Teachers across South Carolina are sharing their thoughts after the state announced a new partnership with a conservative nonprofit organization that allows their videos to be used inside classrooms.State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver announced a partnership with PragerU on Monday to allow its content to be an optional resource for teachers. However, some teachers are raising concerns about its content.”PragerU is not an educational organization. They’re a YouTube channel,” said Clifford Lee, the vice president of the Greenville County Education Association. “I’m not here to tell students what to believe. I’m here to help them look at situations and information critically and then make up their own minds. The PragerU content doesn’t do that.”Weaver released the following statement to announce the partnership:”As we celebrate Constitution Day, the South Carolina Department of Education reaffirms its commitment to providing an exceptional education for every child. We are thrilled to announce the addition of supplemental materials for South Carolina schools through this partnership. These optional educational materials, aligned with South Carolina’s K-12 standards, will provide a wide range of essential topics like civics and financial literacy. According to U.S. History End of Course exam scores for the last school year, only 44% of South Carolina high schoolers earned a passing grade. We must focus on providing students the tools they need to be successful. These resources will inspire our students, broaden their horizons, and help them thrive in and out of the classroom. By empowering them with the real-life world knowledge and skills, South Carolina is building a brighter future for all.”On its website, PragerU states they “promote American values through short educational videos for people of all ages.”Patrick Kelly of the Palmetto State Teachers Association said the organization’s content could go against language that is written in the state budget. “That is designed to prevent teachers from presenting opinions as facts and indoctrinating students,” Kelly said. “Some of this content is nothing but opinion. It’s not fact-based information.”Kelly also said some teachers have not been informed by the state about what the deal means.”If the purpose of any partnership of this sort is that you think there’s material that should be used in classrooms, you might want to share that information with the people that are tasked every day with running those classrooms,” he said. Greenville County School District officials said they are still processing the new partnership between the state and PragerU. In recent years, PragerU has partnered with states such as Florida, Arizona and Oklahoma for potential use in classrooms. PragerU has not replied to requests for comment regarding its partnership with South Carolina.
GREENVILLE, S.C. —
Teachers across South Carolina are sharing their thoughts after the state announced a new partnership with a conservative nonprofit organization that allows their videos to be used inside classrooms.
State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver announced a partnership with PragerU on Monday to allow its content to be an optional resource for teachers. However, some teachers are raising concerns about its content.
“PragerU is not an educational organization. They’re a YouTube channel,” said Clifford Lee, the vice president of the Greenville County Education Association. “I’m not here to tell students what to believe. I’m here to help them look at situations and information critically and then make up their own minds. The PragerU content doesn’t do that.”
Weaver released the following statement to announce the partnership:
“As we celebrate Constitution Day, the South Carolina Department of Education reaffirms its commitment to providing an exceptional education for every child. We are thrilled to announce the addition of supplemental materials for South Carolina schools through this partnership. These optional educational materials, aligned with South Carolina’s K-12 standards, will provide a wide range of essential topics like civics and financial literacy. According to U.S. History End of Course exam scores for the last school year, only 44% of South Carolina high schoolers earned a passing grade. We must focus on providing students the tools they need to be successful. These resources will inspire our students, broaden their horizons, and help them thrive in and out of the classroom. By empowering them with the real-life world knowledge and skills, South Carolina is building a brighter future for all.”
On its website, PragerU states they “promote American values through short educational videos for people of all ages.”
Patrick Kelly of the Palmetto State Teachers Association said the organization’s content could go against language that is written in the state budget.
“That is designed to prevent teachers from presenting opinions as facts and indoctrinating students,” Kelly said. “Some of this content is nothing but opinion. It’s not fact-based information.”
Kelly also said some teachers have not been informed by the state about what the deal means.
“If the purpose of any partnership of this sort is that you think there’s material that should be used in classrooms, you might want to share that information with the people that are tasked every day with running those classrooms,” he said.
Greenville County School District officials said they are still processing the new partnership between the state and PragerU.
In recent years, PragerU has partnered with states such as Florida, Arizona and Oklahoma for potential use in classrooms.
PragerU has not replied to requests for comment regarding its partnership with South Carolina.
