Deliberate Dumbing Down of America Public Education

Glossary G–23 World Class Education. A term loosely bandied about by government and corporate change agents. It simply means Third World-class academic education and first-class school-to work/school-to-career Soviet/German (Socialist) polytech education. It is a non-competitive system based on national standards and benchmarks that match international standards. Students must embrace a common set of universal beliefs and values in preparation for the next century. This process uses technology (computers, robotics, etc.), mastery learning, continuous progress, and individual education plans which allow for lifelong learning as promoted by the United Nations. (See Global Education )

Behaviorist Terminology

The following list includes words, terms, and phrases used by educators and behavioral psychologists, scientists, sociologists, etc., in their educational research and literature as well as in background papers for elected officials. This list should be of use to the average parent who may not be familiar with these terms, thereby not being alert to their real meaning, allowing their children to be subjected to experimental behavior modification programs which are found in all areas of curriculum from social studies to reading instruction to workforce training. Although some of these words can also be used in a non-behaviorist context, most of them specifically relate to the field of behavioral psychology which holds the evolutionary world view that man is an animal, without soul, conscience, intellect, creativity, and free will. If parents, elected officials, and others are familiar with these words—not necessarily having to thoroughly understand their definitions—they will be able to identify programs which may not be in the best interest of their children or their constituents. One can point to a barrage of education programs and legislation voted on during the past thirty-four years at the local, state, and federal levels which might not have been approved or passed had our elected officials and their constituents recognized and understood the meaning of the words on this list. The reader should also refer to their own dictionary or Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language, 2nd College Edition (William Collins & The World Publishing Co., Inc.: Cleveland, Ohio, 1974) from which several of the following definitions were taken, or this book’s Glossary and/or Index to find definitions for some of the words and the location in this book of instances where the majority of them are used. For instance, appendices II, III, V and VII deal extensively with the subject of behavioral terminology. accountable, accountability All sorts of mischief has been carried out “in the name of account ability,” from the implementation of individualized education—outcome-based education and all its tentacles—to the collection of personal and private data, to the justification of bigger budgets for education, using PPBS, etc. Traditionally, accountability meant being legally responsible for taxpayers’ money; making sure students had adequate resources, teachers, etc., in order to learn. The state was responsible for offering an educational experience for all children—input—not for assuring that every individual child would learn what he was taught. Children were allowed to receive less than perfect grades for their efforts and not all children got what we used to call “the most” from their educational experience. However, the state’s legal responsibility had been fulfilled. Accountability increasingly means that the government schools must be accountable