Michigan State University (MSU) is training future teachers to see classroom inequity primarily through the lens of race—ignoring the deeper forces that most shape student success: class, family stability, and quality of early education.
In the school’s elementary and secondary education programs, every student must take “Social Foundations of Justice and Equity in Education.” Young America’s Foundation (YAF) obtained the syllabus for this required course. It is built entirely around one textbook.
At the top of this syllabus, in large bold print, is the word “REQUIRED.” What follows is a declaration: “There is one required book for this class. It is We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom by Bettina Love.”
Why do teachers need to approach diverse students differently than white students? Why does the course assign only one textbook—without exposing students to competing perspectives?