Mississippi has made some big policy changes for the better – that was the message Douglas Carswell delivered to a meeting at the Heritage Foundation in Nashville this week.

The Mississippi Center for Public Policy CEO & President Douglas Carswell spoke at the annual Heritage Foundation Resource Bank meeting, a convention comprising several think tank professionals, community leaders and elected officials from across the country who hope to create change and leave a positive impact. 

Speaking during the “Winning in the States: Highlighting 2022 Victories” session on Thursday, Carswell discussed several of MCPP’s wins throughout the past year, including the Mississippi Income Tax elimination plan, occupational licensing reform and the removal of public school Critical Race Theory teaching practices. Due to these achievements, Carswell, along with three other think tank members across the country, spoke on the successes of conservative policies. 

MCPP helped push the idea of an income tax elimination throughout the 2022 Mississippi legislative session, with lawmakers settling on a four-year phase-out plan beginning in 2023. Removing a bureaucratic barrier that kept skilled newcomers from making a living, the Occupational Licensing Reform law allows people who move to Mississippi from out of state to maintain their license, something MCPP achieved by working with multiple state entities. The Critical Race Theory bill, written by MCPP, ensured that Mississippi public schools and universities do not teach that any one group is superior or inferior to another. 

Carswell said he was delighted to speak at the conference about these topics, expressing that the liberty movement is rebuilding and winning at the state level. 

“I loved sharing with the audience how Mississippi is leading the way with a flat income tax, occupational licensing bill and a new law to combat Critical Race theory,” Carswell said. “These are big wins, and they’re getting national attention.”

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
 

Those words spoken by Rev. Martin Luther King provide one of the best-known quotes in America's history.  His phrase is as famous as anything Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln ever said.
 
King’s words resonate as powerfully anything Jefferson or Lincoln said precisely because they, too, are an appeal to the same principles upon which America was founded; that all Americans are created equal.

Today, however, Martin Luther King’s vision of America, and the Founding principles on which the Republic has been built, are under attack.
 
Instead of teaching us to judge fellow Americans according to the content of their character, a radical ideology, Critical Race Theory, is teaching Americans to see everything in terms of race.
 
Critical Race theorists hold that the United States is founded on racial supremacy and oppression. They reformulate the old Marxist idea that society is divided between the oppressors and the oppressed, replacing the class categories of bourgeoisie and proletariat with the identity categories of white and black. 

This makes Critical Race Theory a deeply divisive ideology and an extremist one that seeks to overthrow America's existing social and economic order.

At the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, we have been leading the fight against Critical Race Theory. First, we published a report full of evidence, detailing the extent to which this ideology is being taught in our public education system. 
 
We also produced a model piece of legislation to tackle Critical Race Theory. Our proposal to tackle Critical Race Theory is not just consistent with Rev. King’s vision of America.  I believe it would give us a legal framework to help ensure America lives up to his ideal.   Our proposed law is also consistent with a belief in freedom and liberty.  

I am delighted to report that a bill on Critical Race Theory passed through the State Senate by a clear majority recently. The bill is due to be assigned to a House committee shortly, and it is the only bill that addresses Critical Race Theory currently under consideration.

It is absolutely essential that we recognize that it is not enough to pass a law to defeat Critical Race Theory. We need to explain to the rising generation of Mississippians what it is about America that makes this country so special. 

For most of human history, people were not treated as individuals in possession of inalienable rights. Hierarchy and hereditary were seen as the natural order. America, which was founded on the principle that all are created equal, was one of the first societies in the world where people began to be defined in terms of individual rights instead. 

To be clear, the Founding principles were often very imperfectly applied. America produced laws and leaders that often failed to live up to the Founding principles. But that is not to say that the principles on which America was founded were themselves flawed. They are not.

The principles on which America was founded cannot be bettered. As Calvin Coolidge put it 150 years after the Declaration of Independence, “If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. No advance can be made beyond these [principles]."

Our "woke" elites today seek to return us to the pre-modern idea of group rights, collective identity, and advancement by caste. 

As Coolidge went on to warn, if anyone rejects the principles on which America was founded, the only direction in which they will take America is backward, “Those that wish to proceed in that direction cannot claim progress.”

How odd that today, Critical Race theorists call themselves progressives. If they prevail, they will take us back to a pre-modern past.

It is vital that we ensure that the rising generation in our state understands and appreciates why Critical Race Theory is so wrong and appreciates what makes America so exceptional.

This is a fight that we can win.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Members of the Legislature have introduced legislation that would bring major reform to the State's educational system by changing just a couple of things.

In the Senate, Senator Jeremy England (R-D 51) introduced legislation that would require public schools to make their educational material easily accessible to the general public. SB 2434 would be a major step in the right direction, as providing academic transparency is a key part in exposing the left-wing bias most, if not all, educational systems have (i.e., Critical Race Theory). Parents and taxpayers have a right to know exactly what their children are being taught and what their money is being spent on.

