These education publishers are pushing the LGBT agenda while profiting from the $40B a year public schools spend on their resources

As Pride month ends, some of the largest education companies used by most public schools continue to prominently display pro-LGBT messages on their social media profiles.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which is displaying four different Pride flags in its cover photos on Facebook and Twitter, provides resources to 90% of K-12 schools in the U.S.

The company also shared a video about the history of Pride month, and the company’s Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer, Benita Flucker, wrote an article about supporting LGBT students.

“We’re not always going to get it right the first time, but we can always keep learning and remain focused on affirming every child for who they are,” Flucker said.

Other top education companies, such as McGraw Hill, Kaplan, and Pearson are also pushing pro-LGBT messaging on their social media profiles.

McGraw Hill has the LGBT colors on its Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. The company also created a Pride Employee Resource Group in 2021 and holds its “highest-profile events” during Pride month.

McGraw’s Impact News publication provides recommended resources for students from kindergarten to 5th grade. For examples, kindergarteners and 1st graders can learn the meaning of the rainbow flag with a series of captioned images:  

• “The flag, just like natural rainbows, has many different colors. Each color is beautiful. The colors remind us that we are all different—and beautiful,” the caption of the first image says.  
• “We are each unique. Our families are unique, too. It does not matter that we are different. What matters is that we share our homes with people who love us. Like a rainbow, each family is beautiful,” the next image reads.  
• “In June, people show they are proud of who they are. They show they are proud of their families and the people they love. They fly the rainbow flag and have parades. They celebrate love. They celebrate what makes each of us a wonderful, colorful person. What Do You Think? How does a rainbow flag remind us to respect all people?” 

McGraw Hill recommends 2nd and 3rd graders “explore” what Pride month is, focusing on “celebrating ways people are unique.” 

By the time students are in 4th and 5th grade, they “examine” the meaning behind Pride month and go into detail about those identifying as LGBT. 

Pearson, another large education company, also displays the LGBT colors on its social media profiles. The company even has an LGBT+ glossary and other LGBT+ resources.  

Taxpayer-supported? 

A 2017 United States Census Bureau study showed school systems spent 11.7% of their budget ($40.2 billion) on “instructional supplies, purchased services and other miscellaneous instructional expenditures.” School districts also tend to purchase most of their instructional materials from the large education companies, including those already mentioned. 

With 80% of Americans against political activism in the classroom, the online activism apparent in the nation’s largest education companies may be unwelcome news to many taxpayers. 

“The state and local officials responsible for setting curriculum and learning standards for students must ensure that textbook narratives are unbiased and depoliticized,” Parents Defending Action Political Director, Alex Nester told The Lion. “Increasingly, textbook publishers see their work as an opportunity to push controversial narratives on race, sex, and gender to millions of American students.” 

“Kids are not meeting basic benchmarks in core subjects like reading, math, and history—and part of that is because of schools’ prioritization of race and gender politics over academics. Publishers are just one more group of adults in the education industry who are failing our kids,” she said.