AHA Foundation’s 6-part webinar series: Recapturing Liberalism in Education
November 3, 2025
Update
Our webinar series has concluded—and we’re proud to share that it reached over 30,000 viewers.
This series was created to spotlight urgent issues in K-12 education in the U.S. Below, you’ll find what inspired the series, the topics we explored, and direct links to watch the recorded webinars.
Thank you for being part of this learning journey.
May 23, 2025
For years, parents across the U.S. have witnessed the transformation of classrooms—some recognized the shift early on, while others are only now awakening to its impact. Education has been influenced by ideological agendas, while the pursuit of knowledge has been undermined.
From manipulated history lessons to identity-based teaching models, the foundational principles of liberal education—reason, truth, and inquiry—are under siege. If you’ve ever wondered how we got here, and more importantly, what you can do about it, we invite you to join our new AHA Foundation 6-part webinar series: Recapturing Liberalism in Education.
This series will examine how illiberal ideologies have reshaped what students learn and how teachers are trained in the U.S. We’ll expose how activist frameworks moved from university departments into K–12 classrooms—and equip you with the knowledge and tools to recognize, explain, and push back against them.
We’re launching the first three webinars before summer. Anyone who registers will receive a full recording—whether or not you attend live.
In these webinars, you’ll gain more than insight:
Understand how illiberal ideologies took root in American education
Learn the hidden pathways that brought them from academia to K–12
Hear directly from leading experts, educators, and reformers
Discover practical ways to protect students and support real learning
Receive recordings of every session to revisit or share
Panelists: Prof. Adam MacLeod (St. Mary’s University), Elina Kaplan (Alliance for Constructive Ethnic Studies)
Learn how postmodernism and Critical Theory have reshaped the academic mission of schools, from teaching knowledge to enforcing ideological conformity.
Panelists: Elina Kaplan (ACES), Dr. Erec Smith (CATO Institute, Free Black Thought), Dr. Mika Hackner (North American Values Institute)
Understand how activist theories moved through teacher training programs, third-party curricula, and union-backed policy to transform the classroom experience.
Panelists: Dr. Naya Lekht (Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy), David Bernstein (North American Values Institute)
This webinar examines how identity-based and activist frameworks have contributed to the rise of antisemitism in education, and what this reveals about deeper trends in institutional radicalization.
Panelists: Michele Hanash (AHA Foundation), Dr. Brandy Shufutinsky (Foundation for the Defense of Democracies), Glenn Taubman (National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation)
This webinar focuses on how antisemitism has infiltrated teacher training programs, teachers’ unions, and the broader education system. It will examine how ideological biases shape K-12 curricula, influence teachers’ political activism, and impact Jewish educators and students.
This webinar highlights how parents are challenging radicalized curricula, activist school boards, and policies that undermine academic integrity, rigor, and excellence. The speakers showcase effective strategies parents are using, along with resources to help others protect the quality of their children’s education.
Panelists: Asra Nomani (CLARITy Coalition), David Bernstein (North American Values Institute), Jennifer Richmond (Institute for Liberal Values, Coalition for Empowered Education)
This webinar brings together diverse thinkers to explore how open dialogue across ideologies can restore integrity, rigor, and freedom in American education. The discussion highlights practical steps to move beyond partisanship and refocus schools on critical thinking and civic understanding. Viewers will gain actionable insights for reform at both the local and national levels.
