美国国家公共电台 NPR--Schools find conspiracy theories interfere with making classrooms inclusive

Schools find conspiracy¹ theories interfere² with making classrooms inclusive

Transcript³

School districts across the country are trying to make classrooms more inclusive. But misinformation, sometimes spread by top elected officials, is fueling fears of a hidden agenda.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

School districts across the country are trying to make classrooms more inclusive. But misinformation is fueling fears of a hidden agenda, with baseless conspiracy theories being spread online, sometimes with the help of top elected leaders. We get a snapshot of how all this is playing out in one school district in upstate New York from reporter Zach Hirsch.

ZACH HIRSCH, BYLINE⁴: Last summer, parents, teachers and school officials got together online and in person in Tupper Lake, N.Y. Nestled in the Adirondacks, it's a rural, mostly conservative place.

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LEE KYLER: Hi, everybody. I'm the guy who communicated with you in email, so thank you for volunteering to participate.

HIRSCH: That's administrator⁵ Lee Kyler. He's in charge of a committee formed by the local school board to draft a new policy on diversity, equity⁶ and inclusion. Twelve people volunteered to help, mostly parents.

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UNIDENTIFIED COMMITTEE MEMBER #1: I'm retired⁷, and I'm bored, so that's why I'm here (laughter).

KYLER: Thank you.

HIRSCH: New York is pushing all schools to develop equity policies. When the initiative launched last year, a press release said the country appears ready to address its long history of racism⁸ and bigotry⁹. But even before their first meeting, the Tupper Lake committee got pushback. They're accused of trying to impose critical race theory, an academic framework taught in law schools and graduate programs. In conservative circles, that's become a shorthand for almost anything diversity-related in K-12 schools. Kyler said he felt like his job as committee chair was to fact-check and dispel¹⁰ misinformation.

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KYLER: Critical race theory is not at all on our agenda. It will not be adopted. It is not up for consideration. It has not been taught in our district. It will not be taught in our district.

HIRSCH: Kyler said the committee would look at a wide range of issues in school, not just race. But several people were skeptical¹¹. Resident David Hachey said at a public committee meeting that it doesn't matter what you call it, but there are a number of academics who want to fundamentally change this country.

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DAVID HACHEY: Don't let this program indoctrinate you and ultimately your children.

HIRSCH: NPR was unable to reach Hachey for comment. Kyler said there was constant suspicion about the committee's goals.

KYLER: And that became really exhausting. Every meeting started with me reiterating¹² that we are not doing critical race theory.

HIRSCH: The town of Tupper Lake is more than 90% white, according to the latest census¹³ data, and everyone on the committee was white. Some of the parents said they had LGBTQ and mixed-race children in school. The residents who spoke¹⁴ out said diversity efforts in general are dividing people, making kids see differences that maybe hadn't even occurred to them before. They said conservative views are being discouraged in school, and that criticism wasn't just coming from the public.

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UNIDENTIFIED COMMITTEE MEMBER #2: I feel like we're politicizing everything now.

HIRSCH: At a September meeting, there was continued pushback, including from people on the diversity committee. The Confederate battle flag was brought up, with some committee members arguing people who fly it might not intend to be hateful or racist¹⁵. Historically, the symbol has represented slavery and white supremacist movements. A colleague had actually warned Kyler that critics were trying to infiltrate¹⁶ and sabotage¹⁷ the committee from within. But Kyler found the discussions fruitful, even from those new to diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

KYLER: I guess we didn't advertise it as you must be pro-DEI to serve on the committee, and I think it was nice to have that different viewpoint.

HIRSCH: But for months they kept getting stuck debating how much teachers should focus on students' emotional needs and whether their mission statement should include the words historically marginalized. Another big sticking point - whether conservative students should be considered a protected group. NPR tried to contact several people who felt that way. Those we were able to reach did not want to be interviewed. They worried about being misquoted or portrayed¹⁸ as ignorant. As all of this was happening, there was a powerful figure influencing the conversation.

