Deliberate Dumbing Down of America Public Education

258 Global Education Framework entitled “Elementary Education for the 21st Century: A Planning Framework Based on Outcomes” announced on its title page the following:

The realities of the globally interconnected and culturally diverse world of the 21st century require an education for all students that will enable them to see themselves as—

HUMAN BEINGS whose home is PLANET EARTH who are citizens of a MULTICULTURAL DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY in an increasingly INTERCONNECTED WORLD and who LEARN, CARE, THINK, CHOOSE, and ACT to celebrate life on this Planet and to meet the global challenges confronting Humankind

Key global challenges at the outset of the 21st century are in the areas of improving and maintaining the quality of the ENVIRONMENT, improving and maintaining HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, assuring HUMAN RIGHTS, and reducing VIOLENCE AND CONFLICT. This ASCD framework was used by the Eugene, Oregon School District 4J as a guide for de velopment of their Education 2000 Elementary Integrated Curriculum K–5. 25 Excerpts from the “Guide” to be used by teachers involved in curriculum implementation follow:

District 4J Mission

Investing in Students Creating the Future Eugene’s Elementary Program’s Mission To Instill in Each child

• a sense of self worth • a respect for the earth and all peoples • and a commitment to the pursuit of life-long learning....

One of the five priorities established in the District’s future planning report in 1988–1989 addressed the need to design an appropriate education for an information age.... Some of the skills and knowledge that students will need to acquire include: 1. managing information and learning to learn (i.e., problem solving, critical thinking, applying knowledge, making decisions and judgments); 2. understanding and participating in the arts; 3. interpersonal and intrapersonal skills; 4. global perspectives; and 5. using appropriate technology.... After careful consideration of the educational needs of students preparing for the 21st century, the writing committee defined its task as developing a more conceptual-based cur-