Education News -2003 For background information, may we suggest you read Brave New Schools. It provides a practical overview of the global education system and of the manipulative processes and suggestions used in classrooms everywhere to produce global citizens for the 21st Century communities. Most important, it shows how to equip our children with the facts and truths needed to follow God in a world that demands politically correct consensus.

Please share this urgent information with others. See special offer for multiple copies of Brave New Schools or A Twist of Faith..

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December 2002

Canada OKs pro-'gay' books for kids: "'Parental views, however important, cannot override the imperative placed upon the British Columbia public schools to mirror the diversity of the community and teach tolerance and understanding of difference.' Opponents said the high court essentially is marginalizing parents with religious convictions." Silencing the Opposition

 

North Carolina Begins Teaching Character Education: "'Along with illiteracy and innumeracy, we must add deep moral confusion to the list of American educational problems.' Amid fanfare, a new curriculum item has arrived on the scene in North Carolina's public schools. It is called character education and, along with the Student Citizen Act of 2001, promotes target behaviors that successful character education students should exhibit. Traits identified in the character education handbook are courage, good judgment, integrity, kindness, perseverance, respect, responsibility, and self-discipline." Character education builds committed global citizens and undermines biblical character. See Character Training for Global Citizenship

 

The real reason the state opposes homeschooling: "Government's great fear in this matter is not that the kids are being short-changed or abused – it's that they might be getting a better education than the government-educrat de facto monopoly can provide and that the word might get out."

     This article misses the real reason, which is far more ominous. See Molding Human Resources for a Global Workforce

International Teachers Conference on Pedagogy: "This Conference is fast becoming one of the most important conference for pedagogues and educators in the world.... The Ministry of Education of the Republic of Cuba, as well as other prestigious international bodies, are pleased to inform you about the new notice of the Pedagogy Congress whose traditional slogan is 'Meeting for the Unity of Educators'."  See Elian's Future in a Totalitarian State

 

URI Kids - Activities: "For this assignment, students will be writing a paper or story in which they will create their own religion. It should include the major components they have studied, including sacred texts, basic beliefs, holy places.... It could also include special passages, symbols, icons, and whatever concept of God or holy guides the religion has.... Another possibility would be for students to make presentations... and answer questions as if they are the leader of the religion."

      The URI (United Religions) works with UNESCO and its global education system. See Psalm 50:21 and Star Wars Joins United Religions at the Presidio

 

Theory of evolution will face test in vote: "New science guides would give teachers option of discussing and analyzing Darwin's principles.... Ohio would become the first state in the country to allow public school teachers to lecture on the analysis of Darwin's theory....

     "Deborah Owens Fink was part of a committee of state school board members given the job of reviewing the standards and submitting a final draft for the entire board to consider.... 'Too often,' she says, 'this is one of the topics that teachers feel they can't critically analyze.'" 

     That's because science doesn't answer the hard questions about the origin of life. It can't explain how species evolved, and its best answer -- 'natural selection' -- only explains adaptation, not genetic evolution. See What Darwin didn't know

 

Elementary thoughts about Thanksgiving: "'Thanksgiving,' the teacher wrote by way of introducing a book report assignment pegged to the national holiday, 'is a time when families get together to celebrate their traditions and their heritage.'...

      "Indeed, having presented a thoroughly botched holiday definition, my grade-schooler's book report instructions culminated in the following 'Thanksgiving' reading assignment: 'In an effort to understand the world better, we will read multicultural stories of family and immigration.'" See The International Agenda

 

200,000 pupils cannot read at seven: "...the yawning 16 percentage point gap between the performance of girls and boys at 11 - which has steadily widened - is the result of bad teaching that causes boys to lose interest and waste time." See New "Literacy" for a New World

November

Science for 11-year-olds: trigger a bomb: "A briefing document, which tells [British] science teachers how to engage pupils’ interest, includes the suggestion that they 'use ball-bearings to make tilt switches for bombs' [used to on the Bali bombs, which killed more than 190 people]....The advice for teachers is listed under 'strategies for extending pupils’ experience of science.... 'It is certainly diverse and exciting for potential terrorists,' Damien Green, the Conservative education spokesman." As part of the UN's global disarmament program, children are punished even for draw pictures of a gun. But bomb-making is okay? 2 Timothy 3:1-14

 

After-school enrichment plan OKd: "A measure designed by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to funnel more state money into after-school programs was approved Tuesday night. Proposition 49, the After School Education and Safety Program Act of 2002, earmarks up to $550 million of the state's annual budget for tutoring, homework assistance and other enrichment activities."

