Alabama’s director of early childhood education is out of a job over the use of a teacher training book that the state’s Republican governor denounced as teaching “woke concepts” due to language about inclusion and structural racism, the Associated Press reports.
Barbara Cooper was forced out as director of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education after Governor Kay Ivey voiced concerns about the book’s distribution to state-run pre-kindergartens.
Gina Maiola, a spokesperson for Governor Ivey, identified the book as the 4th version of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Developmentally Appropriate Practice Book. The book has reportedly been removed from state classrooms.
“The education of Alabama’s children is my top priority as governor, and there is absolutely no room to distract or take away from this mission. Let me be crystal clear: Woke concepts that have zero to do with a proper education and that are divisive at the core have no place in Alabama classrooms at any age level, let alone with our youngest learners,” Ivey said in a statement.
The governor’s comments come at a time when conservative politicians are decrying so-called “woke” teachings with schools sometimes at the center of debates over diversity training and parental rights.
Cooper was reportedly first asked to “send a memo to disavow this book and to immediately discontinue its use.” Ivey’s office did not mention Cooper’s response but said the governor decided to replace Cooper and accepted her resignation, the Associated Press reports.
The book is a guide for early childhood educators. However, it is not a curriculum that is taught to children.
Two examples from the book are cited in a press release from Ivey’s office – one discussing white privilege and that “the United States is built on systemic and structural racism” and the other, Ivey’s office claims, teaches LGBTQ+ inclusion to 4-year-olds.
According to a copy of the 881-page book obtained by The Associated Press, those sections discuss combating bias and ensuring that all children feel welcome.
NAEYC, a “national accrediting board that works to provide high-quality education materials and resources for young children,” stated that the book is a research-based resource for educators, but the group did not address Ivey’s statements directly.
“For nearly four decades, and in partnership with hundreds of thousands of families and educators, Developmentally Appropriate Practice has served as the foundation for high-quality early childhood education across all states and communities,” the statement read.
“While not a curriculum, it is a responsive, educator-developed, educator-informed, and research-based resource that has been honed over multiple generations to support teachers in helping all children thrive and reach their full potential.”