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Gov. Kay Ivey denounces ‘woke’ preschool training book, ousts state official [1]
['Tcrain Rgriesbach', 'Trisha Crain', 'Tcrain Al.Com', 'Rebecca Griesbach', 'Rgriesbach Al.Com', 'Trisha Powell Crain']
Date: 2023-04-21 20:49:43.861000+00:00
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Barbara Cooper, head of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education, was forced to resign after state officials found the department was distributing teacher training materials that included so-called “woke concepts.”
According to a statement released Friday by Gov. Kay Ivey’s office, state officials were alerted last week about a pre-K educator resource book that they said contained “content that is simply not in line with what the Ivey Administration or the people of Alabama stand for or believe.”
The resource in question was the fourth edition of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Developmentally Appropriate Practice Book, Ivey’s spokeswoman Gina Maiola confirmed Friday.
In the news release, Maiola said Ivey was concerned that the book tells teachers there are “larger systemic forces that perpetuate systems of White privilege” and that “the United States is built on systemic and structural racism.” She was concerned, too, Maiola said, with the directions that “LGBTQIA+ need to hear and see messages that promote equality, dignity and worth.”
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Additionally, Maiola said the book’s glossary “includes equally disturbing concepts that the Ivey Administration and the people of Alabama in no way, shape or form believe should be used to influence school children, let alone four-year-olds.”
AL.com has not independently verified Maiola’s claims that the book contains those concepts. There is also no indication that young children were reading the training manual or any of its contents.
According to its website, NAEYC is a national accrediting board that works to provide high-quality early learning materials for children up to age eight. Cooper was elected to the association’s national governing board in 2022 and her term ends in 2026.
“For nearly four decades, and in partnership with hundreds of thousands of families and educators, Developmentally Appropriate Practice has served as the foundation for high-quality early childhood education across all states and communities,” NAEYC said in a statement to AL.com Friday evening. “While not a curriculum, it is a responsive, educator-developed, educator-informed, and research-based resource that has been honed over multiple generations to support teachers in helping all children thrive and reach their full potential. Building on the good work that is happening in states and communities, NAEYC looks forward to continuing its partnership with families, educators, and policymakers to further our shared goals of offering joyful learning environments that see, support, and reflect all children and their families.”
ADECE directed all inquiries on the matter to the governor’s office. Cooper could not be reached for comment.
Following the investigation, Ivey directed Cooper to send a memo to disavow the book and discontinue its use. The governor then made the decision to have a change in leadership at the department and accepted Cooper’s resignation immediately, according to the news release.
Maiola told AL.com that she has been told all of the books have been collected.
Cooper was appointed by Ivey as Secretary of Early Childhood Education in 2020, after spending two years to administer the nationally recognized Alabama First Class Pre-K program. She resigned Friday, according to Maiola.
“Governor Ivey remains appreciative for her service to the state and passion for early childhood education,” the statement read. “In addition to expanding service to the number of four-year-olds, Dr. Cooper has helped put an increased focus on students in lower-performing areas and has even been a champion for computer science education in the state. However, Governor Ivey strongly believes that woke concepts have no place at any level of education in the state of Alabama and should not be taking away from the overall mission of improving educational outcomes for students.”
In the news release, Ivey said she believed the materials were “divisive” and inappropriate for young learners.
“The education of Alabama’s children is my top priority as governor, and there is absolutely no room to distract or take away from this mission,” she said in the statement. “Let me be crystal clear: Woke concepts that have zero to do with a proper education and that are divisive at the core have no place in Alabama classrooms at any age level, let alone with our youngest learners. We want our children to be focused on the fundamentals, such as reading and math.
“Alabama’s First Class Pre-K is the best in the country, and those children are at too critical of a juncture in their educational journeys and development to get it wrong. I remain confident in the wonderful teachers we have in pre-K classrooms around our state and in the necessity of our children receiving a strong start to their educational journeys in our First Class Pre-K program. I thank Dr. Cooper for her service, but I believe it is best we continue this historically strong program on its forward trajectory under new leadership.”
Jan Hume will serve as the interim secretary of the ADECE while Ivey makes a decision on a permanent secretary to lead the department.
This story has been updated with comment from NAEYC.
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[1] Url:
https://www.al.com/educationlab/2023/04/gov-kay-ivey-denounces-woke-preschool-training-book-ousts-state-official.html
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