I’m probably alone in this viewpoint, but there are a lot of similarities between what happened during the Cultural Revolution in China 1966 to 1976 and education reform, and what is happening in Florida now.
It is interesting to see this because we all like to say that “it will never happen here” but even with American propaganda and UK propaganda going back to pre-World War 2, this makes for an interesting comparison, because of the similarities.
There are some similarities between the education reforms that are happening in Florida now and the education reforms that were implemented in China under Mao Zedong.
In both cases, the reforms are being implemented by autocratic leaders who believe that the education system is not serving their political goals. In both cases, the reforms are being implemented in a top-down manner, with little input from teachers or parents. In both cases, the reforms are being implemented without regard for the potential negative consequences.
However, there are also some important differences between the two cases. The reforms in Florida are being implemented in a much more controlled and limited way than the reforms that were implemented in China under Mao. The reforms in Florida are also being implemented in a more democratic society, which means that there is more public scrutiny and accountability.
It is still too early to say what the long-term impact of the education reforms in Florida will be. However, it is clear that there are some risks associated with these reforms. The reforms could lead to a decline in the quality of education, a loss of trust in the education system, and a decrease in educational opportunities for students. It is important to carefully monitor the implementation of these reforms and to be prepared to take action if they are having a negative impact.
Some of the obvious specific similarities and differences between the education reforms in Florida and the education reforms in China under Mao:
Similarities
- Both sets of reforms were implemented by autocratic leaders who believed that the education system was not serving their political goals.
- Both sets of reforms were implemented in a top-down manner, with little input from teachers or parents.
- Both sets of reforms were implemented without regard for the potential negative consequences.
Differences
- The reforms in Florida are being implemented in a much more controlled and limited way than the reforms that were implemented in China under Mao.
- The reforms in Florida are also being implemented in a more democratic society, which means that there is more public scrutiny and accountability.
We are seeing this as a trend, that the legislation in Florida right now is being passed with a narrow view of what the current belief of the problem is, and not the reality of the problem. A lot like the current anti-immigrant bill in Florida HB 1617 and SB 1718 which has criminalized being an immigrant without papers in the USA.
This was tried by both Alabama and Georgia to the cost of billions of dollars in economic activity for those two states, so it is no surprise that the narrow consequences be dammed thinking is pervasive through the state of Florida. Nowhere is this more apparent than the ill-fated fight between the Governor of Florida and Disney right now. While Disney can’t walk away from Florida, it can minimize and rely on the hundreds of other Disney properties and their other global network of parks. It can also move a lot of cruise ship operations to Galveston, so there are options here.
With a narrow thinking process, some checks and balances are by necessity baked into American culture that will lead to a push back and huge over correction of this reach into forcing politics on a culture.
Some other factors to consider:
- The political and economic context in which the reforms are being implemented.
- The level of public support for the reforms.
- The capacity of the education system to implement the reforms.
- The resources that are available to support the reforms.
- The impact of the reforms on students, teachers, and parents.
It is important to consider all these factors when evaluating the potential impact of education reforms. Additional complications to this include:
- If the reforms are being implemented in a political climate that is hostile to education, they are more likely to be met with resistance.
- If the reforms are not supported by the public, they are more likely to be unsuccessful.
- If the education system is not capable of implementing the reforms, they are more likely to fail.
- If the reforms are not adequately funded, they are more likely to have a negative impact on students, teachers, and parents.
The reforms introduced by Mao took several years to reverse. After Mao’s death in 1976, the education system only fully recovered in the early 1980s.
The cultural revolution period was one of intentional chaos and confusion. While we don’t have that same disorganization to the same level, we do have chaos and confusion, many of our institutions are in question right now, and rightly so. There were school closures, teacher persecution, and textbook rewrites much like we are seeing in Florida with specific textbook changes in history, math, and social studies. AP tests are being revised to support the needs of a political viewpoint rather than the truth. While we have not seen school closures yet, we are seeing whole colleges being rewritten to suit a political agenda rather than the needs of society.
The Cultural Revolution and the changes imposed on the New College of Florida by the state legislature are examples of political interference in education. In both cases, the government sought to control the curriculum and education content to promote its own ideology.
In the case of the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong believed that the education system was producing a generation of students who were too bookish and not practical enough. He wanted to create a new type of education that would produce students loyal to the CCP and committed to the ideals of socialism.
In the case of the New College of Florida, the state legislature was concerned that the college was too liberal. It was not providing students with the skills they needed to succeed in the workforce. The legislature imposed several changes on the college, including requiring students to take more courses in math and science and to graduate with a specific number of credits in certain areas.
Both the Cultural Revolution and the changes imposed on the New College of Florida had a negative impact on education. In the case of the Cultural Revolution, the education system was disrupted for several years, and many students were prevented from getting an education. In the case of the New College of Florida, the changes imposed by the legislature led to a decline in education quality and a loss of morale among faculty and students.
So, we are in it, we are in our own low key cultural revolution right now. Unfortunately, this has to play out to the full end of this process. We have always seen pendulum swings in culture, that tend to dismantle cultural artifacts and thinking. We need to be thinking about what happens and what comes after the cultural revolution in Florida, because the cost of picking the pieces of this is going to be significant if we are to maintain an economic and technological edge in the world.
It’s going to be an interesting decade.