New tool released by IFF’s Center for American Education to enlighten and empower families
By Idaho Freedom Foundation staff
Idaho parents and residents have a new, one-of-a-kind tool designed to provide greater transparency about the quality of the state’s public schools. Today, the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s Center for American Education (CAE) released its new groundbreaking resource, the Idaho K-12 LEAD Map.
LEAD stands for Liberty in Education and Academic Development, which represents the CAE’s aspirations for Idaho’s education system and its vision for each Idaho student. The CAE hopes that school districts return to a traditional education model wherein they impart truth to students, respect parental rights, and instruct children about their American liberties.
The LEAD Map evaluates each major school district based on students’ academic performance and the number of critical social justice (CSJ) incidents, defined as cases in which the tenets of critical race theory, queer theory, and other critical theories are implemented at the school or district level through vehicles such as social-emotional learning programs, student clubs, district polices, and more.
Each district is color coded based on these two factors. As a general rule, a district with good academic performance and few, if any, CSJ incidents appears green, while a district with poor academic performance and multiple CSJ incidents appears red. Districts in between these two extremes are yellow, and those that do not have sufficient information to be evaluated are gray.
For each district, the map also catalogs district spending per student; the superintendent’s total salary; and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) personnel. Additionally, parents and citizens can view nearby alternative educational providers, including charter schools, private schools, and homeschool groups.
The map identifies 105 CSJ incidents statewide, with the largest number of incidents (12) occuring in Boise School District #1. There is no specific pattern of indoctrination across the state between urban and rural areas, but incidents appear to be concentrated in larger school districts in densely populated areas of the state.
All of the information needed to fully evaluate Idaho’s K-12 public education system is currently dispersed among state government agencies, district administrations, departments, and teachers. By collecting several categories of information in one location, the Idaho K-12 LEAD Map helps address the education system’s massive transparency problem and provides a more holistic picture of every school district in the state.
The CAE hopes that giving Idaho parents a better idea of the quality and performance of their local school district will enable them to speak out against the spread of CSJ in their area and empower them to make better decisions for their children’s education.
On the launch of the Idaho K-12 LEAD Map, CAE Education Policy Director Anna Miller stated, “Parents deserve to know what’s happening in their children’s schools. The K-12 LEAD Map is a resource to help every parent make the best choice possible for their kids’ education, and I hope it helps families see through the media’s attempts to hide the system’s advancement of radical ideology and become informed about what is actually going on in public schools.”
The map is designed to be dynamic. Data will be updated periodically as new CSJ incidents are exposed and additional educational providers are discovered.
The CAE invites Idahoans to share information about CSJ incidents that have happened in their local public school district. To submit an incident, fill out the “Report an Incident at Your School” textbox, which is located below the map. The CAE team will review reported incidents for possible inclusion in the map.
The CAE also invites Idahoans to help learn more about what is happening in Idaho’s public-school districts and share this valuable resource with friends and neighbors.
To view the Idaho K-12 LEAD Map, visit: LeadMap.org.