If you have a child who could be considering college in the next few years, and you live in a southern state of the U.S., today’s political movements are affecting your child’s future. Their options for education and employment could be dwindling, as more professors consider leaving thanks to changes in policies and practices.
The culture of education has shifted over generations. Many Gen X and Millennial students may have been the first in their families to attend a university, and outcomes have ranged from access to excellent job opportunities to devastating debt. There’s a movement to remind kids that trade schools are also great options.
However, for those kids whose goals involve professions like medicine, law, or advanced technology fields, they’ll need good colleges and good professors. Will there be any left when your kids are ready?
Why Are Professors Leaving?
Some southern states are implementing drastic changes to their higher education systems. They are eliminating programs that attempt to make admissions more equitable, and there are increased attacks on professors for teaching subjects that some parents and students find taboo. For example, Melissa McCoul, a Texas A&M professor, was recently fired after a student shared a video of her referencing course material on gender identity. According to the Texas Tribune:
“The student said this conflicts with President Donald Trump’s executive order and her religious beliefs, and McCoul responded by saying she had a right to teach the lesson while the student had a right to leave.”
Professor Wendy Watson left Texas of her own accord earlier this year, anticipating similar problems in her future. Her courses include constitutional law, and she says she worried about how changing political climates would affect teaching subjects that must, inherently, cover gay rights, critical race theory, and critical gender theory, according to The Guardian.
There have always been students who objected to some course material. Still, the significant shift is that instead of simply taking other courses (ones that don’t clash with their beliefs) students are now encouraged and supported in lashing out at the institutions and instructors.
It’s Not Just Texas
Although the two examples above are both from Texas, professors in other states are also affected and looking for a change. In Florida, nearly a third of professors are reportedly looking for jobs in other states. According to WUSF, one explained:
“Students report any classroom discussion they don’t like directly to the Governor’s office. Everyone is afraid all the time…I have stopped teaching books that might be in any way controversial.”
Another explained he feared his course being labeled “DEI” because he’s a historian of the Caribbean, and another said that it’s difficult to guarantee the safety of his students when there are “attacks on LGBTQ students, immigrants, and diversity.”
This survey queried teachers in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, and approximately one in four said they had applied for jobs that would require them to relocate to other states.
What If My Child Isn’t Interested In A Controversial Major?
Even if you’re sure that your child won’t be interested in taking classes that address history or social sciences in a way that could come under fire, an exodus of experienced professors and cuts to funding could mean that when your kids are ready for college, there won’t be seats available.
Instead, you may find yourself budgeting for out-of-state tuition, or discover that after completing coursework at an institution that has banned specific courses or topics, a student is at a disadvantage compared to those who have completed their degree at a college that holds itself to higher standards.
Add this to public education cuts at the K-12 level, and students across the U.S. could be less capable of competing for jobs in demanding fields.
What Can Parents Do?
When your child starts considering colleges, ask questions about their faculty and the rigor of the coursework. Ask whether courses have been changed or watered down in response to political pressure, and how this may affect your child’s degree.
You can also speak to trusted staff at your child’s high school, including teachers and guidance counselors, about what to expect and what to look out for. Guidance counselors or college and career counselors keep close tabs on colleges (especially those in-state, but they also keep an eye on out-of-state colleges that their students show interest in). They can usually inform you about program availability and its strengths.
Prepare your child for the possibility of needing a wider range of options, whether that means taking core classes at a community college and transferring to a different state, or considering a broader range of possible degree plans.
Most importantly, stay involved and be prepared to contact your legislators to express your concerns about the changes you see.