       Wonder what those "enrichment activities" do to children's values and convictions. They are likely to involve the consensus process, compromise and group corformity. That's just what Bill Clinton called for at the 1997 White House Conference on Hate Crimes:

"There would almost have to be some sort of club or organization at the school, because if you think about it, your parents are still pretty well separated ... We have to find a disciplined, organized way out of this so that we reach every child in an affirmative way before something bad happens."

October

'Day of the Dead' event outlives lawsuit: "Fourth-graders at a California public elementary school will commemorate dead relatives and pets in class today in observance of 'El Dia de los Muertos,' or 'Day of the Dead,' after a judge ruled yesterday the activities represent an acceptable 'cultural event' and pose no 'irreparable harm' for students." See the next link:

District sued over 'Day of the Dead': "According to the written handouts provided to parents, the traditional 'Day of the Dead' celebration is a 'ritual event in which the spirits of dead loved ones are invited to visit the living as honored guests' and reflects the ancient Aztec belief that death is a part of life. As the handouts describe, 'families often set up ofrendas or altars, bearing pictures, lighted candles and traditional items including marigolds, bread, fruit, and favorite foods of deceased family members.'" See Rethinking HALLOWEEN with help from Harry Potter

Responsible Thinking Process TM (RTP): "The intent of this school discipline process is to teach students who are acting as a disturbance within the school environment, how to think of ways of reaching their goals without violating the rights of others.... It is based on Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) which explains how human beings act to control their perceptions in ways that are consistent with their standards and values."  See The UN Plan for Your Mental Health

 

Sensitivity training plan gets preview: "...a court-mandated training program to reduce discrimination based on sexual orientation will be presented tonight to school board members, teachers and parents before it is shown to its intended audience -- ninth-grade students.... 'The main point of the lesson is to prevent harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation, said Carolyn Laub, a representative of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network, who worked with the school district to develop the lesson plan....

       "School officials decided to give the training to all ninth-grade students in the district, incorporating the lesson into the four high school's freshmen health classes. Students who will teach the lesson will be trained by the Gay-Straight Alliance Network.... Students will also learn what to do if they witness discrimination or harassment and how to report incidents." See Your friendly community spies

 

Education. 4th-graders to 'celebrate' the dead: "...the 9-year-olds will be 'putting together an ofrenda with symbolic items' and will be 'bringing in a picture and write up fond memories about a deceased family member, friend or pet.' While the letter defines 'ofrenda' as 'remembrance table,' an accompanying flier defines it as an 'altar.' ... The Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations believed the deceased come back to visit during the ritual....

     "'California state standards require the study of our state,' [said McNear principal Clare Eckhardt]. 'We're required to describe the social, political, cultural and economic life and interactions among the people of California from pre-Columbian societies to Meso-American societies. ....When we're teaching young children, it's often an educational method to role play to study cultural beliefs,' she added." See Psalm 1:1-6, Rethinking Halloween (the last section is repeated in Yu-Gi-Oh and the spirits of Halloween)

Remodel public schools into knowledge factories: "Like factories, schools should be held responsible for outcomes, which requires clear goals and standards. ... Our economy can no longer afford schools that pick winners and losers. What we need is to produce highly educated, well-rounded students based on the standards and approaches used by our most modern and effective factories." When the framework for this worldwide system is in place, there will be no room for independent, non-conforming homeschoolers. See Molding Human Resources for a Global Workforce

Parents Overwhelmingly Support Comprehensive Sex Education: '''Parents and guardians at lower income levels and across ethnicities want their kids to receive a comprehensive approach to sex education that includes information about contraception and condoms to prevent unintended pregnancy and the spread of STDs, as well as about abstinence,' said Tamara Kreinin, president and CEO of SIECUS." See how such programs manipulate the values of our children: Sex Ed and Global Values. No wonder we see moral decay everywhere.

