According to a report by Open The Books shared exclusively with Daily Caller News Foundation, teachers at Pentagon schools promoted material that trains students to become social justice activists, and they pushed diversity equity and inclusion on teachers.

According to Open The Books, Department of Defense Education Activity schools that serve the children of servicemen stationed overseas promoted materials created by organizations on the left. These materials encouraged students to become activists and forced teachers to talk about “internalized racist” issues amongst themselves. Open The Books’ report was based on information gathered from public government repositories and documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, as well as video clips of DODEA’s 2021 Equity and Access Summit provided by a whistleblower.

Adam Andrzejewski, CEO of Open The Books, told DCNF that “these military service members have been deployed overseas to defend and embody American values on the global stage.” Yet, their children are indoctrinated with a philosophy which places complex racial or gender identities above national pride. It is possible to alienate students from the American Dream by pushing them towards activism and teaching that their relative privilege determines their experience in life.

Several DODEA staffers who spoke at the Equity and Access Summit stated that materials produced the Southern Poverty Law Center are used for teacher trainings and in classrooms. The SPLC, a legal nonprofit with a leftist bent, equates mainstream Christian groups like the Ku Klux Klan to domestic terrorists through its list of hate-groups.

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According to the report, a middle school teacher from DODEA said, during a presentation entitled “Integrating Global Citizenship Education Standards and Social Justice Standards”, that the SPLC “Learning for Justice ” resources were aligned with DODEA’s teaching approach for history and social studies.

The teacher stated, “I personally have completed many of these courses.”

The SPLC offers many lessons that encourage students to become involved in community activism. These lessons are often liberally oriented. In one lesson, students in third, fourth or even fifth grade are asked to create “a large-scale art depiction of a community space,” or “a set of informational posters that reflect a diversity theme or social justice.”

One lesson encourages students to create a live social media event “to raise awareness of an anti-bias theme or social justice issue and to encourage change related to this issue.” SPLC lessons also include digital activism. In one lesson, students are asked to organize a social media event to “raise awareness about an anti-bias issue or social justice issue” and encourage change.

Another DODEA employee, this time an expert in physical education, made a similar presentation. They said that the “Social Justice Standards”, developed by the SPLC, were very close to the educational standards used at Pentagon-run school.

The physical education staffer stated that “[the National Health Education Standards] teach students to advocate on behalf of their own, family and communities’ health.” One of the Social Justice Standards tells students to “stand up for yourself and others”… the concept is the same, even though the words advocacy and “stand up” are different.

Social Justice Standards from the SPLC recommend that students know the history of social justice, that they believe in systemic racism and that “they plan and carry out collective actions against bias and injustice around the world. They will also evaluate which strategies are most effective.”

Andrzejewski, speaking to DCNF, said that parents and taxpayers should know what materials were used. Unfortunately, many of them come from private vendors who are not bound by the Freedom of Information Act. “In the Southern Poverty Law Center’s case, outside groups do not become more radical.”

Taxpayers are responsible for paying third-party contractors to conduct similar activities. Open The Books described Advancement Via individual Determination as “a major component of student life in DODEA schools”. According to the report, DODEA paid around $2 million between 2019 and 2023 for services from AVID, a tutoring firm.

AVID tutors discussed at the Equity and Access Summit how they incorporate discussions about “power” and privilege into their teaching. The firm has stated “solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement” and suggested that DODEA educators use the “Let’s Talk!” manual produced by the SPLC. This handbook instructs teachers how to broach topics like “intersectionality” or gender identity in the classroom.

Open The Books, a group that promotes racial equality in the classroom, describes these activities as “struggle session”.

Documents obtained by Open The Books show that the DODEA recommended its employees adopt strategies for talking about “race and power” to change teaching behaviors. These strategies are outlined in “Coaching for Equity.” According to the report, “Coaching for Equity,” criticizes capitalism and Thanksgiving while also claiming America was founded on stolen land. The book suggested that readers check out other works such as The 1619 Project or “White Fragility.”

According to the report, DODEA teachers must adhere to a framework for professional development published by Learning Forward. The framework focuses on equity, and educators are expected to “discuss examples of privilege and bias they encounter in their daily lives and articulate their assumptions about concepts such as equality and fairness,” in order to change workplace norms.

The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act included an amendment that allowed parents to inspect curriculum and other materials used in Pentagon-run school. The report states that if military parents do not like what they see in the school, there are few options for them. The DOD, unlike the State Department does not offer a stipend for parents who want to enroll their kids in private schools.

What we’ve seen so far is a pretty good indication of what to expect.