ANKENY, Iowa — The Ankeny Community School District held a forum Wednesday night to talk about how race is being taught in the classroom.
District leaders brought in Dr. Jeanne Dyches, Assistant Professor of Secondary Literacy at Iowa State University, to explain to parents and students what critical race theory is and isn't.
Carol Eddy, the Director of Curriculum and Innovation at Ankeny CSD, also detailed the standards that Iowa public schools have to meet when teaching history and how school curriculum is decided. District leaders stressed they don't teach critical race theory.
"We do encourage and develop critical thinking because it's vital to how we teach history," said Ken Morris Jr., the director of equity within the district.
Students also had a chance to share their experiences regarding race in the classroom with parents and teachers.
Morris said in a statement:
We want to create a brave space to address some of the misinformation about what is being taught in our school district while at the same time centering student voice.
We want to make sure every student has equal opportunities to succeed in school and has access to accurate, comprehensive, and relevant curriculum.
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