Summary

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis defended his administration's decision to block a course on African American studies from the state's public schools. He said teaching Black history is required in Florida schools, but the Advanced Placement course amounted to ‘indoctrination.’ The fight is just the latest in the ongoing identity and culture war in Florida that has become a hallmark of DeSantis' agenda.

For a transcript of this story, click here .

Five Facts

• Who is Ron DeSantis?
• Where is DeSantis governor?
• What did the Stop WOKE Act that DeSantis signed into law last year seek to accomplish?
• Why did the DeSantis administration come out against the College Board's class on African American studies being piloted in Florida public schools?
• How has the controversy over teaching African American studies led to more political turmoil?
• When did DeSantis come out against the course being taught in Florida?

Focus Questions

1. What are your thoughts on the College Board story in Florida? Do you think the College Board should take steps to let the DeSantis administration know they will not support Florida's recent decision to not allow the African American studies course in their state? Why or why not?

2. Optional, if short on time : See, Think, Wonder: What do you notice? What does the story make you think? What do you want to find out more about?

3. Media literacy : If you are not sure what the College Board, watch this video here (we recommend stopping the video at 5m:28s for the sake of time) :

For More

What students can do : Why did DeSantis say "Florida is where woke goes to die!"? Talk with a classmate or a neighbor about the word 'woke.' What does it mean to you? How about your friend or neighbor? Take a look at an excerpt from this article from The Conversation :

"First used in the 1940s, the term “woke” has resurfaced in recent years as a concept that symbolises awareness of social issues and movement against injustice, inequality, and prejudice.But popularity has diluted its meaning and the idea has been cynically applied to everything from soft drink to razors, attracting criticism if too liberally applied."

Can you think of another example taken from English vernacular that was co-opted (taken over) by another group of people?

Check out the latest segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you're most interested in watching! You can make a Google doc copy of our Five Facts and discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

Student Video of the Day

Jasmine Jackson | Kentucky by PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs

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