Deliberate Dumbing Down of America Public Education

306 process for their children would be to dock a certain part of their tax deduction for their children. There could be a scale of activities in which the parents would be required to have documentation—perhaps a sign-off at the school—of participation before they would be allowed to claim their tax deductions for their children. I agree with Daggett that we may have to employ some measures that seem extreme. 26 Returning to a final quote from Total Quality for Schools: A Suggestion for American Education : In all this interpretation, schools are not free. They require responsible commitment from everyone. Citizens would no more be allowed to put obstacles in the way of public educa tors than to interfere with public medical, police, or fire protection personnel who are doing their duty. (p. 53)] I N 1993 THE U.S. D EPARTMENT OF E DUCATION ’ S N ATIONAL C ENTER FOR E DUCATIONAL Statistics (NCES ) described in a handout a joint project between NCES and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to develop an electronic data link between education and the “world of work” called “SPEEDE Express.” This linking process would facilitate local “industry part nerships” and would prepare for the use of an “international standard” for exchanging student records. 27 An excerpt from the handout follows: In 1989, building on projects completed in Florida and Texas, 28 work began on the devel opment of a national (eventually, an international) standard for exchanging student records more efficiently. This system would tap into the sophisticated automation of many education agencies and institutions. The Standardization of Postsecondary Education Electronic Data Exchange (SPEEDE) is intended to assist school districts (grades pre-kindergarten through 12 and postsecondary educational institutions in the United States and Canada) in the pro cess of transmitting student academic records (transcripts) from one educational institution, agency, corporation, or other recipient. M. D ONALD T HOMAS ’ S “P LAN FOR A CTION ” ENTITLED T HE E MPOWERED E DUCATIONAL S YS tem for the 21st Century—Establishing Competitiveness, Productivity, Accountability and Equity in South Carolina Education was presented to the South Carolina legislature in 1993. Included among other radical recommendations in Thomas’s plan was: “Board authority to require parents (guardians) to provide services to schools which their children attend.” In a videotape of Thomas making these assertions at a school board meeting, a parent asked the question, “What would the penalty be if parents didn’t wish to perform such ser vices?” Thomas responded, “Fifty dollars!” He then went on to claim that he had instituted such a requirement in a school system in Utah without resistance. 29

P ETER S HAW WROTE “T HE C OMPETITIVENESS I LLUSION : D OES O UR C OUNTRY N EED TO B E Literate in Order to Be Competitive? If not, Why Read?” for the January 18, 1993 issue of The National Review . The following quotes are from page 41: