{"id":259211,"date":"2026-05-05T13:39:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T13:39:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/259211\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T13:39:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T13:39:23","slug":"florida-has-a-new-u-s-history-course-how-is-hillsdale-college-connected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/259211\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida has a new U.S. history course. How is Hillsdale College connected?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The big story: The Florida Department of Education has unveiled more details about its new accelerated U.S. history course, weeks after it won approval to generate college credits<\/a> at the state\u2019s public colleges and universities.<\/p>\n

Officials said it\u2019s another step toward eliminating what they consider liberal agendas from classrooms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe FACT U.S. History framework underscores our commitment to instruction grounded in the full scope of our nation\u2019s history, while ensuring materials are free from ideological bias or indoctrination,\u201d education commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said in statement<\/a> released along with the 214-page document<\/a>.<\/p>\n

State Board of Education members have said they want Florida Advanced Courses and Tests (FACT) classes provide an alternative to College Board\u2019s Advanced Placement, which officials said include Critical Race Theory and diversity, equity and inclusion information in their materials. Gov. Ron DeSantis first started talking about replacing AP courses<\/a> in 2023, when he refused to let the new African American Studies offering<\/a> be taught in Florida public school classrooms.<\/p>\n

The recommended textbook for FACT U.S. History is \u201cLand of Hope: An Invitation to the American Story\u201d by Wilfred M. McClay<\/a>, the chair in classical history and Western civilization at Hillsdale College. Hillsdale, a small religious school in Michigan, has played a significant role in Florida\u2019s education circles during the DeSantis Administration, influencing policies<\/a> in areas as wide ranging as civics education and the content of math books.<\/p>\n

The school also has served as a model for the contentious transformation of New College of Florida<\/a> in Sarasota.<\/p>\n

First published in 2019, McClay\u2019s book is considered<\/a> a political history that looks to provide a sense of patriotism among Americans, and is among the titles often relied upon in conservative circles. Several reviews mention that the writing is engaging and conversational, creating a story that is interesting to read.<\/p>\n

Teachers may use other supplemental materials and primary sources to undergird their lessons, which are aimed at four key learning goals: Knowledge of U.S. history, historical reasoning, research and study skills, and historical applications and analysis.<\/p>\n

According to the course overview, FACT U.S. History is intended to take place over two semesters and be equivalent to an introductory undergraduate course. No prerequisites are required. No other state has approved it for college credit.<\/p>\n

It is supposed to be offered five days a week in 45-minute periods. The state will provide detailed daily lesson plans, which are available but not required. The state has extended the deadline for schools to participate in the pilot rollout through May 18.<\/p>\n

Hot topics\"\"<\/p>\n

USF fire: The building at USF St. Petersburg that was destroyed by fire over the weekend had walls constructed to survive hurricanes. The roof was another story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Student recruitment: The Broward County school district is looking to hire an outside firm that would try to attract new and former students<\/a> into classrooms, Tap Into Coconut Creek reports.<\/p>\n

Senior pranks: Some seniors at Vero Beach High in Indian River County face potential disciplinary action over a senior prank<\/a> that officials view as vandalism, TC Palm reports.<\/p>\n

Security: Deltona High in Volusia County is one of a handful of schools nationwide to conduct a trial of using drones in response to active shooter incidents, Central Florida Public Media reports. The initiative, which involves 39 drones, goes live in the fall<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Public information: A former Okaloosa County school board member is challenging the way the board conducted a 2025 investigation<\/a> into alleged misconduct of the superintendent, Mid Bay News reports.<\/p>\n

New schools: The Hendry County school district has broken ground a new school to ease crowding<\/a> at Labelle High, WGCU reports.<\/p>\n

AI lessons: The Marion County school district is expanding student opportunities in artificial intelligence career and technical education<\/a>, WUFT reports.<\/p>\n

From the police blotter … A Gadsden County school district maintenance supervisor was arrested on allegations of stealing and selling copper wire<\/a> purchased for the district, WCTV reports.<\/p>\n

From the court docket … A Leon County family has sued the Maclay School and its former lacrosse coach, alleging their child was physically and mentally abused<\/a>, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. \u2022 A federal judge has rejected the University of Florida\u2019s motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a student who contends he was wrongfully expelled<\/a>, WCJB reports.<\/p>\n

Hot takes\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cOur students deserve leaders who understand their journey from the inside out. They deserve a superintendent who knows what it means to teach a struggling reader, to support a first-year teacher, to turn around a failing school and to build a culture where excellence is expected and supported.\u201d \u2014 Steve Gallon, Miami-Dade County school board member, on the district\u2019s superintendent search (Miami Herald<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u201cFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed Senate Bill 1296 into law, and the state\u2019s lawmakers have settled an issue that should never have been controversial: If a union claims the right to speak for every worker in a bargaining unit, it should be supported by a majority of its members.\u201d \u2014 Wall Street Journal editorial on Florida\u2019s new law adding new regulations to teacher unions (Wall Street Journal<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes a special kind of bureaucratic genius to face a $40 million structural deficitand decide the best use of time and public money is to launch a lawsuit over an $800,000 fee that is required by law. No wonder our kids\u2019 math scores are horrible, the adults in charge can\u2019t even figure out basic arithmetic.” \u2014 Peter Schorsch, Florida Politics publisher, on a Sarasota County school district lawsuit (Florida Politics<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Quick quiz\"\"<\/p>\n

Highlands County school district officials identified a key factor in their budget that is causing a financial crisis. What\u2019s the culprit?<\/p>\n

a) Vouchers<\/p>\n

b) Declining enrollment<\/p>\n

c) Rising healthcare costs<\/p>\n

Find the answer in this story from WGCU<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss a story. Here\u2019s a link to yesterday\u2019s roundup<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Tampa Bay Times Education Hub reports on Florida\u2019s schools and universities and the students they serve. You can contribute to the hub through our journalism fund by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The big story: The Florida Department of Education has unveiled more details about its new accelerated U.S. history…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":259212,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[112233,112230,28,30,29,4833,112231,12179,412,112232],"class_list":["post-259211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-central-florida-public-media","tag-college-board","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-florida-politics","tag-hillsdale-college","tag-new-college-of-florida","tag-ron-desantis","tag-wilfred-m-mcclay"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259211\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}