Horne Wins as Board Cuts DEI from Standards

The Arizona State Board of Education has taken its first formal step toward removing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) language from the state’s Professional Teaching Standards — a development Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has lobbied for throughout 2025.

The Board voted to convene a statewide committee to review all DEI-related terminology embedded in the teaching standards that guide teacher certification, evaluations, and educator-preparation programs. Targeted terms include references to teaching “equitably,” incorporating students’ “cultural backgrounds,” and addressing students’ “social, emotional, and cultural needs.”

Horne praised the Board’s action as a necessary shift toward academic fundamentals.

“This is the right thing to do,” he said in a December statement. “We must rid race-based ideology from the classroom and ensure teachers spend their time teaching math, science, language, history and the arts.”

Horne has argued that the current DEI language risks conflicting with recent federal guidance tied to civil rights laws and could jeopardize significant federal funding.

According to the Arizona Department of Education, “An estimated $866 million in federal funding is in jeopardy if Arizona does not comply with federal law.”

He also emphasized that instructional time should remain focused on core academics, stating:

“Every instructional minute is precious.”

The Board’s vote aligns with Horne’s position that DEI-oriented requirements do not belong in state teaching standards.

“These terms do not belong in teaching standards,” Horne said.

Supporters of the change argue that removing DEI requirements will provide clearer, more neutral academic expectations for teachers and reduce ambiguity in teacher training and evaluation. They contend that culturally responsive or equity-based language introduces political subjectivity into what should be standardized professional criteria.

Critics — including some educators and advocacy groups — say that eliminating DEI references could affect students from diverse cultural backgrounds and limit teachers’ ability to respond to varied learning needs. They argue that the existing language helps educators understand and support Arizona’s increasingly diverse student population.

According to the ADE press release, the Board’s action does not immediately remove any standards. Instead, it begins a multi-month review process:

• A statewide revision committee will be formed with teachers, administrators, educator-prep representatives, and parents.
• All 15 Arizona counties will be represented.
• Draft recommendations are expected in late 2026.
• The Board will then decide whether to adopt, amend, or reject the proposed revisions.

In short, the vote sets the process in motion but does not predetermine the outcome.

Horne has pushed for the removal of DEI language since early 2025 and previously criticized the Board for delaying consideration in October.

“I disagreed with the Board’s vote to delay this process,” he said at the time.

With the Board now moving forward, Horne secured a central procedural victory — one that brings Arizona closer to the standards revisions he has championed.

Horne praises Board action to start process to remove DEI language from teaching standards
Work to involve input from educators, other stakeholders
Link: https://t.co/VjtDsTIJ3u

— Arizona Department of Education (@azedschools) December 8, 2025