Dear Colleagues:

Inclusion Delusion. Yesterday, Jay released an analysis of the Twitter feeds of 741 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) staff at 65 universities examining what they have to say about Israel and, for comparison purposes, China. Jay and his coauthor, James Paul, wanted to ask the basic question: do DEI staff actually create a tolerant and welcoming campus environment for minorities? They found that the incidence of anti-Israel attitudes is so out of proportion and imbalanced compared to attitudes toward China as to constitute antisemitism. Here are some of the astonishing findings:

  

In total, there were 633 tweets regarding Israel compared to 216 regarding China—three times as many—despite the fact that China is 155 times as populous as Israel and has 467 times the land mass.

  

…Of the 633 tweets regarding Israel, 605 (96 percent) were critical of the Jewish state. Of the 216 tweets regarding China, 133 (62 percent) expressed favorable sentiment.

  

…Attacking a central feature of Jewish students’ identity would be entirely contrary to the stated purpose of having DEI staff: to welcome students from all backgrounds, make them feel included, and prevent or address incidents of hate and bias. But it is clear that DEI staff at universities actually function as political activists, articulating and enforcing a narrow and radical ideological agenda.”

You should also check out Jay’s previous studies Diversity University and Equity Elementary.

  

The future of the education choice movement . Over at AEI, Jay Greene and Lindsey Burke argue that conservatives must make what is our most compelling case for school choice: "that education freedom is fundamentally about enabling parents to choose learning environments that align with their values." As they conclude, conservatives:

  

"...need to make the values-based case for school choice, pursue programs that are open to every child, and allow parents to determine what constitutes quality and accountability. Promoting such policies produces more of what we want while improving the prospects for widespread school choice becoming a reality."

  

Read the full report here .

  

What do you mean by “better?” President Joe Biden’s administration calls its $3.5 trillion plan to micromanage everything from construction to transportation to health care to preschool the “Build Back Better” plan. Recently, U.S. Senators from five states asked private and religious school leaders what they thought of the proposal, and the words “complete flop” were used.

  

Last week, private preschool and childcare providers explained to Republican senators at a roundtable the ways in which the plan will limit parent options and restrict private school operations. Jonathan Butcher wrote about the event for reimaginED this week. Read on.

What’s coming next in education. Jonathan also spoke on a panel hosted by the Bradley Foundation last week along side Lance Izumi from the Pacific Research Institute, Libby Sobic from the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, Garrett Ballengee of the Cardinal Institute, and James Copeland from the Manhattan Institute. Jonathan spoke about our model proposal that protects children in K-12 schools from racial discrimination and what is in store for state policymakers next year regarding the issue of critical race theory in classrooms.

  

More regulations?! In a Heritage Special Report titled, 37 Biden Administration Regulations in the Pipeline that Americans Should Know About, John contributed analysis of the eight higher education–related regulations are on the horizon from the Department of Education. “These Biden Administration regulations, among other things, would incentivize borrowers to take on financial risks that they otherwise would not take, forcing taxpayers to bear the brunt of the costs when those risks do not pay off, such as through bailouts.”

  

ICYMI - Last week Heritage's Jonathan Butcher, President Kevin Roberts, and Lindsey Burke released a coalition letter in conjunction with the Manhattan Institute's Chris Rufo and others on the need for transparency in schools. "We therefore call for state legislators to enact policies that families and students desperately need to reject the racial prejudice inherent in Critical Race Theory, maximize transparency around what is taught in K-12 classrooms, and secure education choice," the letter states. 

  

Read the full letter and list of signatories here .

Warmly,
John Schoof

Research Associate and Project Coordinator
Center for Education Policy
Institute for Family, Community, and Opportunity
The Heritage Foundation