Minnesota’s public-school system is doubling down on woke ideology, driven in large part by its affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), the Minnesota Education Association (MEA). Instead of focusing on basic literacy and math skills, the MEA is pushing race-based and gender ideology trainings many parents see as divisive and harmful. The MEA’s “Facing Inequities and Racism in Education” program trains teachers on “Interrupting Whiteness,” “Culturally Responsive Teaching with a Racial Justice Lens,” and “LGBTQ+ Training.” These courses pump social-justice agendas into Minnesota classrooms.
Teachers in Minnesota must now complete “cultural competency” training to renew their teaching licenses. That training can include topics like systemic racism and gender identity, with little emphasis on academic fundamentals like reading and math. Minnesota students are already falling behind academically. In 2024, more than half of Minnesota’s fourth-graders tested below proficiency in math, and large percentages also scored below grade level in reading. Yet union-driven equity and diversity programs continue to take priority over foundational education.
Minnesota isn’t acting alone. The NEA’s national training programs reveal the broader left-leaning agenda that permeates the training our educators receive. Teachers are trained to teach leftist dogma, not reading, writing, and math. In response, conservative lawmakers are pushing back. Representative Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI) introduced the STUDENT Act (H.R. 4658) to curb the NEA’s influence. This legislation would revoke the NEA’s federal charter, ban its political lobbying, eliminate racial quotas, and require unions to report annually to Congress. The STUDENT Act also aims to end practices that turn unions into political machines — including automatic dues deductions and involvement in elections — ensuring that parents and taxpayers, not union bosses, have more say in public schools.
But while progress in Congress has stalled, the NEA continues to use its federal charter and political power to shape education policy across the country, not just in Minnesota. Despite plummetting academic achievement, union leaders remain focused on pushing race-based and gender-focused programs. Parents concerned about this trajectory ought to focus not only on their local school boards, but also on Congress if they want to restore academic excellence to their kids’ classrooms and rein in the corruption of union political influence.
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