In regards to capping educational Fat Cat salaries, their has been numerous legislation pieces introduced from both chambers.

In the House of Representatives, Representative Nick Bain (R-D 2) authored HB 415 which would align the salary of the State Superintendent of Public Education's $300,000 salary to no more than 150% of the Governor's $122,160 salary. Back in the Senate, Senators Angela Burks Hill, Chris McDaniel, and Dennis Debar, Jr. have introduced similar legislation that would either require a limitation on the State Superintendent's salary or that it should not exceed the Governor's. Too much of our education budget is spent on administrative costs and bureaucratic salaries. We support efforts to ensure that more money goes into the classroom instead.

While just two examples of reforms that could be coming to public school classrooms and the system, we believe they would be an incredible help in transparency, getting parents and others more involved in the education of the Magnolia State's future, and keeping more money in the classroom (instead of someone's pockets).

The Mississippi Center for Public Policy approves of these introductions and will continue to update you as the 2022 Mississippi Legislative Session continues, and you can keep up with measures by watching our Legislative Tracker.

A government by the people and for the people can only stay that way if it is accountable to the people. Every year, millions of taxpayer dollars, and thousands of Mississippi’s children are put through government schools in the state. While the state has fairly stringent accountability standards for many government entities, education transparency has not received the attention that it should.  

The concept of transparency is not at all foreign to state governments. In fact, Mississippi has several provisions designed to promote transparency within state government by requiring financial disclosures posted online, open meetings, and other measures for various state entities. But how far have such efforts gone within the government school system?

Even though many other government entities have relatively stringent accountability protocols, the education system has not seen the fullest degree of accountability possible. While the state education system often makes its general academic directives public, there is often a degree of ambiguity even about what is specifically being taught on a day-to-day basis.

Many states have recently enacted academic transparency laws to remedy such ambiguity and have more transparency on what children are being taught. Rather than leaving citizens, taxpayers, and parents to wonder about what is being taught, such laws require the education system to post actual curriculum online for public inspection. Such measures are all the timelier in our day for two primary reasons, both from the standpoint of technological advancements that enable such accountability, and a growth in the polarization between parents and school administrators.

In the first place, the widespread of the internet, smartphones, and social media have all made the dissemination of information easier, cheaper, and more effective than ever before. In former days, an academic transparency measure might have required more expensive and time-consuming methods, such as mailing the public curriculum to individual addresses. Such technical challenges have been practically removed. Using the internet, even the most basic and inexpensive technology of today has the ability to publish school records publicly for millions of citizens to see.

Finally, issues such as Critical Race Theory, “Gender Theory,” and other issues have become increasingly divisive issues as parents across the country are coming to grips with an increasingly radicalized academic establishment. In order for citizens to be informed on what the government schools are actually teaching, posting curriculum online is a basic first step.

Transparency and accountability to the people are among the most fundamental ingredients of a good government. If the state of Mississippi has requirements for other government entities to post their information on the internet, government school administrators should be required to do the same with school curriculum.

Ultimately, a policy of accountability and open information for school curriculum is a policy grounded in the fundamentals of our nation’s founding ideals. Fundamentally, by giving the citizens a working knowledge of their government, the power is placed in the hands of the people -where it belongs. For in the words of Thomas Jefferson: “knowledge is power, knowledge is safety, and knowledge is happiness.” It’s time for the Mississippi Legislature to ensure that its people have the means and ability to have such knowledge and be completely informed about government school curriculum.  

The Mississippi Legislature is taking the fight to Critical Race Theory with legislation aiming to ensure that public institutions of learning shall direct or compel students to affirm that all are equal.

Senator Michael McLendon (R-D. 1) has drafted a bill based on the Mississippi Center for Public Policy’s recent policy paper, Combatting Critical Race Theory in Mississippi. The act shall provide that no publicly-funded educational institution will be able to compel students to think that any sex, race, ethnicity, religion, or any other factor that an individual can or may not be able to change about themselves makes them any less of a person, inferior, nor superior. The legislation is simply about affirming that all are equal.

No one should have an issue with such a bill. Yet, around the country, there are constant talking-points from those on the Left either saying that there is no need for such a bill because Critical Race Theory is not being taught and is a “right-wing conspiracy” or those on the Left saying, “Yes, it is being taught and should be, therefore there is no need for a bill to combat it!” The fact of the matter is that – as our paper pointed out – Critical Race Theory is being taught in Mississippi in some form or fashion, and it is up to us to combat this Marxist-like agenda.