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ELISE STEFANIK: I don't support the teachings of critical race theory.

HIRSCH: Elise Stefanik is a high-ranking Republican in Congress. She represents this area and has been one of the people amplifying¹⁹ conspiracy theories. Last year, her campaign posted ads baselessly accusing Democrats²⁰ of planning an insurrection by supposedly granting amnesty to immigrants who will, quote, "overthrow²¹ our current electorate²²." The false claim closely resembled the white supremacist replacement²³ theory, the racist notion that there is a plot to replace white voters with non-white immigrants. This spring, a white gunman opened fire in a Buffalo²⁴ supermarket, killing²⁵ 10 Black people. Prior to the shooting, he appears to have written about that same theory. Regardless, after the shooting, Stefanik doubled down and defended her campaign ads.

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STEFANIK: There is nothing racist about wanting a secure border, and in fact, people of all backgrounds agree with that position.

HIRSCH: Around the same time, Stefanik accused New York state of another conspiracy - using federal COVID funds to sneak²⁶ critical race theory into schools. That claim originates from a Republican dark money group, and the state Education Department says it's patently false. But from Lee Kyler's perspective in Tupper Lake, the accusation²⁷ gave people a template to push back against diversity initiatives.

KYLER: It's almost word for word. It seems like people are using that as their talking points.

HIRSCH: Stefanik's office did not respond to repeated interview requests. Ultimately, the diversity committee met its goal. They came up with a draft policy for the school. But the reference to historically marginalized groups didn't make the cut. They were working off another policy that was seven pages long. Tupper Lake's document was two pages long. Kyler says it's a good foundation to build on. I asked Kyler, does he feel like this is a story of a community coming together despite their differences, or is it the opposite?

KYLER: I think it's a little bit of both. I think no matter how hard we try, there's going to be detractors and naysayers and conspiracy theorists.

HIRSCH: Things did get pretty uncomfortable sometimes. At one point, Kyler had to tell critics from the public to email their comments instead of speaking in person because it was getting so aggressive and personal. But within the committee, he says, people with vastly different politics built relationships over several months and learned how to empathize, maybe just a tiny little bit, he says. That counts for a lot these days.

For NPR News, I'm Zach Hirsch.

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1 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

2 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

6 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

9 bigotry   

n.偏见，偏执，持偏见的行为[态度]等

参考例句：

• She tried to dissociate herself from the bigotry in her past.她力图使自己摆脱她以前的偏见。
• At least we can proceed in this matter without bigotry.目前这件事咱们至少可以毫无偏见地进行下去。

10 dispel   

vt.驱走，驱散，消除

参考例句：

• I tried in vain to dispel her misgivings.我试图消除她的疑虑，但没有成功。
• We hope the programme will dispel certain misconceptions about the disease.我们希望这个节目能消除对这种疾病的一些误解。

11 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

12 reiterating   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He keeps reiterating his innocence. 他一再申明他无罪。
• The Chinese government also sent a note to the British government, reiterating its position. 中国政府同时将此立场照会英国政府。

13 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

14 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

15 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

16 infiltrate   

vt./vi.渗入，透过；浸润

参考例句：

• The teacher tried to infiltrate her ideas into the children's minds.老师设法把她的思想渗透到孩子们的心中。
• It can infiltrate as much as 100 kilometers into enemy territory at night.可以在夜间深入敌领土100千米。

17 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。

18 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

19 amplifying   

放大，扩大( amplify的现在分词 )； 增强； 详述

参考例句：

• Often they use borrowed funds, amplifying their gains and losses. 他们通常会用借贷的资金交易，从而放大收益或损失。
• An amplifying type (or analog) device, as opposed to digital device. 放大器类（或模拟）器件，相对于数字器件而言的。

20 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

22 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

23 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

24 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

25 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

26 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

27 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。