Education in America
The founding generation of our country would be astonished and marvel at the innovations that have taken place over the past 250 years. From steam engine trains to motor cars to airplanes to space rockets. From electricity to telegraphs to wired telephones to personal computers to phones on your wrist. And the list could go on and on. But when it comes to education and its development into an industrialized system, the reaction would probably be one of shock and dismay.
Education, noun:
The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.
1828 Webster’s Dictionary
The transformation of how Americans educate their children into what we know today as the public education system began with men who desired to bring socialism to our country.[1] As we’ve ushered in the 21st century, it is the United Nations (UN) that provides the vision for the continued development of the education system. Since the mid-twentieth century, the UN has been telling the world that education is a human right for all throughout life.[2] Through the UN Agenda 2030’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4)[3], the UN pushes education for sustainable development and global citizenship. Despite its altruistic sounding goals, Agenda 2030 is a roadmap to global socialism.[4] Our children’s hearts and minds are being molded to adapt the beliefs, values, and attitudes that will enable the UN’s vision to become reality.
State Standards
Though state standards in Colorado began in 1993, it wasn’t until Common Core State Standards (CCSS) hit the scene that standards began to be the driving force behind universalizing education across the nation. Colorado adopted CCSS, which covers math and English language arts, in 2010.[5] Since then, Colorado has adopted additional standards that should be of concern to all parents because of their effect to bring division into the family and to promote a socialist worldview.
- Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE): The aim is to sexualize children as young as they can and make what is perverse for older generations, normal.[6]
- Social Emotional Learning (SEL): This curriculum teaches things like mindfulness, grit, and resiliency.[7][8] It is also bringing Critical Race Theory (CRT) and socialist constructs into the classroom.[9] Note that bullying and suicide prevention programs heavily tie themselves into SEL. See below how SEL assessment data will be used in the future.
- Media Literacy Education (MLE): Teaches children to distinguish between what is true and what is “fake news”. The state recommended resources[10] clearly push one viewpoint, one set of values, and one truth.
- Action Civics: The Constitution and Declaration of Independence are taught from a perspective lacking historic rigor with the ultimate goal of making activists for their socialist cause and undermining our founding principles.[11]
- Restorative Justice: Turns teachers into psychotherapists who attempt to transform the culture of the classroom rather than bringing discipline and justice.[12] Heavily based in critical theory and social justice.
All these state standards are mandated for every public school in Colorado. Every one of these programs takes time in the school day away from teaching the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Other state or federally mandated programs require public schools to hire additional personnel like social workers and counselors whose actions place wedges between children and their parents.
Local Control
The Colorado Constitution states that school boards “shall have control of instruction in the public schools of their respective districts.”[13] The hope has been that local communities would set the standard of instruction for their students based on their unique community needs. But, with the advent of state and federal standards which are tied to massive amounts of funding, school districts would have to take a pass on gobs of money in order to exercise their authority. Currently, total state funding for school districts ranges from $8,489 to $19,536 per student[14], depending on where you live.
Data Collection
Connected to those monies are not only standards but assessments and data collection. This legislative session a bill was passed into law to administer the Colorado Universal Preschool Program and move all early childhood programs into the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC).[15] It gives CDEC the authority to collect data “to monitor early childhood outcomes throughout the state, which must include outcomes in health, including physical, social-emotional, and dental; learning; and overall well-being” with the goal of evaluating “long-term outcomes.”
During the debate on the bill, it became clear that the bill gives the state the authority to begin collecting data on every child beginning at preschool age in the state. It won’t happen right away because they lack the infrastructure or the money for such a program. The most coveted data will come from the SEL programs which are included in every level of education. SEL assesses each student’s beliefs, values, and attitudes and will eventually feed into the destructive Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) scores used to control everyone’s behavior.[16]
Government Funded “School Choice”
Being able to direct your child’s education is essential if indeed you believe as our founders did that the responsibility and the duty to educate children falls squarely on the shoulders of parents. However, advocates who are pushing for government funding to “follow the students” instead of funding the schools through school choice initiatives are ignoring the clear goals of those driving the education industrial complex. Their goal is to have the government fund all education through public schools and Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), whether it be with private non-profit organizations or families themselves, thereby controlling all forms of education through government regulation.
Currently, parents can choose to educate their children through public schools, private schools, or homeschools. Charter schools are essentially public schools. All the things that make charter schools different and attractive to parents depend on the benevolence of elected officials – state board of education members can grant waivers from standards and legislators have passed laws to give more autonomy in how these schools operate. Private schools are not immune from government regulations. They get pulled into federal mandates when they accept federal grant money through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).[17] Homeschools can get pulled into government oversight when families choose to participate in part-time public-school programs.
“School choice” advocates would have parents believe government money will bring freedom. They conveniently ignore the fact that accepting government money always brings government control.
What Can Parents Do?
Bring their children home to educate them. – www.CHEC.org/start
Keep homeschooling free from government funds and control.
Educate themselves and others about the dangers and influences in our American education system. – chec.org/freedom
Work to regain local control of the education system (funding, laws, standards, regulations).
Footnotes:
[1] https://archive.org/details/TheUndergroundHistoryOfAmericanEducation_758/page/n1/mode/2up
[2] https://www.unesco.org/en/education
[3] https://en.unesco.org/education2030-sdg4/targets
SDG 4.7 Education for sustainable development and global citizenship
By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
[4] https://thenewamerican.com/un-agenda-2030-a-recipe-for-global-socialism/
[5] https://www.cde.state.co.us/standardsandinstruction/ccss_in_the_colorado_standards
[6] https://www.comprehensivesexualityeducation.org/
[7] https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/streams-of-consciousness/how-social-emotional-learning-could-harm-our-kids/
[8] https://nancyebailey.com/2018/03/19/social-emotional-learning-the-dark-side/
[9] https://parentsforamerica.com/2021/11/how-and-when-critical-race-theory-infected-social-emotional-learning-culturally-responsive-teaching/
[10] CDE Legislative Report, see the resources listed: https://www.cde.state.co.us/standardsandinstruction/mlaclegislativereport2020
Leading MLE Supplier: https://namle.net/
[11] See this research report: https://www.nas.org/reports/making-citizens-how-american-universities-teach-civics
And this report: https://www.nas.org/reports/skewed-history
[12] https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/restorative-circles-are-unethical-and-have-no-place-schools
[13] Colorado Constitution Article IX, Section 15: https://advance.lexis.com/documentprint/documentprintclick/?pdmfid=1000516&crid=4d0750fa-fb61-4051-8663-054becc24576&ecomp=p3vckkk&prid=6b0526fb-c431-4a6a-a7fe-b82c58e19d9a
[14] See page 9. https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/final_2022_booklet_with_cover.pdf
[15] https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb22-1295
[16] https://lisalogan.substack.com/p/school-choicesocial-credit-system
[17] https://www.ed.gov/essa?src%3Drn
Responses
Really well written and informative.
Thanks.