MOBILE, Ala. >> Examine any rankings of the worst public education systems in the nation, and you’ll find a cluster of Deep South states bunched near the bottom. My home state of Alabama may not be the worst on the list, but it will be among the 10 worst. So will Mississippi, Louisiana and South Carolina.

Several years ago, Alabama’s leaders decided that an investment in early childhood education — specifically, classes for 4-year-olds — might help the state climb out of the basement. Though the effort will require a couple of generations to remediate a century or more of educational neglect, it was gaining ground: Alabama’s pre-K program has been nationally recognized for excellence.

Alas, that hasn’t saved the program from becoming a political football in Republicans’ war on “woke.” Last week, Gov. Kay Ivey pushed the pre-K program’s highly respected executive, Dr. Barbara Cooper, out of her post for promoting “woke” concepts. The governor forced her resignation over an 800-page manual for teachers that contains some phrases emphasizing the value of empathy and supportive environments for all children.

One example from the manual, according to published reports, was the following:

“Children from all families (e.g. single parent, grandparent-led, foster, LGBTQIA+) need to hear and see messages that promote equality, dignity and worth. Providing support and encouragement for personal expression and nongendered play — that is, honoring children’s ideas and choices with respect to gender roles and play — also teaches children acceptance and communicates their value within the classroom community.”

If that’s “woke,” we all need a huge dose of caffeine so we can get with the program. What could possibly be wrong with giving all 4-year-olds the sense that they are worthy?

This has led to foolish skirmishes and ridiculous legislation. The Walt Disney Company is taking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to court as a consequence of his moves against its Orlando site; the governor thinks Disney executives are “woke.” This particular feud began when Disney’s then-CEO Bob Chapek publicly opposed a Florida law severely proscribing the ways in which public school teachers could discuss sexual orientation or gender identity.

Florida is hardly the only state, though, to decide that classroom discussions that even touch on sexual orientation or racial history are out of bounds. Since 2021, 44 states have taken steps to curb or ban such discussions, according to Education Week.

These attempts to whitewash the nation’s history have already led some schools to abandon even milquetoast traditions such as celebrations of Black History Month, which usually involve nothing more than references to a few well-known Black inventors, activists and celebrities.

Meanwhile, here in my home state, Confederate Memorial Day, a celebration of traitors, is still an official holiday. Like most Deep South states, Alabama is littered with tributes to the likes of Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. These tributes are divisive, and Lost Cause ideology is one big lie that attempts to paint the Southern rebellion in defense of slavery as a glorious struggle against tyranny. That’s hardly history. It’s propaganda.

But here in Alabama, we shall not be “woke.” Neither shall we be educated, apparently.

Cynthia Tucker won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2007. She can be reached at cynthia@cynthiatucker.com.