Tackling Critical Race Theory: What It Is and Where It’s Being Banned

Children hold up signs during a rally against critical race theory being taught in schools at the Loudoun County Government center in Leesburg, Va., on June 12, 2021. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

The presence of critical race theory (CRT) in K–12 education has become a prominent issue in some of the nation’s recent high-profile elections. In Virginia’s gubernatorial race, Glenn Youngkin, a Republican running on an anti-CRT platform, defeated former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who insisted that CRT isn’t being taught in Virginia’s K–12 classrooms and stated that parents shouldn’t tell schools what to teach their children.

An outgrowth of Marxism, CRT interprets society through a Marxist dichotomy between “oppressor” and “oppressed,” but replaces the class categories with racial groups. Proponents of CRT see deeply embedded racism in all aspects of U.S. society, including in neutral systems such as constitutional law and standardized tests, and deem it to be the root cause of “racial inequity,” or different outcomes for different races.

Is CRT Being Taught in American Schools?

CRT isn’t being taught in American schools in a similar way that Maria Montessori’s pedagogy isn’t being taught in Montessori schools around the world. School administrators and teachers who endorse CRT don’t teach the college-level academic framework to young children, but incorporate its key elements into policies, training programs, curricula, teaching materials, class activities, and homework assignments.