Despite one of our country’s founding tenets being freedom of religion, which notably also means freedom from religion, we’ve seen a huge push towards the desecularization of our country in the past few decades, and that momentum is still accelerating. In many ways, religion seems more important and more intertwined with politics today than it was in the 18th century.
This ideology manifests itself quite clearly with the recent decision made in Florida, making it the first state to approve the Classic Learning Test (CLT,) once again reaffirming their priorities lie with individual beliefs rather than in the people’s best interests.
The CLT is a standardized test used for undergraduate admissions, similar to the SAT or the ACT. It promotes the use of classics and historical texts as a refocused basis for education, testing primarily the test taker’s reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.
However, there has been little proof of its efficacy or its ability to uphold the same rigorous academic standards its counterparts are designed to maintain. Out of the whole Florida State University system’s board, the sole opposer, Amanda Phalin, cited its lack of formal validity as the reason she was unable to support the CLT.
You might be wondering how, with such a shaky foundation, the CLT was approved for public school use almost unanimously. The answer lies in a quick look at the recent moves the state of Florida has made concerning its public education system.
The issue that has generated the most coverage and uproar has been Florida’s recent book bans, where approximately 1,400 books have been pulled from public school and library shelves over the past year. Most districts cited parents and community members complaints as the basis for removing the books, but they are disproportionately centered around LGBTQ+ and racial education.
Some teachers have become so wary of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law that they have severely limited their use of previously standard fare in English classrooms. In the fear, Shakespeare might be considered too raunchy, many districts find themselves censoring the famed author, allowing only excerpts to be taught in the classroom.
A series of poor decisions under the DeSantis administration have continued a recent pattern of educational coercion, including HB 7 and SB 266. With such bills limiting the scope of what teachers are allowed to address in the classroom, the state is promoting a very limited worldview for its students and often an expressly anti-science attitude, especially concerning the approval of climate denial materials.
These resolutions have not been made in the interest of improving Florida’s education system. Not when these policies threaten genuine harm to many children. Rather, they have stemmed from a very personal, religious-driven agenda many Florida politicians share; there is a strong, perverted Christian basis for their aversion to LBGTQ+ and critical race theory being taught in schools.
Similarly, the CLT harbors a similar motivation. Despite claims the test has no religious or political affiliation, the vast majority of partnered colleges across the country are faith-based institutions, including some notable for controversy in recent years, like Bob Jones University, Hillsdale College and Pensacola Christian College.
The test itself features a good deal of Christian texts, but for a test focused on Classical influences of western culture, there’s no issue there. The historical impact of figures like Martin Luther, Hildegard and St. Augustine is undeniable.
The issue lies more in the perceived biases of the test makers and who the test has historically been accepted by. Jeremy Tate, the founder and current CEO of the CLT, has spoken for a religious activist group promoting a Christian-based classical education, and multiple publications, including First Things, that champion orthodoxy.
The test itself is purely from a Euro-centric perspective, which is one of the issues the SAT and ACT both have, though they are taking steps to remedy this. But it limits the test taker’s worldview to a very narrow arena.
Combined with DeSantis’ constant courting to Evangelicals and him positioning himself as a sort of Christian defender, it becomes clear what the motivations really are behind these recent political moves. The intention is to limit what students are exposed to through the public school system outside of the restricted Christian ideologies politicians, like DeSantis, are seeking to promote to children.
However, this is not an anomaly exclusive to Florida. Book bans and educational intimidation have increased throughout the country, and politicians are progressively leaning towards a Christian-based platform in order to garner support. There is a national anti-LGBTQ+ effort in schools, while states like Oklahoma are calling for a blatant incorporation of Christian practices into public schools.
This perversion of American education will only continue to become more pronounced in the coming years, especially when we fail to recognize the biased motives behind such questionable policies.
Virginia Doherty is an opinion writer. Contact her at [email protected]
