Academic achievement - Rocky Mountain Voice

Sencenbaugh: DEI and CRT may sound noble, but they’re driving academic mediocrity in schools

Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, Top Stories / May 15, 2025 / Academic achievement, Critical Race Theory, Diversity Equity Inclusion, Education policy, Parental Rights, School Reform, Teacher Workload

If you are on the left or the right, Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the average classroom does not look like one tends to believe. Both are far more subtle. Thus, any debate on these issues devolves into both sides yelling at one another with neither actually listening.

During a House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) declared, “We can stop with the nonsense because K-12 was not teaching critical race theory…in our country K-12 is not learning critical race theory. Just for those who are unfamiliar.”

Having taught in both Texas and Colorado, I can tell you that she is not being completely honest. While she is correct that “CRT” is not directly taught in any K-12 school or part of any state standards, it would be dishonest to believe that the ideas behind CRT are not taught in our schools. I have observed classrooms and read over lessons that assume CRT to be accurate.

Sencenbaugh: DEI and CRT may sound noble, but they’re driving academic mediocrity in schools Read More »

Anderson: Education dollars should help all students perform, while lawmakers focus on funding gender ideology

Let’s look at the facts. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2024, only 36 percent of Colorado’s fourth-graders read at a proficient level, and just 42 percent are proficient in math.

These numbers should alarm every parent, educator, policymaker and taxpayer. Beneath the surface of annual graduation celebrations lies a troubling reality: Many students are not prepared for life after high school. Colleges are restructuring their curricula to accommodate lower proficiency levels, and remedial classes are becoming the norm, not the exception.