Deliberate Dumbing Down of America Public Education

385 O N O CTOBER 14, 1997 THE C ENTER OF THE A MERICAN E XPERIMENT B REAKFAST AND L UN cheon Forum Series of Minneapolis, Minnesota held its meeting at the Radisson Plaza Hotel. The flyer announced the appearance of Chester E. Finn, Jr., who would speak on “Reforming Educa tion—Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good Ideas?” Excerpts from the flyer read: Join us for an American Experiment Breakfast Forum at which Chester E. Finn, Jr., discusses why conservatively inspired school reforms frequently get morphed into anti-intellectual and statist mush. Why are basically good ideas such as outcomes-based education and national standards often turned upside down by educational establishmentarians? What does this track record portend for school choice? How can future hijackings be averted? Dr. Finn is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and also serves as John M. Olin Fellow at the Hudson Institute. Quite likely the nation’s most prolific education critic, he is the author of a shelf of books and writes regularly for The Wall Street Journal, Commentary and other publications. [Ed. Note: The flyer conveniently omitted the fact that Chester Finn was one of the architects of President George Bush’s America 2000, which is the foundation document for President Clinton’s Goals 2000 “real” conservatives so thoroughly detest. The author includes this in formation regarding Finn as proof that the dialectic (right vs. left meeting at the radical cen ter) has been accomplished. The “neo-conservatives” have seized the high ground, and are developing and supporting socialist programs initially proposed by the liberals. An example being the flyer statement “basically good ideas such as ‘outcomes-based education,’” which is shocking coming from a supposedly “conservative” organization and speaker. The exceptions are choice, vouchers, magnet/charter schools, which give the appearance of originating with conservatives—which will also track your child into a preplanned future. This alien (socialist) concept is, however, supported by the multinational corporations, foundations, education union leadership, and institutionalized educational research and development change agents for global workforce training purposes. As an example of the above collaboration toward global workforce training taking the place of education, please refer back to the 1976 entry for NEA’s “Cardinal Principles Revisited, 1976,” which included on its panel: David Rockefeller, Chase Manhattan Bank; McGeorge Bundy, Ford Foundation; Francois Blanchard, Syndicat National des Enseignements de Second Degre (France); Lester Brown, Worldwatch Institute; Willis Harman, Stanford Research Institute; Fred Jarvis, National Union of Teachers (England); Sally Swing Shelley, United Nations; Sir Walter Perry, The Open University (England); and Joe H. Foy, Houston Natural Gas Co. The author has selected the above, primarily non-educator individuals, from a lengthy list to help the reader understand how the education establishment at the very top is “in bed with,” or more likely controlled by, leading international think tanks and multinational corporations. The author would also like to point out that the American Experiment organization in Minnesota is another state affiliate of the neo-conservative Heritage Foundation.] The Noxious Nineties : c. 1997 “C LINTON C HARM G ETS R IO W ORKOUT ” WAS THE TITLE OF AN ARTICLE FOR T HE N EWS & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina on October 16, 1997. Excerpt follows: By stressing the importance of education, Clinton identified a passion shared by his Brazil ian host, President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, a university professor who has earmarked a portion of the unexpected earnings from Brazil’s massive privatization project to improve