U Pittsburgh Teaching High School Students and Teachers to be ‘Social Justice’ Activists

U Pittsburgh Teaching High School Students and Teachers to be ‘Social Justice’ Activists

Why do you suppose they want to start this while kids are still in high school? It’s obvious.

The College Fix reports:

U. Pittsburgh teaches high school students, teachers to be ‘social justice’ activists

The University of Pittsburgh has partnered with local public high schools through the Justice Scholars Institute to “prepare young people to be advocates for change and social justice.”

The institute’s emphasis on creating “social justice” activists raises questions about whether the program is truly about education or if it’s about advancing a political agenda.

“The term ‘social justice’ is designed to make radical political views sound non-political and virtuous,” Paul Runko, director of strategic initiatives for K-12 programs for Defending Education, told The College Fix in a recent interview.

“You’re not opposed to justice, are you? Because that would make you a supporter of injustice. The phrase itself has no concrete meaning, which is part of why it is so useful,” Runko said. Defending Education is “a national grassroots organization working to restore schools at all levels from activists imposing harmful agendas.”

Through the university’s Justice Scholars Institute, high school students in Pittsburgh public schools can take college-level courses and earn credits.

The educational program is aimed at equipping students “to become change agents within their school, community, and broader world,” according to its website.

Psychology Professor Esohe Osai founded the program in 2016, starting with 13 students in an “introduction to social justice class,” according to a report from the institute. Since 2016, over 230 students have participated. Other courses now offered through the program include argument, U.S. history, and applied statistics.

The report, published in May, provides more insight into the lessons taught in the program.

One class, “Introduction to Social Justice” covers topics such as defunding the police. Students read “Race to Incarcerate” by Sabrina Jones and Marc Muer and discuss the high-profile police killings of black Americans, according to the report.

In another class, history teacher Kenneth Smith emphasizes the “five pillars of historically marginalized people” — “truth,” “oppression,” “resistance,” “resilience,” and “resolution” — when he teaches institute students about American history.

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