Scope of SPLC's deeply embedded influence training teachers nationwide uncovered in sweeping report

FIRST ON FOX: A new report is shining a spotlight on the Southern Poverty Law Center's influence in American colleges, revealing its educational materials are being used to train future K-12 teachers in 38 states as Congress and federal investigators intensify their focus on the organization.

According to a report from Defending Education, an education watchdog group that the SPLC once labeled an "extremist" group, researchers examined 100 colleges of education and uncovered SPLC's Learning for Justice, formerly Teaching Tolerance, and the group's Social Justice Standards embedded into teacher preparation programs nationwide.

The report said the organization's Social Justice Standards are incorporated into teacher preparation programs that include "Equity, Access, and Anti-bias Education," "Teaching for Social Justice," "Critical Consciousness" and "Socially Just Teachers."

Researchers found the materials in required education courses, teacher candidate handbooks, student teacher evaluations, lesson planning assignments, departmental frameworks and professional development for educators.

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"It is quite clear that the SPLC’s programming has more than a trivial impact on education," Defending Education Director of Research Rhyen Staley said.

"Pre-service teachers should not be forced to adhere to or promote politically charged ideologies to obtain a degree. Furthermore, students and their families deserve an educational experience that is free of political bias and promotes balanced viewpoints."

The report argues colleges help shape what future teachers bring into classrooms and that many universities keep their use of Learning for Justice materials out of public view, saying "few COEs outwardly acknowledge their use of SPLC materials; instead, many COEs hide their usage and promotion behind faculty login pages."

"Because COEs are the primary institutions responsible for preparing future K-12 classroom teachers, as well as the continuing education of present teachers and administrators, they play a major role in what content, materials, 'best practices,' and perspectives shape educators," the report said.

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Pointing to multiple universities, the report highlights how the standards have worked "their way into courses, pre-service programming, and K-12 classrooms indirectly."

California State University, Sacramento's College of Education, and William & Mary's School of Education require pre-service teachers to incorporate Social Justice Standards into coursework, lesson planning, classroom instruction and professional evaluations, according to the report.

William & Mary's handbook states that the standards "reflect the School of Education's philosophical approach to teaching and learning," the report said.

The report also said Western Washington University evaluates student teachers on integrating the standards into lesson planning, requiring "clear links to identity and diversity anchor standards found in Learning for Justice/Teaching Tolerance Standards," while Brandeis University says the standards guide its "Teaching for Social Justice" teacher education program.

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The standards have also reached graduate programs, grant-funded initiatives and state policy, according to the report.

The University of Maryland College of Education incorporates them into one of its teacher leadership master's degree programs, and the Maryland State Department of Education includes them in new teacher induction regulations, the report said.

"MSDE does not generally develop curriculum; we establish statewide standards," a Maryland State Department of Education spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "We're not aware of any local school systems incorporating SPLC materials into training for teachers or board members, so questions about local implementation would need to be directed to individual LEAs."

Researchers reviewed taxpayer-funded initiatives, including a $275,000 National Science Foundation grant supporting Northern Arizona University's project and a $3.3 million U.S. Department of Education grant awarded to Claremont Graduate University, whose grant proposal said it would "introduce Fellows to the following core social justice teaching ideas and practices," including the "Social Justice Standards from Teaching Tolerance," according to the report.

The NSF declined to comment.

The report comes after the Justice Department filed an 11-count indictment against the organization in April, alleging it defrauded donors by concealing millions of dollars in payments to confidential informants operating within extremist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, United Klans of America and Aryan Nations.

SPLC Interim President and CEO Bryan Fair denied any wrongdoing during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in June, calling the charges politically motivated as Republicans continue investigating the nonprofit's ties to the Biden administration.

Fox News Digital reached out to the SPLC, William & Mary's School of Education, California State University, Sacramento, Western Washington University, Brandeis University, and the Department of Education for comment.

The Department of Education told Fox News Digital it does not mandate curriculum and said reports like this are the reason the Trump administration has made an effort to empower parents, families, and communities to be more involved in childhood education.