The best way to combat Critical Race Theory is with a good idea replacing the bad one it is. As the bill reiterates, we are all equal. The famous line from the Declaration of Independence goes: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Did America always live by this principle? No, but this amazing country has come so far and made so much progress. Whether it be the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the Emancipation Proclamation, innovation, Women’s Suffrage, or the Civil Rights Movement, we have shown the world that America is the greatest opportunity for human flourishing. Mississippi is no different.

The Mississippi Center for Public Policy approves of this legislation and will continue to update you as the 2022 Mississippi Legislative Session continues, and you can keep up with measures by watching our Legislative Tracker.

Third-party education organizations have played an increasingly strong influence on the direction being taken by the Mississippi Department of Education. Despite the fact that many parents in the state are concerned about the direction of the education system toward Critical Race Theory, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) recently announced that it will be revising its social studies curriculum based on standards established by such questionable organizations.  

Recent debates surrounding Critical Race Theory, American heritage, and government education have highlighted how third-party education organizations on the national level often have a large degree of undue influence on the education curriculum in Mississippi. The Mississippi Center for Public Policy has long sounded the alarm on such organizations, including in an extensive report on the influence of Critical Race Theory in Mississippi. The report uncovered that while MDE has not overtly taught CRT, there has been a prevalence of MDE promoting resources from organizations that openly embrace CRT. A recent article from Yall Politics further demonstrated that much of the proposed changes to the state social studies curriculum are directly based upon the recommendations of such organizations.

The key problem with MDE utilizing the resources of such third-party organizations is that they often have an agenda that is far removed from the priorities of Mississippi parents. There are several key examples of such organizations holding an undue sway on Mississippi education.

For instance, MCPP’s CRT report provides documentation of MDE promoting the Zinn Education Project as a third-party teaching resource provider. Among other things, Zinn's resources include activities that give a portrayal of Christopher Columbus as a murderer and resources on how to teach mathematics using social justice and intersectionality. 

In addition, MDE has also implemented Social Emotional Learning (SEL) standards. While such concepts may seem benign at first glance, the standards include initiatives such as an “Equity Monitor” staffed with the task of ensuring school meetings are perceived through the lens of race and gender. Such standards are based upon the recommendations of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). With numerous references to the racial undertones of many of its SEL standards, the CASEL organization includes resources such as a racial relations document that proclaims: “systemic racism is so deeply rooted in our history, culture and institutions that there’s no escaping it.”

Finally, MDE has fundamentally based its social studies curriculum on the standards established by several national organizations, including National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). NCSS has several events and resources with CRT implications, such as “The Historical Roots of Structural Racism” and “Black History is Not American History: Toward a Framework of Black Historical Consciousness.” Such resources include statements such as “we should not debate whether systemic racism exists, but provide opportunities for students, precluding racist commentary, to analyze the data evidence and establish this conclusion on their own.” Thus, rather than fostering a culture of academic analysis and dialogue, the NCSS has made its intentions to present a singular perspective quite clear. In light of such statements from the organization, it is unclear why the MDE is collaborating with it to establish social studies standards.

 The national education establishment has a long track record of placing leftist agendas at the forefront of its priorities. Rather than importing such agendas into the Mississippi education system, there should be a proactive effort to consciously reject ideologies that place an undue emphasis on students’ immutable characteristics. Instead of a bureaucratic and top-down approach, Mississippi’s government education system needs more accountability so that it is informed by the citizenry and not the education establishment of the Left.    

Last week’s elections in Virginia were no earthquake. Glenn Youngkin, the newly elected Republican Governor, squeaked home by the narrowest of margins. The swing from blue to red was a modest 5 percent.

Yet last week’s election could just turn out to be one of the most significant elections in America for a generation. Why?

Virginia offers the wider conservative movement a route map back towards electoral success – if (big if) they have the good sense to follow it.

It is easy when living in a state like Mississippi to assume that the Republican party is well entrenched. The reality across much of America, however, is that the conservative movement which dominated American politics when Ronald Reagan was in the White House, has suffered defeat and retreat ever since.

The last time that a Republican candidate won a popular majority in a U.S. Presidential election, for example, was back in 2004.  Republican candidates have only managed to win the popular vote in two of the past nine Presidential elections.

It is not just that Republican candidates have not done so well.  Even more ominously, not every Republican candidate has been …. how might I put this delicately? …. conservative.

Over the past couple of decades, states like Virginia, which at one time tended to lean conservative, appeared to have shifted decisively to the left.  Until last week, that is.

Despite having failed to win a state-wide election for twelve years, last week conservative candidates in Virginia were elected not only Governor, but Lt Governor and Attorney General, too.

The Virginia result was a victory for school choice conservatism. With parents denied any real power in the public education system, moms and dads in Virginia felt anxious about some of the things their kids were being taught – such as Critical Race Theory.

