Answer Key answers a significant query concerning education and Greater Houston schools every week in an effort to assist families. Please use the form at the end of this article or send an email to [email protected] with any questions you would want us to address.
This week’s query:
Don’t miss the next big story
To receive the stories you need about the city you love every weekday morning, sign up for The Launchpad.
Republican politicians are talking about banning DEI in schools. What could that mean for Texas schools?
DEI in K–12 schools is being targeted by Governor Greg Abbott and President Donald Trump. It remains to be seen, though, if they discover much to destroy.
Abbott stated in mid-January that he wants to outlaw DEI in K–12 schools as the 2025 legislative session gets underway, writing on X that schools should prioritize teaching the principles of education above brainwashing. Trump announced his intention to stop federal financing for public school programs that support discriminatory equality or gender ideology in an executive order last week.
The commitments are similar to other Texas government initiatives to eradicate DEI programs. However, DEI offices are not used in Houston public schools, and the concept of equity for children is widely accepted across party lines.
What effects might anti-DEI laws have on Houston classrooms, then? Here are the things we know and don’t know.
What is DEI?
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are what DEI stands for. Many government organizations and businesses have adopted DEI-related policies in the last ten years to promote historically discriminated-against groups, such as women, racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Creating more friendly environments for minority groups, teaching staff on how to engage with people from diverse backgrounds, and hiring a more diverse workforce are some of the DEI objectives.
DEI program proponents contend that the initiatives contribute to a more fair society by addressing historical inequality. However, DEI initiatives are criticized for dividing people from diverse backgrounds and causing illegal discrimination.
There has been some debate in recent years regarding which policies and practices are included in the DEI umbrella because the term has come to represent different things to different individuals. For instance, while some conservatives have begun to include them in anti-DEI efforts, discussions of gender identity and critical race theory were not traditionally associated with DEI.
Do Texas schools have DEI programs?
Not precisely.
Texas school districts have not established DEI offices with a sizable staff devoted to implementing DEI-related initiatives, in contrast to many colleges and universities. While their work usually focuses on children who struggle academically and behaviorally, some districts have a high-ranking administrator and small teams in charge of equity-related projects.
Equity committees, equity statements, and training on dealing with children from diverse backgrounds are just a few of the policies, initiatives, and services offered by numerous districts that could be categorized as DEI-related. However, rather than assisting adults, those policies and practices typically assist children, notably those from lower-income households and kids with impairments. (In general, anti-DEI activists have not criticized these initiatives.)
For instance, at the start of every public meeting in Spring ISD, the district’s school board reads out their equity statement. The district firmly believes that racial and educational justice are essential components of its primary mission and purpose, according to the statement. Additionally, it states that the district would strategically concentrate on decisions and policies that have the most effects on children from underrepresented communities.
Every school district takes a different stance on diversity, equality, and inclusion, and occasionally it’s unclear if a project qualifies as DEI.
Do Texas schools give special treatment in hiring based on race, ethnicity or gender?
No, employment on the basis of gender, color, or ethnicity is prohibited by federal law.
Bilingualism is one of the additional traits that school managers might take into account when choosing an employee to aid pupils. Additionally, they can try to fill vacancies with workers from particular backgrounds.
For instance, the University of Houston has partnered with four sizable Houston districts to train aspiring teachers in order to diversify the teacher workforce. Research indicates that pupils learn more from and react better to teachers who share their racial or cultural heritage, which is one of the factors driving the program.
Do schools give special treatment in access to specialty schools based on race, ethnicity or gender?
No. Federal law also prohibits that.
In New York City, Chicago, and other major cities where the highest-performing schools have a considerably greater proportion of white and Asian kids than Black and Latino children, districts can consider other characteristics when choosing which pupils to enroll to specialty schools. This practice has been criticized by DEI opponents.
For instance, Houston ISD’s matrix determines whether students with disabilities and those deemed economically disadvantaged by the state are eligible for admission to certain schools, such as Carnegie Vanguard High School and DeBakey High School for Health Professions, by awarding them 10 out of 150 points.
Houston school districts delivering on special ed promise years after state scandal
by Staff Writer Asher Lehrer-Small
Do students learn DEI-related subjects in school?
In general, no.
The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, the state-approved set of expectations that specify what students should learn in each grade and subject, do not include gender identity and critical race theory, two subjects that are occasionally grouped together under the DEI umbrella. In 2021, Abbott signed a bill into law that required teachers to teach about current events and U.S. racial history, as well as prohibiting the teaching of certain critical race theory topics in K–12 classrooms.
Teachers in Texas have occasionally been reprimanded and disciplined for incorporating some of those ideas into their lessons. Teachers frequently have the power to design lesson plans, even if the State Board of Education, school districts, and state legislators mainly choose what should be taught to students.
Does Texas have a law against DEI in schools?
Not in elementary or secondary schools.
Abbott signed a law that abolished diversity, equality, and inclusion offices and programs at the state’s colleges and institutions during the most recent legislative session in 2023. K–12 schools were not affected by the measure.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick did not include the matter on his list of 25 priority measures for the session, and Abbott has not sponsored any specific legislation pertaining to the prohibition of DEI in K–12 schools. (Patrick has stated that he would issue 15 additional priority legislation shortly.)
What do President Trump s executive orders on DEI mean for Texas schools?
Although Trump has signed a number of executive orders pertaining to DEI, K–12 schools are not currently affected by them.
Only federal entities are subject to Trump’s executive orders on DEI programs and recruiting practices. The Education Department secretary must develop a plan to stop federal funding of gender ideology and equity ideology, which treat people as members of favored or disfavored groups rather than as unique individuals and minimize agency, merit, and capability in favor of immoral generalizations, according to an executive order he issued on Wednesday regarding schools.
Whether any Texas schools receive federal funds for initiatives that would be considered gender and equity ideology under the Trump administration is not immediately evident.
This report was written by staff writer Angelica Perez.
Republish this narrative
Our stories can be republished in print or online for free.
Republish this article
The Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License governs this work.
