Over the past decade, social justice movements have helped reshape K-12 curricula to include discussions on systemic racism, privilege, gender diversity, and sex education — a set of changes that some refer to as “woke.” While some school districts have adopted these practices, some parents, teachers, and community leaders are concerned about whether these topics should be taught in school. Those who think this subject matter helps students argue that incorporating them in classrooms makes students socially aware and responsible citizens. They also say that this emerging effort to educate America’s youth about historical injustices and topics surrounding race and gender helps create a more inclusive society. Those who believe these topics hurt students argue that teaching these topics indoctrinates students into learning about certain ideologies their parents may not want them learning about and they worry it can polarize and lead to discomfort among non-minority students, lowering their self-esteem and promoting a “victimhood mentality”. Some parents are also concerned that schools are no longer focusing enough on core traditional courses, such as math, science, reading, and social studies. 

With this background, we debate the question: Wokeness in Public Schools: Helping or Hurting Students?