Woke Kindergarten was established and is managed by left-of-center activist Akiea Gross. A California elementary school has utilized $250,000 in federal funds to train educators in teaching lessons on anti-oppression and “disrupting whiteness.”
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Glassbrook Elementary School enlisted the help of Woke Kindergarten to improve test scores and attendance. The curriculum incorporates “wonderings,” described by organizers as “unconventional questions rooted in liberatory thought.”
“If we challenge the legitimacy of the Supreme Court, how might we transfer power back to the people?” one prompt questions. Another asks, “If the United States defunded the Israeli military, how could this money be used to rebuild Palestine?”
The curriculum additionally features “woke word of the day,” “woke read alouds,” “lil’ comrade convos,” and “teach Palestine.”
More About Woke Kindergarten Program
According to the website Influencewatch, “Woke Kindergarten is a for-profit consulting firm based in Germantown, Maryland that offers clients critical race theory-aligned “antiracism” services and materials. It was founded and is operated by left-of-center Tactivist Akiea Gross.”
“Woke Kindergarten’s website states, “Akiea “Ki” Gross (they/them) is an abolitionist early educator, cultural organizer, and creator currently innovating ways to resist, heal, liberate, and create with their pedagogy, Woke Kindergarten.”
Gross previously stated that they are “anti-Israel” and “pro-Palestine.” “I am 100 percent ten toes down anti-Israel. I believe Israel has no right to exist. I believe the United States has no right to exist. I believe every settler colony who has committed genocide against native people, against indigenous people has no right to exist,” they said.
The website also states that Woke Kindergarten is a “global, abolitionist early childhood ecosystem and visionary creative portal supporting children, families, educators, and organizations in their commitment to abolitionist early education and pro-black and queer trans liberation.”
Scores Of The Students Turned Out To Be Worse
Meanwhile, after two years with Woke Kindergarten at Glassbrook Elementary, students’ scores showed a decline. Last year, less than 4% of them were proficient in math, and less than 12% were at grade level in English.
Tiger Craven-Neeley, a third-grade teacher at Glassbrook Elementary, expressed disappointment at a recent board of education meeting, stating, “I just want to express my disappointment that Hayward has spent $200,000 to bring abolitionist training to our school. Not that some of the content isn’t worthy; it is. But just $200,000, I just can’t help but think where else that money could have been spent.”
He further shared, “A great percentage of our students at our school are reading at below grade level. I just can’t help but think how much reading intervention, tutors, staff could have been paid for using that money.”