TOPEKA, Kan. — Conservatives could capture majorities on the Kansas and Nebraska state school boards in this year's elections, making it easier for them to shape what's taught in classrooms. At issue are familiar efforts by conservative Republicans and groups to limit what public K-12 schools can teach about racism, diversity, sexuality and gender.
But also up for debate are skill-building lessons that conservatives reject as social engineering. An effort to teach soft skills — such as persistence, tolerance for others and managing emotions — came after surveys in recent years suggested that businesses see them as crucial for future employees. But some parents, state lawmakers and groups see what's sometimes called social and emotional learning, or SEL, as promoting liberal values.
"We want to turn the direction away from social engineering and back towards education," said Fred Postlewait, a retired computer systems manager and a Republican candidate for a Kansas City-area seat on the Kansas board. Conservative parents, groups on the right and Republican officials across the U.S.
who've wanted to ban some books and other materials are increasingly including SEL among the "woke" concepts or programs they want removed from the classroom. SEL has joined DEI — for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — and CRT for critical race theory, which centers on the idea that racism is systemic in U.S.
institutions. Both states lean Republican, helping conservative candid.