This month, Rep. Elise Stefanik has talked a lot about critical race theory (CRT), a framework for understanding racism as a systemic problem. The 21st District Republican describes the theory as “radical and racist,” and claims New York State is using federal funds to force it on students.
The State Education Department says that claim is “patently false.” And political observers say it fits a pattern for Stefanik: importing far-right, national issues into the North Country.
The pattern has been underway for a long time. Stefanik amplified conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. In 2021 she posted campaign ads, accusing Democrats of colluding with immigrants to stage an insurrection. She falsely claimed New York’s school mask mandate was illegal. And in April and May, she made claims about critical race theory.
What do people mean when they talk about "critical race theory"?
For the conservative movement, CRT has become a catch-all for any educational materials related to race and bias. But it’s actually a pretty obscure legal and academic concept that doesn’t have a place in K-12 schools, according to Gloria Ladson-Billings, who helped bring CRT to the field of education. She tried to clear up some misconceptions in a video last year.
“I don't expect teachers to do anything around critical race theory in grades kindergarten through 12. In fact, I don't actually introduce the notion of critical race theory to undergraduates. They have no use for it. The theory is important at the graduate level,” Ladson-Billings said.
But what is happening in school districts statewide is a reconsideration of how to teach diversity and equity. “There is a move in many school districts to start thinking more systematically about how to talk about race and diversity,” said Shana Gadarian, who chairs the political science department at Syracuse University.
“And I do think that's uncomfortable for a lot of white parents. And so it gets wrapped up in this critical race theory basket. But it's not that people care, I think, about the theory itself. It's that they are uncomfortable with discussions around race and equity.”
Many conservatives argue that talking about race as a systemic problem makes students feel more divided, or makes white kids feel bad about being white. Several states – mostly in the south and midwest – have banned CRT in some form, including Texas, Arizona, and Iowa.
A "bombshell" report in conservative circles
Stefanik joined the conversation last summer, tweeting in August that CRT is “dangerous,” “divisive and un-American.”
Then, in April of this year, a Republican campaign group called One Nation published a report about federal Covid relief funds. It highlighted parts of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, and state plans for distributing federal relief to schools, that talk about how to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
New York’s reopening plan is an epic document covering all kinds of things, including the impact of the pandemic on students with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and families experiencing homelessness. It says, “Equity must be at the heart of all school instructional decisions.” And it does mention “structural racism,” “anti-racism,” and “facilitating difficult conversations about race.”
Out of 263 pages, the word “racism” appears four times. “Implicit bias” comes up twice.
But One Nation described its findings as a “bombshell” and “a massive bait-and-switch.” And Stefanik went on the attack.
In a statement linking to One Nation’s report, Stefanik blasted the state Education Department for “using COVID funds to force the radical and racist Critical Race Theory agenda on our children.” Stefanik also wrote a letter to the State Education Department, arguing that the department's embrace of an approach called transformative social emotional learning is critical race theory in disguise.
“Shrouding the racist and divisive ideology of Critical Race Theory with vague and seemingly innocuous terminology does not diminish the harm it poses to students,” Stefanik wrote.
A spokesperson for the State Education Department told NCPR, “The notion that funds were used to implement Critical Race Theory in New York State schools is patently false.”
Stefanik and her staff did not respond to our questions for this story.
State education commissioner Betty Rosa wrote a letter back to Stefanik, arguing that the congresswoman is incorrectly conflating social emotional learning with CRT.
“As frequently indicated, the State Education Department (SED) does not promote critical race theory,” Rosa wrote. “It does, however, promote critical thinking. This allows our children to distinguish fact from opinion, achieve deeper understandings, and fashion innovative solutions.”
Rosa also pointed out that a conservative activist named Christopher Rufo, who has said he aims to create “universal public school distrust,” was a driving force behind the current conversation around CRT. “In short, he is not a reliable source of information,” Rosa said, before adding: “What lesson are we teaching our children when a United States Representative traffics in conspiracy theories – and conflates opinions with facts?”