Youngkin repeatedly made the issue of whether parents should be allowed a say in their child’s education the center piece in his campaign. Youngkin also calmly but firmly insisted that Critical Race Theory is wrong.

And guess what? It turns out that giving people school choice is wildly popular and that millions of ordinary Americans are not that keen on having their kids indoctrinated into believing that their country is intrinsically racists either.

Here in Mississippi, we recently published a report on Critical Race Theory in our state. It shows how conservatives might offer something similar here, too.

Perhaps the most striking thing about the Virginia result was the record support that the conservative side got from both Hispanic and African America voters. It turns out that opposing a divisive anti-American ideology has a broad appeal. Again, Magnolia conservatives should take note.

One final observation about Virginia. The conservative side in the election did something that too often conservatives are loathe to do; they tried to understand and listen to their audience before trying to persuade them.

Too many of those that work in public policy presume that arguments that excite them appeal to everyone else. They don’t. In order to win in Virginia, conservative strategists used messages and messengers that resonated with the folk they needed to win over.

Instead of school choice, they talked about school freedom. Instead of attacking obstructive teacher unions, they made it clear that they wanted a better deal for teachers – if not necessarily union bosses. It takes more than a bumper sticker to win over hearts and minds. A new conservative movement that understood this, while offering real school freedom and an alternative to critical race theory, could be unstoppable.

Imagine if you were required to shop for groceries in a particular store because of where you happened to live?  What if folk living in on zip code had to use a particular branch of Kroger’s, and not any other? 

Such a system would be absurd, yet this is pretty much how the public education system is run in Mississippi – and across much of America.

Unless a family is able to afford to move to a particular zip code, or afford to go private, moms and dads have little choice over where to educate their kids.  In fact, most families in America have more choice when it comes to where they buy groceries than they do over their children’s education.

Without parent power, moms and dads anxious about some of the things that their children are being taught – such as Critical Race Theory – have found themselves powerless to do much about it. 

This week’s election results in Virginia suggest that this could be about to change.  The Virginia contest saw conservatives unequivocally committed to school choice and parent power win state-wide contests for the first time in twelve years. 

Not only does it turn out that school freedom – when properly presented – is wildly popular.  It turns out that millions of ordinary Americans are not that keen on having their kids indoctrinated into believing that their country is intrinsically racists either.

The conservative movement is at a pivotal moment.  We have an extraordinary opportunity to achieve fundamental change in the America education system – but if we are to seize this chance, we need to take a new approach.

For as long as anyone can remember, school choice in many states has been synonymous with Charter Schools.  Here in Mississippi, for example, we have long tended to put all the school choice eggs into the Charter School basket.  And it has not got us very far at all. 

Paid for with public money, but run independently, Charter Schools are wonderful.  They are a brilliant way of giving lots of kids opportunities that previously only rich people had.  Charter schools have an extraordinary record elevating education standards and ensuring young Americans from every background get a great start in life.  

The trouble is is that there just aren’t enough of them.  To date, here in Mississippi there are a mere seven.

Clearly there is not a shortage of demand for Charter Schools.  Those that I have visited here in Mississippi are buzzing with enthusiastic teachers, cheerful students and supportive parents.  Demand for places at Charter Schools exceeds the places available.

Nor is there a shortage of people wanting to set up Charter Schools.  In June this year it was announced that new applications had come in for a batch of new schools across our state.

The problem is that none of these applications got approved.  When the Charter Schools Authorizer Board met recently, they failed to approve any new applications.  

To be fair to the Board, too, the legislation we have in our state does not mandate the Board to incubate would-be applicants to get them over the line.  But surely the Board could be a little more proactive?  The Board needs a more can-do approach - and Mississippi needs a greater sense of urgency about the need for change.

Right now, anyone wanting to create a Charter School not only needs approval from the Authorizer Board.  Unless they are located in a failing school district, they have to have permission from their local school board, too.  Why?  

How can it possibly be right to give the local education bureaucracy the power to prevent moms and dads having more choices for their kids?  If your local school board really does a good job, why are they afraid of allowing families an alternative?

We would not tolerate it if companies were granted the power to ban competition and force customers to use only their services.  So why are we prepared to allow school boards to do precisely this using our tax dollars?

School choice advocates need policy responses that address all of these problems.  Charter schools have a critical role to play in making school choice a reality.  But we also need to do more that focus on supply-side reform.  We need a demand-side revolution – and Virginia suggests that the demand for real change in public education is there. 

Rather than just Charter Schools, we need to advocate for a comprehensive school freedom program, including open enrolment.  Most vital of all, we need to frame the debate about school freedom in a way that ensures that it resonates with millions of ordinary Americans concerned about the way in which ultra-left wing ideologues have invaded their children’s classrooms. 

If we present school freedom as a way of ensuring that every American child has not just a good education, but a broad and balanced one, our movement will become unstoppable.