Deliberate Dumbing Down of America Public Education

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The Noxious Nineties : c. 1998

The suit contends the district violated the constitutional rights of a former teacher who objected to outcome-based education. In the action filed in U.S. District Court in Spokane, the Rutherford Institute alleges the district wrongfully terminated Barbara McFarlin-Kosiec and violated her constitutional rights to free speech and free exercise of religion. The complaint seeks economic damages. Ken Rice, the Kennewick attorney who represents the district, said the district hasn’t been served with the complaint, but he doesn’t believe the suit has merit. He said the district would defend itself vigorously. According to the press release issued by the Rutherford Institute, McFarlin-Kosiec was forced to resign as a teacher in 1995 because of her opposition to outcome-based education. She was a veteran teacher when she was hired in 1993 to teach at Mark Twain Elemen tary. The lawsuit was filed by Greg Casey and Bruce Gore, Spokane attorneys affiliated with the Rutherford Institute.... The Institute describes itself as an international, non-profit civil liberties organization specializing in the defense of human rights. Neither McFarlin-Kosiec nor her attorneys could be reached for comment Wednes day. [Ed. Note: The reader will recognize the name of Barbara McFarlin-Kosiec as one of the teach ers who reviewed and endorsed the deliberate dumbing down of america . Who better could understand the consequences of opposition to the restructuring paradigm shift?] T HE W ASHINGTON T IMES OF J UNE 11, 1998 PRINTED AN A SSOCIATED P RESS ARTICLE EN titled “Congress to Expand Education Savings.” Important excerpts follow: House and Senate negotiators agreed yesterday on a bill to expand tax-favored savings accounts for educational expenses, including tuition at private and religious schools, and to erase a ban on President Clinton’s proposed national standardized tests. The deal removes an obstacle to President Clinton’s plan for voluntary national tests in fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math. Negotiators deleted an amendment passed by the Senate in April that would have banned the standards-based tests unless specifically authorized by Congress and would have converted some Education Department programs into block grants. The negotiators also tacked on a reading bill, supported by Mr. Clinton, that must be signed in order for $210 million to be spent starting July 1 for research, teacher training and grants to help improve reading instruction. [Ed. Note: Although the above legislation did not become law, the importance of this entry relates to (1) the removal of the ban on national testing and (2) the approval of legislation which will mandate a particular method of reading instruction, Skinnerian Direct Instruction in The Reading Excellence Act , which did pass a few months later in November of 1998 as part of the omnibus budget.] A S A SMALL ITEM IN THE J UNE 19, 1998 ISSUE OF T HE W ASHINGTON T IMES , AN ARTICLE appeared entitled “Panel: Make Education Career-Focused” which says in its entirety: All high school students should receive a mixture of academically challenging courses and work experiences regardless of whether or not they plan to attend college, a group of business leaders and educators said yesterday.