Deliberate Dumbing Down of America Public Education

268 called “Making Academics Count,” will help students, parents and educators become more aware of the importance of requisite workplace skills. Help send the message to area students by completing the enclosed reply form and returning it via fax to 330–379–3164. We will count you as an organization that wants young people to realize the importance of education and work skills.… You can learn more about this initiative online at www.makeacademicscount.org or www.c-e-a.org/ohiocdm.htm. On behalf of the Akron Regional Development Board and em ployers across our region, we encourage you to promote higher achievement by endorsing the “ Ask for the Career Passport ” program. At this point it is important to recall the fact that one of the members appointed to the SCANS which originated this type of career passport was Thomas Sticht, Ph.D., infamous for the following quote which parents should ponder, especially if they feel that techademics are the answer to their children’s upward mobility. Sticht’s statement paraphrased in the August 1, 1987 issue of The Washington Post bears repeating here: Ending discrimination and changing values are probably more important than reading in moving low income families into the middle class…. What may be crucial [companies say] is the dependability of the labor force and how well it can be managed and trained—not its general education level, although a small cadre of highly educated, creative people is essential to innovation and growth. I N 1990 A RKANSAS G OVERNOR W ILLIAM J EFFERSON C LINTON PUSHED THROUGH A MAJOR statewide reform measure, Act 236 , which was a forerunner of Goals 2000 . According to National Issues in Education: Goals 2000 and School-to-Work by John F. Jennings, Ed. 2 (Phi Delta Kappan and The Institute for Educational Leadership: Washington, D.C., 1995): In the National Governors’ Association he championed comprehensive statewide reform and was a key leader in the effort to develop the National Education Goals. In announcing his plat form to “put people first” he made education a central part of the presidential campaign. T HE W ASHINGTON P OST PUBLISHED “T YING P ROFESSIONAL P AY TO P RODUCTIVITY ” BY E LIZA beth Spayd in its January 28, 1990 issue in which Ms. Spayd covered the use of behavior modification in the workplace in order to increase productivity. Some excerpts follow: “One CEO I know says to employees, ‘If you tell me I can’t measure what you’re doing, I’m not sure I need you here,’” recalls Michael Emig, a compensation consultant with Wyatt Co. in Washington. “The fact is, any work that people are paid to do can be measured. The trick is to go in with an open mind.”... To help ensure that productivity goals are met, the paychecks of top managers now reflect their ability to meet department goals, a compensation plan that eventually will spread throughout the hospital. According to Arthur Andersen & Co., which consulted Pekin Memorial on its plan, the keystone to implementing productivity bonuses is putting everything in measurable terms, considering such factors as accuracy, speed, cost, quality—even creativity.... Once the job has been quantified, the next step is to examine the processes by which work is done, dividing them into those that add value and