Deliberate Dumbing Down of America Public Education

350 The agreement could influence debates likely in Congress this year over school vouch ers and school prayer. But the agreement will be aimed at solving disputes that have divided communities in recent years. “The statement is eagerly awaited,” said Charles Haynes, a visiting scholar at The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center. He brought the groups together with help from the non-partisan Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). “People in Vista, California, and in many other communities have been saying ‘We want it now,’” Haynes said. The Vista school district near San Diego has been fighting over the teaching of evolution and creationism. “This is going to give all these local districts something to look at, something to help guide them.” Haynes said. “Several prominent groups, including the conservative Focus on the Family and the liberal American Civil Liberties Union, did not sign the statement of principles,” Haynes noted. “I don’t think any of them are against it in theory, but thought it was vague,” he said. In part, the agreement will clarify for local teachers, principals and parents what the Supreme Court has ruled is allowable in public schools, such as the fact that religious groups have equal access to school rooms for after-school meetings. “Far too often, constitutionally protected religious liberties are being denied,” said Robert Simonds of Citizens for Excellence in Education. The agreement basically says, “Public schools should not be hostile to religion,” said Education Secretary Richard Riley, who also signed it. [Ed. Note: This writer questions the use of the word “non-partisan” when referring to ASCD, since ASCD—a spin-off of the National Education Association—is not a political party. Also, anyone who uses the ASCD to bring groups together on the issue of religion is behaving like whomever put the wolf in charge of the henhouse. As far as the people in Vista, California saying, “We want it now,” what is it they want now? Why have they hung out the white flag in the war courageous parents across the nation have been fighting since 1945 to hold the line on the issue of “coming to common ground” on values? Allowing religious groups to have equal access to school rooms for after-school meetings is actually the “camel’s nose under the tent” for state regulation of religious activities and the introduction of all sorts of religions into the school’s curriculum. Remember that Secretary Riley said that “Public schools should not be hostile to religion” and even witchcraft is a state recognized religion.] “W HY THE E DUCATION D EPARTMENT M UST G O ” BY G ORDON S. J ONES , FORMER UNDER secretary of education in Secretary T.H. Bell’s department of education, was published in The Washington Times on April 7, 1995. Jones said in part: To put the matter in its starkest terms, state school superintendents like the Department of Education because they are getting, on average nationwide, almost half of their funding and staff courtesy of the federal taxpayer. The state of Michigan, for example, receives 77 percent of its operating budget from the Department of Education; its counterpart in Iowa has 81 percent of its staff paid for by Uncle Sugar.

[Ed. Note: One of the primary reasons for abolishing the U.S. Department of Education is to