Some North Country parents concerned
“No, I'm not teaching critical race theory. And my students are not going into the schools, teaching critical race theory,” said Lynn Hall, who chairs the department of advanced studies and education at SUNY Potsdam. She trains people who are studying to become teachers in New York State.
Hall said certain themes associated with CRT do come up in the classroom, such as “getting kids to understand the history of inequity in our society and the reasons we have such divisiveness in our society.” But she said it’s nowhere near the critical race theory she studied in grad school.
There are North Country parents with concerns about how racism is talked about in schools. Local news sites like North Country Now have published letters to the editor about it. Last summer, parents in Tupper Lake formed a group called Together We Stand. And in the Capital Region, more than 30 people ran for school board positions on a “take back our schools” platform.
Scott Gray is a Republican county legislator in Watertown, who’s not affiliated with any of those groups. He said he’s worried about how race and history are handled in education.
“Everybody is the same. Everybody is equal and everyone is important. Right? And we should not be emphasizing whether somebody is white or somebody is Black, and we should be teaching everybody it’s one world,” Gray said.
But it’s unclear how widespread the pushback against critical race theory really is in the North Country and across upstate New York. Out of the 35 “take back our schools” candidates in the Capital region, only six won.
National talking points, adapted for the North Country
For political observers, it’s not clear that Stefanik is reflecting issues that lots of North Country voters really care about.
“It's about constructing a narrative of fear and a narrative of conflict,” said Alexander Cohen, a political science professor who teaches at Clarkson University.
“What Representative Stefanik has done – and she is tremendously good at it, and really is a brilliant politician and tactician and strategist, and there's certainly no question about that – is adopt whatever the most salient buzzword is at the time and sort of go full in on it. And that's what she has utilized critical race theory and other ideas to do.”
Shana Gadarian, the political science professor at Syracuse, said what is clear is that Stefanik is trying to bolster her bona fides in the Trump wing of the Republican party. And she’s drawing from national talking points – on CRT, and many other issues.
“And so she's importing them into New York State,” Gadarian said. “This is the reverse of what we would normally see, I think, of most members of Congress who are trying to keep the focus on local issues [...] This is someone who is seeking a national kind of status, trying to then shoehorn those issues into a district where they don't really fit.”
Cohen added that it’s hard to tell whether Stefanik is “reflecting a movement” or “driving a movement.” What Stefanik tweets is important, he said, but “a hundred to 200 other members of Congress are doing it at that same time.”
“It’s the same thing you’re getting on Fox News,” Cohen said. “It’s all one conglomerated message.”
As a political strategy, all of this is working for the Congresswoman.
After spreading verifiably false information about the 2020 election, she earned the No. 3 spot in the House Republican leadership. And she’s been floated as a possible running mate for Donald Trump in 2024.
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Here are the questions NCPR sent Elise Stefanik for this story:
A NYSED spokesperson described your claim as "patently false." Commissioner Betty Rosa replied to your oversight letter, saying, "Your accusation – whether intentional or negligent – is disappointing. What lesson are we teaching our children when a United States Representative traffics in conspiracy theories – and conflates opinions with facts?” How do you respond?
Do you believe K-12 schools are teaching Critical Race Theory itself — the interdisciplinary academic framework in scholarship and graduate-level studies, for understanding racism as a systemic problem — or just certain concepts associated with CRT, such as structural racism and implicit bias?
How many constituents have reached out to you about this issue?
How many North Country school districts are teaching CRT, or CRT-associated materials?
How much money do you believe NYSED has allocated specifically for CRT, or for CRT-related education and training?
How should K-12 students think about racism and racist acts of violence in the United States in a way that could help end racism or stop racist acts of violence in the future? CRT's proponents have argued that we can't do that without recognizing how racism is baked into systems and institutions; what alternative framework would you propose schools and teachers take up instead?