Deliberate Dumbing Down of America Public Education

267 Learning a Living: A Blueprint for High Performance , the first report from SCANS, asserts that “The Commission’s fundamental purpose is to encourage a high performance economy characterized by high-skill, high-wage employment.” The following controversial component of SCANS, which angered parents and ignited fires of protest across the nation, is found on page 65 of Learning a Living : The Noxious Nineties : c. 1990

HYPOTHETICAL RESUMÉ

Jane Smith

Date of Report: 5/1/92

19 Main Street

Soc. Sec.: 599–46–1234

Anytown

Date of Birth: 3/7/73

Home Phone: 817–777–3333

Age; 19

SCANS Personal Qualities

Average Rating

No. of Ratings

Responsibility

Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent

10 10

Self-Esteem Sociability

8 7 6

Self-Management Integrity/Honesty

Good

Since when did the federal government assign itself the responsibility of grading citizens on “personal qualities”? Since our government began to consider citizens “human capital” or “resources”? Are citizens useful for anything besides potential workers? The above resumé also included the number of points Jane earned toward her “Certificate of Initial Mastery” as well as a record of volunteer and work experience. The bureaucrat at the U.S. Labor Department who wrote this part of the report explained: Because this information would be extremely useful to employers in making hiring decisions and to colleges in evaluating applications, students would have a strong motivation to learn the SCANS foundation skills and workplace competencies, and employers and colleges would have a strong incentive to require them. Nine years later the hypothetical SCANS resumé would become reality as exemplified by Ohio’s Career Passport which is a collection of student records that showcase past performance. The Passport includes a resumé, transcript, narrative identifying career goals and activities, as well as any diplomas, awards, certifications, licenses and community involvement. The aforementioned information regarding this Career Passport is taken from a May 25, 1999 letter from the Akron Regional Development Board to area employers which states that Ohio’s companies can sign on as employers who “ask for the Career Passport.” This letter continues as follows: By joining the more than 3000 businesses nationally that are requesting records, you help drive home the message that accountability, initiative, and motivation are traits that companies seek in job candidates. The Akron Regional Development Board, and The Greater Cleveland Growth Association, Cleveland Tomorrow, the Ohio Department of Education Career Educators, and Regions 8 and 9 School-to-Work have teamed up with the National Aliance of Business (NAB) to encour age employers to use school records as part of their hiring process. The national campaign