ORLANDO, Fla. — In a first in the nation move, the State of Florida and the State Board of Education have formally adopted a new educational doctrine developed by conservative think tank ‘The Heritage Foundation’.
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In a press release on Thursday, the Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas said, “By formally adopting this Declaration, we are reaffirming our commitment to an education system that pursues truth and virtue, empowers parents, and always prioritizes our students.”
The 'Phoenix Declaration' was unveiled by the 'Heritage Foundation' on February 17, 2025, as what has been described as “an American vision for education” by the foundation. The declaration built around these principals, according to the release by the state:
- Parental Choice & Responsibility: Parents are the primary educators of their children. Public education funds should always follow the child.
- Transparency & Accountability: Schools must be fully transparent with parents about curricula, policies, and student well-being.
- Truth & Goodness: Students deserve an education grounded in objective truth, free from ideological fads, and oriented toward the pursuit of the good.
- Cultural Transmission: Students should learn about America’s founding principles and roots in the broader Western and Judeo-Christian traditions. Students should study the best-competing viewpoints that comprise our intellectual heritage.
- Character Formation: Schools must prepare children for the challenges and responsibilities of adulthood by cultivating virtue, personal responsibility, and self-discipline.
- Academic Excellence: Schools should prioritize proven teaching methods and a content rich curriculum rooted in foundational subjects over fads or experimental teaching methods.
- Citizenship: Schools should teach students the civic virtues and knowledge necessary for self-government, including the value of civil disagreement. Students should learn the whole truth about America—its merits and failings—without obscuring that America is a great source of good in the world.
The ‘Heritage Foundation’ are the same group behind 'Project 2025‘, which critics have characterized as promoting far-right ideals.
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