Brits having fits over who tampered with exam results: "The issue gripping most of Britain at the moment is a looming scandal over this year's results in the standardized tests taken by every student here hoping to go to college. The nation's exam boards, school principals and politicians are locked in an emotional dispute over who, if anyone, gave orders to lower the grades of an untold number of students.

     "...student performance in last year's AS-levels was so high it set off accusations that the government had dumbed down the testing system and fostered grade inflation. ... But testing administrators appear to have decided to adjust the grades of some students, so as to bring average numbers more in line with those of previous years.

     "When the scores arrived at British homes last month, many students were stunned to find their final grades were much lower than they, their teachers and their parents had expected. For many homes, this was a disaster, because in the complex British system of university admissions, students win conditional acceptances based upon the expectation that they will achieve certain test scores....

      "Morris, a former teacher who once flunked A-levels, has had her political career tarnished. 'These are not statistics,' she acknowledged at a news conference at which she looked besieged and uncertain. 'These are people's futures.''' To see the power behind today's education standards, see Reinventing the World, Part 3: Global Standards, which we hope to finish this weekend.

September

 Why Spirituality and Why Now? "...some might wonder what spirituality had to do with educational leadership. First, the separation issue is important. It is clear to me (even if it is not clear to the majority of the U.S. Supreme Court) that it is inappropriate for the government to use its power and resources to establish religion. However, religion is specific and spirituality is generic.... [This statement has become a popular justification for promoting Buddhism or paganism in classrooms, while ignoring or vilifying Christianity]

     "You choose the pipe that best suits your needs. Yet what flows through the pipe is essentially the same thing whether you are a Buddhist or a Baptist....

     "The first article is by internationally acclaimed author and speaker Deepak Chopra, who points out that leaders are the symbolic soul of the groups they lead and that great leaders respond from the higher levels of spirit....

     "Rachael Kessler, who wrote The Soul of Education: Helping Students Find Connection, Compassion and Character in Schools, demonstrates that good leaders create community through personalizing, pacing, giving permission and providing protection....

      "Jeffrey Solomon and Jeremy Hunter delve into the psychological basis for spiritual leadership....

      "Best-selling author Margaret Wheatley, better known for her work on the connection of leadership and the new science, demonstrates that perhaps it is a short leap from physics to metaphysics." In today's Postmodern culture, that's becoming true. See Establishing a Global Spirituality

 

Religion or exercise? Debate on yoga raises concerns: "Steve Woodrow, pastor of the First Baptist Church, said this week that the words 'chant,' 'mantra,' 'mandela' and other terms in a Colorado school district yoga program violate federal rulings that bar religion in classrooms. Woodrow made the comments at a public meeting at Aspen High School to air concerns and hear support for the district's plan to teach yoga to elementary students. 'You can't separate the religious and spiritual aspects of yoga from the physical aspects,' Woodrow said, noting the Hindu roots of the ancient exercise form." See Holistic Health

School of International Service: "A unique partnership between American University’s School of International Service in Washington, D.C., and the University for Peace in San Jose, Costa Rica has been created to establish a dual master's degree in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development. This program will provide professionals with multi-disciplinary training for the challenges faced by a growing world population in a changing environment....

       "The University for Peace was established as a Treaty Organization under an International Agreement specifically approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 1980. It was established with "a clear determination to provide humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace and with the aim of promoting among all human beings the spirit of understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, to stimulate cooperation among peoples and to help lessen obstacles and threats to world peace and progress, in keeping with the noble aspirations proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations." See The International Agenda and find Robert Muller, occultist, global education leader, and first head of the UN's University of Peace.

