Exploring Local Experiences of the Campaign to Ban “Critical Race Theory

The report can be accessed online at https://idea.gseis.ucla.edu/publications/the-conflict-campaign

Key findings: 

•  The anti “CRT” effort is a purposeful, nationally/state interconnected, and locally driven conflict campaign to block or restrict proactive teaching and professional development related to race, racism, bias, and many aspects of proactive diversity/equity/inclusion efforts in schools, while — for some — gaining political power and control. Strategy, language, terminology and tactics are shared and encouraged across localities through networking fueled by powerful conservative entities (media, organizations, foundations, PACs, and politicians) that exploit and foment local frustration and dissent over what should be taught and learned in schools. Targets include both school district policy and state law, and local educators themselves.
• Conservative media has played a pivotal role in spreading the conflict campaign. From September 2020 to August 2021, the majority of national news stories about “CRT” and public schools came from conservative news sources, with mainstream news sources and liberal news sources generating far fewer stories. There were more than seven stories from national conservative news sources about “CRT” in public schools for every one story from a national liberal media source. 
• Campaign efforts go far beyond deliberating different ways of understanding and teaching about race and racism. In addition to legislative efforts, participants organizing nationally and riled up locally are intentionally attacking and affecting race-related and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work in districts, on school boards, and in teaching often by intimidating educators and elected school board members away from DEI efforts and discussions with students of race and diversity issues. This activity is at times strikingly driven by partisan aims. 
• The conflict campaign in total seeks to expose, restrict, ban, “abolish,” censor, and control a wide set of school conversations on race and inclusion. These restrictions threaten to prevent students and educators from engaging and grappling with difficult historical facts, current events, complex opportunity barriers, real biases, marginalized communities’ voices, and possible collective improvements in our shared schools and country. Restriction efforts also threaten to block opportunities for students of color and White students to discuss how they might join together to ensure that all are included and valued in our society and treated with dignity and respect.