In July of this year, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) promoted a four-day summer program for teachers entitled Teaching is Political: Advocating and Organizing for Social Change. The program was run by the Radical Pedagogy Institute (RPI). The RPI is a community of educators focused on developing radical-Left teaching methods and "organizing in our classrooms and communities."

This image was taken from the Radical Pedagogy Institute website. Audre Lorde was a self-described "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet," who "dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing injustices of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia."

The word "pedagogy" refers to the method and practice of teaching. The Radical Pedagogy Institute engages in a variety of radical "liberatory" pedagogies in a PK-12 setting. Included are: "queer, anti-racist, DisCrit (Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory), culturally relevant, and critical [theories]."

What is at Stake in School Board Elections 

At a time when students have suffered learning losses due to the COVID school shutdowns, parents and many educators wish to focus on things like math, science, language and history. The NJEA and certainly the Radical Pedagogy Institute appear to place their focus on what they see as "social justice" issues.  No ordinary PK-12 subject is exempt from view through their social justice lens.

Math is a good example. One  post on the RPI website gave the following example of math through a "Queer Theory" lens:

Question: What is a better buy: a dozen eggs for $2.16 or 18 eggs for $2.90?

Student response: I noticed that it did not mention anything about the way the chickens were treated, and if you do not know that, you cannot know which one to buy.

[Teacher post]:  Kids are amazing.

The NJEA has endorsed board of education candidates throughout the state. Many of these candidates are teachers themselves and members of the union. Parents are concerned that the election of NJEA candidates will usher politics into the classroom.

It is not a question of Republicans or Democrats, or even liberals and conservatives. The politics at issue here is one of traditional values versus radical-Left "liberatory" ideology. Many parents with children in school hope that voters will learn which candidates are parent-child oriented and will vote accordingly.