Last week, the Georgia education system was placed on the national scene after the state’s superintendent decided to cut funding from an Advanced Placement African American studies program. Under Wood’s initial proposal, school districts would have use their own funds to pay for the AP course. The decision sparked statewide discourse and inspired political leaders to step up.
“We wanted some answers, what were the particular things about the course outline that you didn’t like,” State Sen. Nikki Merritt said in an interview with ADW. “We demanded that the course be put back in the lineup with all the other AP courses. I want to make this really simple for everybody. We’re asking for parity here. No other AP course is being treated like this.”
Merritt and 15 other political leaders such as state Rep. Jasmine Clark held a news conference at the Georgia State Capitol building to bring more awareness on Woods’ decision. And even Gov. Brian Kemp weighed in on the discussion by sending Woods a list of questions surrounding the change.
Kemp asked Woods, “What specific parts of the curriculum do you cite for the concerns leading to your decision not to recommend the course for approval?”
Woods responded by writing, “My primary concern and consideration was whether it was more appropriate to adopt the AP course in its 440-page totality at the state level, or to use the existing African American Studies course code and keep the review, approval, adoption, and delivery of this curriculum closer to local students, educators, parents, and boards. (Use of the existing course code allows local districts the option to teach part or all of the AP course and receive state funding, and students may take the AP exam.)..This allows local communities to be the decision-makers and provides more opportunities for parents, families, educators, and community members to provide input. As you stated in your letter, those closest to their communities are often the best decision-makers for what’s best for their communities — a view I support.”
Woods eventually decided to reverse his initial decision and said that the state would pay for districts to teach the Advanced Placement course in African American Studies.
“Education should not be political,” Merritt said. “It’s just knowledge and knowledge that you get so we can be better and do better. And when you study history and heal wounds and talk about this stuff, we don’t repeat. And you learn and you become a better society. We owe them that.”
