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ATLANTA () — Education organizations and teaching advocacy groups in Georgia are concerned about a recent decision made by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.
Despite opposition, the GPSC voted to remove the words “diversity” “equity” and “inclusion” from teaching materials for 2023 education prep — which operates in many local universities.
The Georgia Professional Standards Commission is the certifying body in the state for teachers, counselors and administrators in schools.
But a recent vote to remove the words “diversity, equity and inclusion” from 2023 teaching materials has many groups concerned.
“There has been opposition and from education groups because we recognize that we have diverse students and we need to be aware of that. Our role is not just the academic well being but also their social and emotional health being and we need that to help them be strong socially and emotionally,” said Lisa Morgan, President of the Georgia Association of Educators.
The Georgia Coalition For Education Justice argues that the removal of this language will have negative implications for the state’s teacher development pipeline and also impacts students – and weakens the validity of professional standards in Georgia’s education space.
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The group says – the removal of this verbiage – could force teachers to leave the state of Georgia.
“That requires to recognize diversity and our children are celebrated for who they are no matter what that diversity category may be in,” Morgan explained.
Teachers say understanding students with different cultural backgrounds, disabilities and racial differences helps the overall learning curriculum to better connect with students.
“Our student body in Georgia – 1.75 million students are as diverse as they have been,” Morgan said. “We need educators to be caring and qualified to be able to recognize and to understand and assist our students to grow in their diversity and be responsible citizens.”
The Georgia Coalition For Education Justice is fighting for changes to the rules ahead of Thursday’s vote.
We reached out to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission and the University Systems Of Georgia for a comment but have not received an update just yet.
