A few days before he joined a work group to develop South Dakota's social studies standards, a package was sent to him.
The state's public schools students could be expected to learn about American history and civics from the materials sent from the home of a conservative private college.
As he opened the document this spring, he thought, "These are already written."
President Donald Trump tapped the school to help develop a "patriotic education" project when he was in office. South Dakota has proposed statewide standards that have a resemblance to Hillsdale's material.
While Republican governors such as Tennessee's Bill Lee and Florida's Ron DeSantis have embraced Hillsdale's education for K-12 students, South Dakota Gov. The president of the school said in a speech last year that Noem had offered to build them an entire campus in South Dakota.
It doesn't seem to be happening. Noem, who was seen as a White House candidate in 2024, turned to William Morrisey to develop the state's social Studies standards. According to members of the standards commission, he was paid $200,000 by the state.
The college was involved in Trump's "1776 Report," a conservative response to the New York Times' "1619 Project," which looked at the founding of the United States with slavery at the center. The Hillsdale 1776 curriculum offers over 2,400 pages of lesson plans.
The proposed standards in South Dakota are in line with the curriculum. The ideals of the country's founders are emphasized as an argument for American exceptionalism, an idea popular in conservative circles.
Preserving the good of the country is defined by both documents. They argue that progressivism is incompatible with the nation's founding ideals and that most of the founding fathers wanted to end slavery.
Morrisey didn't want to interview a member of the K-12 Education Office.
Ben Jones is the executive director of the South Dakota Historical Society and worked on the commission to develop the standards. Jones said Morrisey brought a generic version of U.S. history that could be found in most textbooks.
It is logical to say that something is bad because it is associated with a group that I don't agree with.
The first Africans were enslaved and the U.S. broke treaties with Native American tribes in Morrisey's draft.
He said the ugly was all there.
Jones said that the group discussed and debated the standards over several meetings.
Three people were chosen by Noem's administration to be part of the commission. South Dakota and Native American components were added to the proposal as a result of the group's decision.
The proposal was made public last month. He is careful to keep his political views separate from his classroom teaching. He was in agreement with Noem's desire to make South Dakota a national leader in social studies education.
He decided to speak out against the standards because they were not from South Dakota.
He said it was close to that.
It is not a collaborative process when you are given a set of standards to approve. He was concerned that the standards weren't written with practical needs in mind.
Some South Dakota teachers agree. The standards, which will be subjected to public hearings this fall before the Board of Education Standards decides whether to adopt them, have been greeted coolly by organizations representing teachers.
"It's coming from a private, out-of-state college, and it's coming from the school district outside of the state of South Dakota." I don't want it to be politicized.
Lowery was worried that teachers for younger grade levels would have to spend more time on social studies at the expense of basic math and reading.
She said that they don't stomp their feet because of their feelings being hurt or disrespected. This isn't what's best for our kids, so you're hearing the outcry.
According to several educators, the standards rely on too much memorization and too little inquiry-based learning. The state historian said that the way for analysis will come later.
The American Historical Society says inquiry engages students and helps them connect historical events to modern contexts.
Jackson was part of a group that created social studies standards that were scrapped by the governor. The U.S. is the most special nation in the history of the world, according to Noem.
The new standards are not influenced by political agendas and are the best in the country, according to Noem. It used the same language when it started its curriculum.
The "1619 Project" and the "1776 Report" could be used by high school students to learn how to evaluate and debate them. Noem has moved to block teachings from public schools.
When people say that the fundamental narrative of America is under challenge, it's correct. It's a good challenge.
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