What Constitutes “Critical Thinking” in FCPS?

Should our schools teach “critical thinking”?  Of course, you might say.  But what is “critical thinking”?

As commonly understood, critical thinking means the ability to make rational decisions by taking into account all relevant facts and perspectives, and by analyzing those facts and perspectives objectively, filtering out biases, fallacies and unwarranted assumptions.  Is this what the leaders of FCPS mean when they use the term?

The question came to mind recently when the the FCPS Superintendent, Michelle Reid, decided that a controversial display of posters at West Springfield High School was a commendable example of “critical thinking.”  The display had been erected in the school hallways by students in a Women’s History class.  Starting with “A Is for Abortion,” the posters associated each letter of the alphabet with concepts that allegedly reflected the interests of women in today’s society.  The posters attracted attention because they expressed “progressive” political views to the exclusion of contrary perspectives.  For example, “H Is for Hope” showed a photo of Kamala Harris; “J is for Justice” depicted the Statue of Liberty with a clenched fist along with the Palestinian and Transgender flags; “L Is for Liberty” featured Kamala Harris, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Michelle Obama; and “Q” and “T” stood for Queer and Transgender.  None of the posters reflected conservative values or recognized the contributions of Republican women.

The Superintendent didn’t acknowledge that there was any legitimate basis for concern.  She emphatically declared that the viewpoints being celebrated were “creative,” “thoughtful,” and a good example of “critical thinking.”

Really?  The display was a “let’s create some posters” exercise of the sort that might be assigned in elementary or middle school, not in an elective class for high school juniors and seniors.  The posters expressed their viewpoints in conclusory fashion, without indicating how the authors arrived at their opinions.  They contained no evidence that all relevant facts were being considered, no recognition of differing perspectives, and no filtering of biases, fallacies or improper assumptions.  They provided no basis whatsoever for concluding that true critical thinking was involved.  So, what do the leaders of FCPS believe critical thinking consists of?

I had a revealing dialogue about this very issue with a member of the School Board in January 2022.  After scores of hours of research into the FCPS curricula for U.S. History and Civics, Fairfax Schools Monitor published two articles revealing that in almost every lesson of the courses, teachers were being instructed to emphasize the role of “power, position and privilege” in shaping events.  See “Development of New ‘Anti-Racism’ Curricula in Fairfax County,” Jan. 16, 2022; “Fairfax County’s Race-Centric Curriculum for US History,” Jan. 21, 2022. In a subsequent email exchange, Board representative Laura Jane Cohen, (who now is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates) defended the “identity politics” view of history.  She said a focus on who the decision-makers are “can often be illuminating in helping to answer the ‘why’ such policies are in place.”  She called this “critical thinking.”  I replied that reflecting on who made a decision can be one relevant factor, but it isn’t the only meaningful perspective, and can lead to distorted conclusions.  I included a concrete example involving the adoption of the U.S. Constitution in the 1780s.  See “Revealing Dialogue With a School Board Member,” Jan. 24, 2022.

The School Board member’s concept of “critical thinking” is similar to the one embraced by adherents to “critical race theory.”  Both view all current and historical events through a narrow lens, whether it be race, gender, religion or some other “identity.”  There is a huge difference between an “identity”-focused view of critical thinking and one that looks at all relevant factors.

The “identity” perspective has shaped much of what FCPS has done in recent years, including personnel decisions, curricula, the Strategic Plan, teacher training, speaker invitations, and the policies enforced in the schools.  The “Women’s History” class at West Springfield High School is a good example.  It is an identity-centric class, taught by a woman who sponsors the school’s Young Democratic Socialists and Young Democrats clubs.  The recent hallway posters demonstrate that the course promotes a particular point of view on controversial issues, not a balanced perspective.  This may be the FCPS concept of critical thinking, but it is a far cry from the public’s understanding of what critical thinking should be.

FCPS is in the midst of a budget crisis, heightened by the possibility that it will lose millions of dollars in federal funding due to thumbing its nose at federal education policies.  Perhaps the problems could be lessened if FCPS would refocus on true education with real critical thinking, rather than its incessant promotion of controversial ideological programs.

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