Deliberate Dumbing Down of America Public Education

311 [Ed. Note: The above makes sense in light of the fact that “scientific research-based” (behaviorist/operant conditioning) direct, systematic phonics (DISTAR or Reading Mastery) is the phonics reading program developed for special education students, which will be used for all students under the Reading Excellence Act of 1998 passed by Congress. This also fore shadows the emphasis on full funding for the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) in the 1999 debates over the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Educa tion Act (ESEA).] The Noxious Nineties : c. 1993 T HE A PRIL 14, 1993 DRAFT OF THE M ICHIGAN H IGH S CHOOL P ROFICIENCY C OMMUNICA tions Arts Frameworks was published. Excerpts follow: Use Literature to Broaden Experiences To attain this goal literature is used: • to examine beliefs and attitudes. • to reshape students’ thoughts by having them interact with other people and cultures who may have diverse perspectives. [Ed. Note: The first two “purposes” for the use of literature were removed in the 1994 Final Assessment Framework for the Michigan High School Proficiency Test in Reading due to con troversy. Please check the 1994 entry on Michigan’s Communication Arts Framework for an excellent explanation of the real purpose of whole language reading instruction.] “I NTEREST IN C HARACTER E DUCATION S EEN G ROWING ” WAS PUBLISHED IN THE M AY 1993 issue of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development’s (ASCD) Education Update . Some excerpts follow regarding the move to develop programs which will be acceptable to the public while hopefully not resulting in lawsuits filed under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution over separation of church and state. According to ASCD: The subject of controversy and confusion in the last several decades, character education is making a resurgence in public schools. This movement is built on a growing consensus in favor of teaching a set of traditional or “core” ethical values in a more direct way. Experts tracking this trend say the character education movement is growing in response to pressure placed on schools both to reduce student antisocial behavior—including drug use and violence—and to produce more respectful and responsible citizens. The reawakening is occurring “because people are banging on the schoolhouse door,” says Kevin Ryan, director of the Boston University Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character. “The invitation is coming from outside. Parents and policymakers are disturbed by a total inability of our culture to pass on its values.” Thomas Lickona, an author and professor of education at the State University of New York at Cortland, sees the motivating force as a “growing national sense of moral crisis and what people speak of as a steady moral decline.” Some of the causes being discussed are the breakdown of the family, the failure of adults to exercise moral leadership, and the aban donment of ethics at all levels. Society is now turning back to schools to transmit positive • to converse with other minds about important and significant issues. • to learn about human conditions that occur across time and space. • to gain insights into and reflect upon their own and others’ lives. (p. 37)