 

Defining whole language: "...whole-language professors have been quite open in defining what they mean by their pedagogic philosophy. So I shall quote some salient passages from their writings.... 'Whole language represents a major shift in thinking about the reading process. Rather than viewing reading as 'getting the words,' whole language educators view reading as essentially a process of creating meanings.... Although students who learn to read in whole language classrooms are, like all proficient readers, eventually able to "read" (or identify) a large inventory of words, learning words is certainly not the goal of whole language."

      The real goal? Training the new generation to see the world from the new global, pluralistic and socialist perspective." See New "Literacy" for a New World

Students Getting a Wrong Number [But, they feel good about themselves!]: "...the federally funded National Assessment of Educational Progress has presented a cheery picture of rising math scores in the last decade, even while arithmetic scores have languished....'For the past several years, there has been a growing groundswell of opposition to the new methods of teaching mathematics,' Lynne Cheney said. 'Parents have known intuitively that it makes no sense to deemphasize skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Tom Loveless has done us all a favor by disentangling, from the available statistics, data showing that parents have been right to be concerned.'"  See Mind Control

Trying to bring students to a higher standard: "...I'd spent 45 futile minutes watching one-fourth of the students bounce off the desks and walls like human paddleballs. Many had not finished their classwork, even though I felt I'd allotted ample time. 'This is it?' I asked, pointing to the thin stack of assignments that had been turned in. 'What about the rest of you?' Usually such a question met with shrugs and lowered eyes. But this time someone answered. 'No offense,'' Tania said, 'but this class is boring.'...

       "Colleagues recommended alternative teaching methods to liven things up, while still trying to cover the standards. Some students respond better to physical activity, or drawing....I tried rewards, like movie passes and homework passes. (Some teachers used candy, but I refused to do that.)....

        "At the beginning of the school year, all the Gilroy schools' teachers gathered at the high school to hear a motivational guest speaker. One thing he said stuck in my mind: 'If a kid fails, that's his grade,' he said. 'But that's your grade as well.' By that measure, my year of teaching was a miserable failure.... My biggest failure, I felt, was not that some students hadn't learned the material. It was that there were so many I couldn't even persuade to try."

        Boredom, laziness, futility.... What's happening to many of our children and youth? Notice the "progression" in the next three links - from popular entertainment to lawlessness, to upside-down values to the compromising church. See the first comment and the first four items here:  Culture

August

Book faces ban - 'It's Perfectly Normal' condones homosexuality: "A children's sex-education book that has sold more than 650,000 copies in 17 languages around the world during the past eight years got a possible kiss-of-death review....

     "'It's not sex education,' said Frances Brown.... 'It's pornography. It's horrible.' ... Retired elementary school teacher Wynne Harris, also from Cut and Shoot, called the work 'vulgar.'" Proverbs 22:6

 

Crusading to keep kids clueless (Michelle Malkin): "The public education monopoly can't stand the thought of 'unqualified' parents teaching their own children. That is why they are cracking down on home schooling, even as a new study shows that thousands of public school teachers themselves are shamefully unqualified to educate the nation's students....

      "How dare 'uncredentialed' parents rise up in revolt? How dare they demand excellence, discipline, and a curriculum that reflects their values and love of country? Mocking home schoolers as fringe radicals and religious extremists, meddling with their teaching materials, and forcing them to beg public school officials for permission to educate their own children wasn't enough to defeat the growing movement. So now California's educracy has adopted a new motto: If you can't beat 'em, criminalize 'em." Brainwashing in America

 

Teaching to the test': "[John] Dewey's ideas were tried out on a large scale in the Soviet Union in the 1920s, before they had achieved similar influence in the United States. During a visit to the Soviet Union in 1928, Dewey reported 'the marvelous development of progressive educational ideas and practice under the fostering care of the Bolshevik government.'

      "He noted that the Soviets had broken down the barriers between school and society, which he had urged others to do, and said, 'I can only pay my tribute to the liberating effect of active participation in social life upon the attitude of the students.' Here we see the early genesis of the current idea in today's American schools that the children there should be promoting causes, writing public figures and otherwise 'participating' in the arena of social and political issues." Soviet Education in the 1930s compared to U.S. Education in 2001

 

NEA delivers history lesson: "The National Education Association is suggesting to teachers that they be careful on the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks not to 'suggest any group is responsible' for the terrorist hijackings that killed more than 3,000 people.

