Essential Politics: Ron DeSantis versus the College Board

Ron DeSantis’ administration has blocked a new Advanced Placement course on African-American studies from being taught in high schools. Ron DeSantis, a potential candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is threatening to cut his state’s ties with the College Board, the organization that develops Advanced Placement classes for college-bound high school students. Next, DeSantis and Florida conservatives turned their fire toward the College Board’s still-in-development AP African American Studies course. Last month, DeSantis banned the class from Florida schools, claiming the AP course “significantly lacks educational value.” In a Jan. 12 letter to College Board, the state’s education department confirmed the class would be banned from the state. In a statement on Saturday, the College Board said it regretted “not immediately denouncing the Florida Department of Education’s slander, magnified by the DeSantis administration’s subsequent comments, that African American Studies “lacks educational value.” “Our failure to raise our voice betrayed Black scholars everywhere and those who have long toiled to build this remarkable field,” the statement said.