Deliberate Dumbing Down of America Public Education

288 Fastest growing “segment of the work force” is “women, blacks and hispanics, whom we have historically served poorly,” and not “white males” whom we have historically served relatively well.... At present, “schools and other human capital related institutions contribute to the growing gap between the rich and the poor .” (p. 363) The alteration of our human capital development institutions must be as fundamen tal as the changes in our economic institutions and other parts of our social fabric.... It is imperative to “improve the school success of young people with whom we have failed historically.” (p. 364) “What are the basic tools we have available to initiate and sustain real change?”... 1. Demonstration projects... 2. Charismatic leaders... 3. Money (p. 365)... 4. Lawsuits (p. 366)... 5. Labor contracts... 6. Legislation. (p. 367) “It is not possible to achieve the kind of outcomes we envision without being specific as to what those outcomes are. Moreover, it is necessary to define the quality and scope of the desired outcomes. Using the Job Training Partnership Act as an example... one of the frequent criticisms of its outcome definition is that it encourages ‘creaming.’ If, however, the outcome sought and rewarded was not just job placement, but job placement for the most difficult to serve and job placements of a certain quality in terms of pay and future prospects, one would quickly eliminate that charge.... Crafting outcomes can be a very tricky process ... to achieve the high graduation rates reflecting higher achievement levels will require suc cess with the same young people with whom we have failed even with lower standards.” (pp. 369–370) “What we teach should basically be the same for ALL students.” (p. 375) [all emphases in original] “New Paradigms for Action” makes it clear that in the future the “system” (not the student) will be responsible for student success… and the students will be followed (data collection system from birth until death?). The “system” will be rewarded or penalized for the success/failure of those “difficult to serve” including whether or not they get high pay ing jobs after schooling ends. In order to drive home her point that our children, as human capital, are nothing but pawns in the hands of the state/business community, McLemore refers to the foreword to Alexander Frazier’s book Adventuring, Mastering, Associating: New Strategies for Teaching Children (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development: Washington, D.C., 1976), written by Delmo Della-Dora, president of ASCD (1975–1976), which said, “This work repre sents Alexander Frazier’s attempt to describe what he calls an equal rights curriculum for all children.” On page 83 Frazier said, “Our goal is the removal of inequality among children who have been undertaught, overtaught, mistaught, or not taught some things at all.” On page 15 he said, “Jefferson saw the public school as an agency for finding talent to serve the state. In the same way, the school could recruit for the business and industrial establishment.” V IRGINIA B IRT B AKER ’ S PAPER , WRITTEN IN 1991,”E DUCATIONAL C HOICE —T HE E DUCATION Voucher, Tax Credits, and the Nonpublic Schools” explains very clearly that educational “choice” is a Trojan Horse carrying government control of all schools and schooling. Excerpts follow: “Education is an emotional issue,” he said. “We’re staying away from the word ‘voucher’ because ‘educational choice’ sounds a little more palatable to parents. Educational choice is giving students and their parents a voucher... and we want to mobilize a significant number of people... to get the camel’s nose under the tent.... We’ve got to prepare for the long term…