Morning Wire — "Ethnic Studies, DEI & the Collapse of Academic Standards"

Episode Date: November 28, 2025
Host: Georgia Howe (Daily Wire)
Guest: Nikki Neely (President and Founder, Defending Education)

Overview

This special Morning Wire episode investigates the declining academic performance of American students amidst a growing emphasis on ethnic studies, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), and related teacher trainings in K–12 and higher education. Host Georgia Howe speaks with Nikki Neely, president of Defending Education, on her organization's new report exposing the funding, ideology, and classroom impact of ethnic studies programs — questioning their academic rigor and influence on classroom instruction and student outcomes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining “Ethnic Studies” and Its Intentions

[03:04 – 04:05]

• Superficially benign, fundamentally ideological:

  • "It sounds like it's multiculturalism, it's social studies. Who could oppose that? But it turns out that's not what it is... it actually wants to teach students how to be little social justice warriors. It wants to encourage activism, and it views the world through that oppressor, oppressor matrix."
    — Nikki Neely [03:23]

• Negative impact on classroom culture:

  • Programs teach about "white supremacy, culture, settler colonialism" and place children into collective identity groups, fostering division from a young age, which later reverberates on college campuses.

2. Proliferation & Institutionalization of Ethnic Studies

[04:05 – 06:28]

• Where is curriculum coming from?

  • “In states like California that have put ethnic studies curriculum mandates in place, you have to actually have a curriculum for districts for teachers to pull from. We're seeing a lot of those courses actually come out of universities. University of California, Berkeley, unsurprisingly, is one of the big drivers of this.”
    — Nikki Neely [04:32]

• Commercialization and dissemination:

  • Universities such as UC Berkeley and CUNY create and market ethnic studies curricula to K–12 districts nationwide, with courses like "drag pedagogy" and "The Playful Practice of Queer Imagination in Early Childhood."
  • Massive foundation funding (Mellon, Hewlett, etc.) supports and encourages the spread of these programs.

• Curriculum quality concerns:

  • Despite the prestige of these universities, Neely argues the curricula lack rigor and academic substance.

3. Growth Patterns and Parental Backlash

[06:28 – 07:52]

• Expansion despite pushback:

  • “We're still seeing it crop up ... California is where it started, and then it has been metastasizing eastward from there, unfortunately.”
    — Nikki Neely [06:49]

• Examples of spread:

  • Mandates in Minnesota (initial drafts excluded Holocaust from European history), Texas (Latinx/Chicanx focus), and Vermont.
  • Red states are not immune—allegedly, these courses are now coast-to-coast.

• Advice to parents:

  • Vigilance is urged whenever social studies programs are introduced or expanded.

4. Ideological Slant in “Studies” Courses

[07:52 – 08:44]

• Not just heritage education:

  • Courses like Latinx or Chicano studies go beyond cultural history, focusing on "America as a settler colonial nation," systems of oppression, and a victim/villain narrative.

• Impact on students:

  • “It’s very much a victim, villain mindset ... our children are marching to oppose settler colonialism and can’t spell the word colonial.”
    — Nikki Neely [08:24]

• Academic performance concerns:

  • Reference to NAEP (Nation’s Report Card): lowest ever reading scores for eighth graders, overall declining proficiency predating COVID.

• Financial implications:

  • Despite $3 trillion invested in education since 1980, per-pupil spending is up while achievement continues to decline.

5. Teacher Trainings: Focus and Failures

[10:19 – 12:59]

• Professional development days:

  • Often believed to be skill-building for teaching, but Neely claims it’s largely ideological training (CRT, gender theory) rather than instructional improvement.

• Examples of training content:

  • Wisconsin materials on "parental exclusion policies," critical gender identity.
  • Emphasis on ideology over practical education or legal responsibilities.

• Curricular trends:

  • Programs like "Equitable Math" from Stanford frame correct answers and showing work as forms of white supremacy—seen as a shift away from academic excellence.

• Teachers unions and political priorities:

  • Unions focus national conferences on political resolutions (abortion, Medicare, international conflicts), not academic preparation.

• Result:

  • "From beginning to end, the education system has been fully captured. It’s hard to place the blame on any one person ... when parents throw their hands and say, 'I'm unhappy,' they have every right to be."
    — Nikki Neely [12:45]

6. Abolishing the Department of Education: Pros & Cons

[12:59 – 15:24]

• Historic context:

  • The DOE was created in 1980, yet the US achieved global educational feats prior.

• State/local control benefits:

  • “If you are closer, geographically, policy-wise, you have to see a school board member or state legislature in the grocery store, then you're better able to convey your concerns ... as opposed to just going to Washington and having them skim money off the top and then send it back with strings attached.”
    — Nikki Neely [13:52]

• Core programs would persist:

  • IDEA, Title 1 funding, etc., would still exist—just managed at the state level.

• Concerns about DEI-related federal grant spending:

  • Reports of DOE/Biden administration sending a billion dollars in grants tied to DEI, sometimes used for non-academic activities like knitting or yoga circles.

7. From Outward Learning to Inward Focus

[15:24 – 17:01]

• Shift in educational values:

  • Neely sees a move from teaching external knowledge and shared civic identity to a focus on "identity and feelings," which she argues is psychologically dangerous and fosters division.

• Need for community connection:

  • "You want a child to feel tied to their broader community, to be part of a church group, to be part of the Boy Scouts ... and realize that they're part of something greater."
    — Nikki Neely [15:53]

• Hope for change:

  • Expresses optimism that the current political climate may enable solutions, especially by re-centering families as key education stakeholders.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "We're seeing children who are learning things about white supremacy, culture, settler colonialism, things that really set children up from a very, very young age to hate each other and put each other into groups based on collective identity, which is terrifying..."
  — Nikki Neely [03:45]

• “You have children who are marching to oppose settler colonialism and can't spell the word 'colonial.' What our schools are doing with the finite time they have with our children is something that is deeply appalling and should really concern every parent.”
  — Nikki Neely [08:29]

• “We were able to put, you know, men on the moon, we won back-to-back world wars without a department of education.”
  — Nikki Neely [13:27]

• “From beginning to end, the education system has been fully captured.”
  — Nikki Neely [12:45]

• “...it's really reminding us, e pluribus unum, right? Out of many, one. That we're all part of this broad, beautiful, ongoing project to make a more perfect union.”
  — Nikki Neely [15:52]

Important Timestamps

• 03:04: Introduction to ethnic studies and its ideological grounding.
• 04:32: Universities and foundations driving curriculum development and dissemination.
• 06:49: Expansion of ethnic studies outside of California, even into red states.
• 08:24: Critique of victim/villain mindset vs. genuine multicultural or history education.
• 10:29: Professional development and teacher training critiqued as ideological rather than pedagogical.
• 12:59: Discussion of the potential abolition of the Department of Education.
• 15:41: The shift from outward educational goals to inward, identity-based focus.

Conclusion

This episode paints a critical picture of the increasing influence of ethnic studies and DEI on both curriculum and teacher professional development, arguing that these trends are contributing to declining academic standards and divisive classroom environments. The guest, Nikki Neely, highlights the complex network of universities, foundations, and policy actors fueling these changes and encourages ongoing vigilance from parents and local stakeholders. The episode closes on a note of cautious optimism, emphasizing the need to refocus American education on academic mastery and shared civic identity.