PragerU’s CEO says teacher trainings label everyday parenting as “oppression,” warning the idea is spreading into classrooms.
Story Snapshot
- Marissa Streit links “adultism” in teacher training to efforts that weaken parental trust.
- “Adultism” comes from social science but is now cited in school trainings, Streit says.
- Debate grows as PragerU gains approval in several states’ school resources.
- Supporters see balance; critics call it politicized “edutainment”.
What Streit Claimed About “Adultism” in Training Materials
PragerU Chief Executive Officer Marissa Streit told Fox News Digital that some teacher-training materials present “adultism” as a negative label on normal parental limits, such as setting rules or boundaries. She argued this framing casts parents as oppressors and risks pushing students to distrust their families. Streit tied the concept to a broader socialist or Marxist agenda that, in her view, seeks to reshape classroom norms and power dynamics between students, teachers, and parents.
In a Fox News video segment, Streit displayed what she described as training content and said the language encourages teachers to see parental authority as harmful. She argued that when schools adopt such terms, they may redefine routine family guidance as oppression, which can erode home-school cooperation. Streit said the dispute emerges most in ethnic studies and similar frameworks, where terms about power and oppression can shift how young people view family roles and adult authority in general.
Why the Word Matters: From Social Science to Classroom Culture
“Adultism” has roots in social science, where it refers to unfair treatment or bias against children because of age. Critics and supporters agree the word exists in that field, but Streit says the current issue is how some trainings apply it to ordinary parenting. That shift, she argues, moves from describing age-based bias to questioning parental rights. This concern fits a broader fight over classroom language and whether terms about oppression reframe normal family life.
Streit’s warning lands in an environment where both left and right accuse schools of political spin. Conservatives say progressive ideas dominate staff trainings. Progressives say new materials from conservative groups replace one bias with another. These fights often flare around ethnic studies, diversity programs, and parental-rights policies. The friction grows when technical terms jump from academic use to teacher workshops, where they can take on sharper political meanings and trigger mistrust among families.
Where PragerU Fits in the School Content Battle
PragerU is a conservative media nonprofit that produces videos and lessons for students. The group describes its work as pro-American and corrective to what it calls a one-sided, negative view of the country. Supporters in several Republican-led states have approved PragerU materials for use as optional classroom resources. Backers say these materials add missing perspectives for students and parents who feel shut out by progressive education trends.
Critics in education and media describe PragerU’s content as advocacy and say it belongs in political debate, not classrooms. They argue the lessons oversimplify complex history and social issues and risk replacing scholarship with persuasion. The Washington Post reported that a growing number of red states have struck deals to bring PragerU videos into schools, signaling how education has become a front line in the culture wars over values, identity, and the role of parents in public education.
What Parents Across the Spectrum Are Watching
Parents on the right and left worry that schools may push agendas instead of teaching core skills. Many fear elites and officials ignore families’ voices and use jargon to mask big changes. Streit’s focus on “adultism” taps that concern. If training materials cast normal parental boundaries as oppression, families could feel sidelined and less trusted. If the term is used narrowly to flag real age bias, schools must explain it clearly so parents do not see it as an attack on home life.
A growing "ethnic studies" push in American classrooms is teaching students that ordinary parenting amounts to oppression, PragerU CEO Marissa Streit warned in a recent interview. She said the curriculum leans heavily on the term "adultism," a concept that originated in sociology…
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 29, 2026
The stakes are practical. Teachers and parents need shared language to handle discipline, safety, and respect. Clear terms help; vague labels harm. Districts can reduce conflict by showing parents the exact training texts, stating how concepts will be used, and drawing bright lines that protect both student dignity and parental rights. Transparency, open meetings, sample lesson reviews, and opt-out paths can calm fears and keep the focus on learning rather than ideology.
Sources:
washingtontimes.com, foxnews.com, time.com
