thefire.org

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities: Political Litmus Test for Future Teachers

Case Materials

• "Victory for Freedom of Conscience as University of Minnesota Backs Away from Ideological Screening for Ed Students," December 23, 2009: In response to sustained pressure from FIRE, the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities has backed away from its plans to enforce a political litmus test for future teachers. The plans from its College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) involved redesigning admissions and the curriculum to enforce an ideology centered on a narrow view of "cultural competence." Those with the "wrong" views were to receive remedial re-education, be weeded out, or be denied admission altogether. In a letter to FIRE, however, the university's top lawyer has now promised that the university will never "mandate any particular beliefs, or screen out people with ‘wrong beliefs' from the University."
• "Letter to FIRE from Mark B. Rotenberg, General Counsel," December 21, 2009
• "University of Minnesota Defends Ideological Screening for Ed Students; Academic Freedom Committee Meets Friday," December 17, 2009: The University of Minnesota–Twin Cities is defending its plans to enforce a political litmus test for future teachers in the face of national outrage. The plans from its College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) involve redesigning admissions and the curriculum to enforce an ideology centered on a narrow view of "cultural competence." Those with the "wrong" views are to receive remedial re-education, be weeded out, or be denied admission altogether. After an anonymous source at the university contacted FIRE for help, FIRE called on the university to end its plans, but the university has defended the program by publicly misrepresenting it.
• "Response to FIRE from President Bruininks," December 8, 2009
• "Jean K. Quam: American Dream lives on at the U," Star Tribune, November 27, 2009
• "FIRE Letter to University of Minnesota - Twin Cities President Robert H. Bruininks," November 25, 2009
• "Proposal Document: Teacher Education Redesign Intiative at the University of Minnesota," November 24, 2009
• "Teacher Education Redesign Initiative - Race, Culture, Class, and Gender Task Group Final Report," November 21, 2009
• "Teacher Education Redesign Initiative - Race, Culture, Class, and Gender Task Group Final Report," July 16, 2009

Blog Entries

• "U. Minnesota Teacher Ed Scandal Keeps Rippling Through Minnesota—And Beyond," by Adam Kissel, February 1, 2010
• "Latest on University of Minnesota Teacher Education Scandal," by Adam Kissel, January 15, 2010
• "University of Minnesota Still in the Hot Seat," by Adam Kissel, January 5, 2010
• "FIRE Op-Ed in 'New York Post' on University of Minnesota Victory," December 28, 2009: Today's issue of the New York Post features an op-ed by FIRE's Adam Kissel, in which he discusses the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities' plan to impose a political litmus test on future teachers enrolled in its College of Education and Human Development. After FIRE intervened, university counsel promised that the college would never force students to adopt one particular ideology or screen out candidates with the "wrong beliefs." Adam's op-ed can be read online.
• "Victory for Freedom of Conscience as University of Minnesota Backs Away from Ideological Screening for Ed Students," by Adam Kissel, December 23, 2009
• "Will the University of Minnesota Board of Regents Need to Intervene to Protect Freedom of Conscience?," by Adam Kissel, December 18, 2009
• "University of Minnesota Defends Ideological Screening for Ed Students; Academic Freedom Committee Meets Friday," by Adam Kissel, December 17, 2009
• "Media Outrage Grows over Teacher Education Scandal at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities," by Adam Kissel, December 16, 2009
• "FOXNews.com Covers FIRE's University of Minnesota Ed School Case," by Robert Shibley, December 9, 2009
• "Bloggers Debate University of Minnesota's Teacher Education Redesign, But Some Miss Key Evidence," by Peter Bonilla, December 1, 2009
• "Spotlight on Speech Codes at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities," by Azhar Majeed, November 30, 2009
• "Teacher Re-Education Scandal at University of Minnesota Gains Steam," by Adam Kissel, November 30, 2009
• "In Letter to President of University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, FIRE Expresses Deep Concern over Political Litmus Test ," by William Creeley, November 25, 2009: FIRE sent a letter to University of Minnesota-Twin Cities President Robert H. Bruininks today expressing deep concern over proposals generated by the College of Education and Human Development's Teacher Education Redesign Initiative task groups. The proposed political litmus test would require both current and prospective students to hold mandated political beliefs before being admitted and receiving a degree.
• "Political Litmus Test for Future Teachers at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ," by Adam Kissel, November 24, 2009

Media Coverage

• "A political test for teachers,"
  by Adam Kissel, New York Post, December 28, 2009
• "Profoundly tone deaf and wrong ,"
  by Mitch Pearlstein, Review-Messenger, December 21, 2009
• "Katherine Kersten: Battle lines drawn against U initiative,"
  by Katherine Kersten, Star Tribune, December 12, 2009
• "CEHD proposal under scrutiny,"
  by Danielle Nordine, The Minnesota Daily, December 10, 2009
• "University of Minnesota Under Fire for Task Force's Discrimination-Based Teacher Education Plan,"
  by Diane Macedo, FOXNews.com, December 9, 2009
• "U. of Minnesota takes heat for proposal to gauge future teachers' sensitivity,"
  by Peter Schmidt, The Chronicle of Higher Education, December 2, 2009
• "Decoding Teacher Training,"
  by Robert “K. C.” Johnson, Minding the Campus, November 30, 2009