      "...another of the suggested NEA lesson plans — compiled together under the title 'Remember September 11' and appearing on the teachers union health information network Web site — takes a decidedly blame-America approach, urging educators to 'discuss historical instances of American intolerance,' so that the American public avoids 'repeating terrible mistakes.'" See The International Agenda

 

U.S. demands end to hiring of uncredentialed teachers: "California, with 32,000 uncredentialed teachers, stands to lose hundreds of millions of education dollars if it cannot figure out how to hire a 'highly qualified teacher' in every classroom, as the new federal Education Act requires by 2006."

       Unlike traditional teachers who focused on the 3 Rs, the new "qualified teachers" must be able to teach children "A New Way of Thinking."

 

Deconstructing Public Education: "Public education in America is a mess. No amount of money or fixing is going to turn it around. Humanists, cultural Marxists, the psychologically oriented social engineers and gurus are in charge. Those who seek to deconstruct America, its values, its institutions and its history, as well as its future as a sovereign state, are running the show called American public education....

      "These are the new totalitarians, who adopted psychological tools that have created the dumbed-down, tuned-out, easily manipulated, irrational people that most public schools turn out by the millions." Brainwashing in America

July

Don't sacrifice your children: "...whether or not it's a deliberate plot to dumb down our kids – intellectually and morally – it's time for you to put a stop to it. What can you do?" New Beliefs for a Global Village

 

Parents outraged over school sex survey of 10-year-olds: "Seven Mesquite School parents whose children were given a controversial survey that asked questions of a sexual nature have filed a claim against Palmdale School District of the Antelope Valley, about 50 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The survey had asked youngsters if they thought about having sex... ...Besides the sexually oriented questions, the survey also asked if the youngsters had bad dreams or nightmares, if they felt lonely or angry, or if "scary ideas or pictures just pop into my head." Brainwashing in America

 

Employers attack 'degree culture': "England needs more plumbers and fewer media studies graduates, employers say. The Institute of Directors says people are leaving university with useless degrees which could damage their job prospects not improve them." Molding Human Resources for a Global Workforce

 

A Test Worth Teaching To: "The International Baccalaureate is a prestigious program developed in 1968 to accommodate the needs of mobile foreign diplomats.... In the last decade, the IB has grown rapidly in the United States; currently, some 400 high schools in this country offer the program.... More recently, the program has grown because educators see it as consistent with the standards movement’s emphasis on challenging expectations for student performance....

    "Teachers in the IB program acknowledge that the curriculum is more prescriptive than they are accustomed to, but they do not object. 'Teachers do need to follow the [IB] curriculum, that’s true. I can’t go off on my own tangent,' says Jane Greenaway." International Baccalaureate Organization

 

Four religions' plan for multi-faith school aims to establish a trend: "The Church of England has thrown its weight behind an extraordinary proposal to unite Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Hindu children in the country's first multi-faith secondary school. The plans, backed by leading figures from all four of Britain's main religious groupings, are aimed at transforming the image of faith-based education which has been criticised in the wake of last summer's race riots....

      "Canon John Hall, head of the church's board of education, said the plans for a multi-faith school marked the beginning of a new era. 'The new century is going to be a time when communities from completely different faith backgrounds work together and understand each other better.' ...Muslim and Hindu parents have long been keen to enrol their children at Anglican schools where they feel religion is taken seriously." Establishing a Global Spirituality. See the next item:

Schools to put faith in: "While educating Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Christian children together is certainly better than educating them apart, why stop at these minority groups? Why not educate children of all faiths and none together, so that they learn by experience to live in a society comprising many beliefs, including non-religious ones as well as many more than just four religions." We follow close behind: America's Spiritual Slide.

A test worth teaching to: "The International Baccalaureate is a prestigious program developed in 1968 to accommodate the needs of mobile foreign diplomats.... In the last decade, the IB has grown rapidly in the United States; currently, some 400 high schools in this country offer the program.... More recently, the program has grown because educators see it as consistent with the standards movement’s emphasis on challenging expectations for student performance....

