FIX EXCLUSIVES
Public university offers college credits to high school students through Justice Scholars Institute
The University of Pittsburgh has partnered with local public high schools through the Justice Scholars Institute to “prepare young people to be advocates for change and social justice.”
The institute’s emphasis on creating “social justice” activists raises questions about whether the program is truly about education or if it’s about advancing a political agenda.
“The term ‘social justice’ is designed to make radical political views sound non-political and virtuous,” Paul Runko, director of strategic initiatives for K-12 programs for Defending Education, told The College Fix in a recent interview.
“You’re not opposed to justice, are you? Because that would make you a supporter of injustice. The phrase itself has no concrete meaning, which is part of why it is so useful,” Runko said. Defending Education is “a national grassroots organization working to restore schools at all levels from activists imposing harmful agendas.”
Through the university’s Justice Scholars Institute, high school students in Pittsburgh public schools can take college-level courses and earn credits.
The educational program is aimed at equipping students “to become change agents within their school, community, and broader world,” according to its website.
Psychology Professor Esohe Osai founded the program in 2016, starting with 13 students in an “introduction to social justice class,” according to a report from the institute. Since 2016, over 230 students have participated. Other courses now offered through the program include argument, U.S. history, and applied statistics.
The report, published in May, provides more insight into the lessons taught in the program.
One class, “Introduction to Social Justice” covers topics such as defunding the police. Students read “Race to Incarcerate” by Sabrina Jones and Marc Muer and discuss the high-profile police killings of black Americans, according to the report.
In another class, history teacher Kenneth Smith emphasizes the “five pillars of historically marginalized people” — “truth,” “oppression,” “resistance,” “resilience,” and “resolution” — when he teaches institute students about American history.
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In addition to the institute, the public university also encourages high school teachers to promote “social justice” in their classrooms through professional development workshops.
The 2025 CUE Summer Educator Forum was held at the university on June 25 to 27. The theme for the event was “Critical Pedagogy in Action: Urban Education as a Tool for Justice.”
The event’s focus was to offer “impactful professional development opportunities—especially for educators working in urban schools—as part of our broader commitment to social justice in education.”
Responding to these initiatives, Runko told The Fix: “It’s troubling to see professional development workshops for teachers promoting ideas like ‘positioning math and science’ to ‘advocate for justice’ and using ‘education as a tool for liberation.’”
The keynote speaker —whose talk mentioned “being woke”— also published a book on “Critical Race Theory in Education,” he noted.
Runko also emphasized the importance of understanding the meaning behind the term “social justice.”
“If you hear school officials or teachers advocating for ‘social justice,’ it is important to ask them what specifically they mean — and if they believe that anyone who disagrees is an advocate for injustice,” Runko said.
“If I were a parent in Pittsburgh Public Schools, I’d want my child’s teachers to not walk, but run from this event,” Runko told The Fix.
The university’s media relations office did not respond to multiple emails asking for more details about the Justice Scholars Institute and the CUE Summer Educator Forum.
The Fix also contacted several state senators and representatives, asking about the program’s “social justice” mission and the funding that the university receives from the state budget, but none responded.
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IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: High school students learn about the University of Pittsburgh’s Justice Scholars Institute; Justice Scholars Institute/Instagram, University of Pittsburgh