    "Teachers in the IB program acknowledge that the curriculum is more prescriptive than they are accustomed to, but they do not object. 'Teachers do need to follow the [IB] curriculum, that’s true. I can’t go off on my own tangent,' says Jane Greenaway." International Baccalaureate Organization

 

A new dawn for cyber schools: "The state budget bill passed last month defines a cyber charter school as 'an independent public school... in which the school uses technology in order to provide a significant portion of its curriculum to deliver a significant portion of instruction to its students through the Internet or other electronic means.'...

      "The new law also will shift oversight and regulation duties to the state. In addition, the state - not the local school district - will grant or deny all new charter-renewal applications, with appeals still going before the Charter Schools Appeals Board. Existing charters, granted by a local school district, will be honored through the length of their current charter. Once they expire, the cyber school must renew its charter through the Department of Education." Homeschooling families that participate in this controlled system lose their freedom to guide their children's education. Pray that homeschoolers not be forced into the system. Remember, Clinton's Goals 2000 and President Bush "no child left behind" call for full participation of all children and adults in their "lifelong learning" system. See next item: 

 

repeat Education. No Child Left Behind – Republican Ode to Socialism: "If Republican political leaders were as honest and principled as their frequent appeals to moral values reflect...there would be never be a 'No Child Left Behind' scam....

     "Today's party would turn its back on the fundamental laws of nature and government which perpetuate liberty, the very laws it has always claimed to sustain, and become one with the agenda of Third Way "new Democrats" by demanding federal educational block grants, followed by the inevitable, deplorable federal educational standards and curriculum guidelines...." Sad but true. This compromise program continues the nationalization of "lifelong" education (including "service learning) and psycho-social manipulation of every American student. See Brainwashing in America and Comparing the U.S. & the UNESCO Education Plan

 

College profs steeped in post-modernism: "Graduating college seniors say professors in the U.S. consistently teach a post-modern philosophy that there are no uniform standards of right and wrong.... Post-modern thought, Balch says, is the belief that people can have whatever ethics they like, an 'anything goes' attitude.... 'There's deep debates going on in our culture about whether right and wrong has any type of objective standard.'...

       "Students also reported that 'recruiting a diverse workforce in which women and minorities are advanced and promoted' is being taught more by professors than is 'providing clear and accurate business statements to stockholders and creditors.'...

        "Surely in the future, if we send our students into the world with a kind of easy conscience, with the belief that if it feels good it's good, that can't bode well for how any of our institutions are going to perform, whether they be political institutions or business institutions." 2 Tim 4:3-4 and Brainwashing in America

June

Kid Pelted With Jelly As Punishment: "English teacher Frank Fleming had the classmates toss jelly at eighth-grader Andy Johnson as punishment for refusing to take part in a reading exercise. Johnson had agreed to is as an alternative to detention or suspension. It was among the suggestions on folded slips of paper submitted by other students, and randomly selected by Johnson....

     "School Principal Daphne Thacker said students laughed as they threw the jelly at their classmate, who also was laughing. 'It was real creative, not punishment of any sort,' Thacker said."

Public school no place for mandated courses on religious or character values, say older students: "College students and teenagers have concerns about imposing a particular set of values on a diverse population, says the study, published in the May/June issue of Child Development. Younger children, however, are more likely to feel government should legislate the promotion of positive values such as racial equality, honesty, industriousness and patriotism as well as religious values." Character Training for Global Citizenship

Schools conspire against boys: "Schools are essentially anti-boy by their design, an Australian education expert told an international conference of boys' educators yesterday. The poor performance of boys is inevitable because schools themselves are organized in ways that seem to conspire against boys doing well....

     "Girls have now surpassed boys in university enrolments, with female undergraduates making up almost 60% of the post-secondary student body across North America." This was one of the goals of the global feminist movement. See Mine is the Power

 

Sex Ed in Kindergarten? "Parents of kindergartners in Morgan Hill, Calif., are outraged after their 5-year-olds received an explicit sex education lecture from the principal. Principal James Hamilton, of the Paradise Valley Elementary School, taught the session without prior notice to parents." Sex Ed and Global Values

 

Pupils of 7 will assess their own teachers: "Children as young as seven will be consulted about the performance of their teachers under a plan to place schools under a legal duty to consult pupils on all aspects of classroom life. They will be asked their views on the curriculum, teachers' ability, bullying and work experience....

      "Education reports are to be made more 'child friendly' so that pupils can discuss them as part of the campaign to involve children in drawing up policies affecting them. The prospect has alarmed teachers who fear their attempts to keep discipline will be undermined if pupils can grade them or change rules they dislike. ...Its 'action plan for the involvement of children and young people' says a small 'customer focus unit' will be set up within the department to advise staff on involving children and young people when drafting policies and making decisions which will affect them." Isaiah 3:5-12

 

My Brief Teaching Career: "Lack of parental support, lack of experienced teachers, lack of a safe environment for teachers and students: these are terrible and familiar problems in the city schools, and for all these reasons this first year of teaching will be my last. Lack of a supportive administration, however, exacerbates all these problems....

     "A seventh grader who had caused another teacher to need medical attention screamed at me to 'get out of his face,' in the presence of the principal, and she quietly asked him to lower his voice. While two students shouted "faggot" at each other, the principal turned to another girl and asked her to spit out her gum. Although teachers have been physically hurt, threatened and verbally abused, the "in-house suspension" usually meted out amounts to clerical work and chats with the secretaries and other suspended students in an air-conditioned office." 2 Tim 3:1-14

 

AIDS Study: Behaviour Must Change: "A year after the 189-nation General Assembly adopted a plan to halt the AIDS epidemic, a U.N. report issued Sunday said 'dramatic changes' in sexual awareness and behavior are still needed in many poor countries to stop the advance of the killer disease.

       "The report examined data from 39 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America and concluded that while campaigns have raised awareness of the HIV virus and AIDS in many developing countries, they have not had a major impact on people's behavior - and their perception of risk. ... Even in countries where HIV rates are high, the report found a large majority of men and women considered themselves at little or no risk of contracting AIDS."

        The next link shows the probable "resolution" to this global crisis, which is caused, in part, by the political battle against God's guidelines:

'Peace tables' teach pupils another way: "Learning peacemaking skills is a priority for the school - as important as reading and math. "We say, stop this fighting," said Britanny Shortall, a kindergartner ...The Peace Center in Langhorne, which set up Leary's program, has helped more than 120 elementary, middle and high schools in Bucks County, Philadelphia and South Jersey to launch programs to diffuse tensions and enhance harmony. Other groups, including Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Devereaux Foundation, which works with troubled children, and Creating the Peaceable Classroom are training teachers and students in antiviolence efforts."  New Beliefs for a Global Village

A world without F's: "Across the country, one poisonous lesson was pumped into the systems of self-esteem-inflated students: There is no such thing as failure.

     "Christine Pelton, a now-famous former biology teacher at Piper High School in Piper, Kansas, resigned last month when her school board -- pressured by angry parents -- refused to support her flunking of nearly 30 students who plagiarized. Two lesser-known teachers also refused to play along with the education establishment's dumbing-down games. They tried to give out F's, too. Their reward for showing children that slacking off has consequences? Humiliation, intimidation and litigation."

      Under the new accountability system, schools and staff are assessed for success as well as students. They, too, cheat to inflate their record. See Silencing the Opposition

 

U.S. Kids Not Quite On The Map: "Given a blank map of the United States, one in three fourth-graders can't find their state and mark it with an X. When asked to write the name of the 'state or district where you live,' many marked an adjacent state or wrote the name of their city. The question was on a national geography test given last year." A New Way of Thinking

 

Pathetic plight in Peoria: "On May 22, English teacher Elizabeth Joice of Sunrise Mountain High School in Peoria received a letter from Stan Massad, an attorney representing the family of a senior who had just failed Joice's class. As a result of her failure, the student had been told she would not be permitted to participate in graduation ceremonies the next day, May 23. Pressure from the lawyer, the student's parents, or both ultimately succeeded in convincing officials of the Peoria Unified School District to direct Joice to allow the student to retake an English final exam she originally had failed, an extraordinary privilege not granted any other failing student." Read the lawyer's letter, then the teacher's response:

 

Elementary Schools Sued for Unlawful Pro-Homosexual Presentations: "The presentations, entitled 'Cootie Shots', exposed elementary school children, as young as 7-years-old, with skits containing gay and lesbian overtures. The presentations were followed by question and answer sessions about what constitutes 'normal' families and acceptance of those who choose the homosexual lifestyle. ... Such presentations are anticipated by many to become commonplace in California public schools following recent state legislation AB-537, which recommends overt pro-homosexual and pro-transsexual 'tolerance' instruction." Sex Ed and Global Values

 

What's happening in U.S. schools? "The kids are asked to form a circle. Your child is told to stand in the center, and is asked by a special guest from Planned Parenthood: 'Does your church consider homosexual behavior to be a sin?' Ask the ninth-graders in Arcata, Calif., how they felt, when it happened to them. ...

     "If your child attends middle-school in Seattle, you may – or may not – know about 'Challenge Day,' facilitated by a for-profit outfit called 'Resource Realizations,' in which kids are coerced into confessing their wrongs. ....

     "At Aptos High School in Santa Cruz, Calif., 300 students are bunched up in the gym, on one side of a line drawn on the floor. Then a series of questions are asked. If the answer is yes, the kids are told to step across the line. Some of the questions asked: Are you a good kisser? Anyone in your family addicted to drugs? Do you have a friend or relative who is gay or lesbian? Do you currently practice abstinence? Have you ever considered suicide? These are a few of dozens of deeply personal questions students are asked to answer publicly. What on earth is going on in our schools?" Sex Ed and Global Values

 

Math plan doesn't add up: "Rather than cover large numbers of mathematical topics in a disconnected format, Connected Math attempts to concentrate on math's 'big ideas,' like problem-solving, and present students with more real world applications, Sherlock-Robson said. It's done in teams and is 'discovery-based'....

     "Parents complain the Connected Math text is confusing, poorly written, doesn't stress independent thinking and allows for use of calculators constantly, leaving students out of practice with fundamental processes. ...'Our children can't afford another year of wasted math,' said Sharon Rost..." Mind Control

May

Boys take a tumble (No link without registration. Science News, 5-11-02): "From grades 1 through 12, boys report progressively steeper drops in appraisals of their own academic abilities and in the value they place on basic school subjects than girls do, according to a long-term study. This trend may contribute to a growing tendency for high school boys to drop out of school.... In contrast, more girls than ever are staying in school.... In math, boys entered school feeling more competent than girls did, only to report a sharper decline. By grade 12, girls felt more competent in math than boys did. For language-related subjects, boys and girls rated themselves as equally competent at first, but over time, boys reported steeper declines in competence, leaving high school girls with considerably brighter views about their language skills." Small wonder, considering how "new, new math" emphasizes writing and communication skills, not mathematical computation or a correct answer. And radical feminist who hate men and have pushed this transformation, are cheering.  Families with boys trapped in this manipulative system may want to consider this solution: The Three Myths of Homeschooling. The next link is better:

Education. Underperforming boys create ed `gender gap': "Boys in Massachusetts' urban school systems are far less likely to graduate high school, enroll in college or earn college diplomas compared to girls - a `gender gap' crisis that threatens to create a massive male underclass in the Bay State, a survey released yesterday found.... A gender equity movement in the 1980s and 1990s succeeded in boosting academic performance in girls." To understand why, see Mine is the Power.

Mom Sues Over Ejection From School Assembly On Homosexuality: "This case is about protecting the rights of parents to participate fully in the education of their children.... Parents do not abandon their rights as parents once their children go to school. Parents have a right to know what a school is teaching their children, and should not be punished for exercising their parental responsibilities. That's exactly what happened in this case." See What Happened To Parents' Rights?

Lessons in shaping 'intellectual' character: "Ritchhart has identified six dispositions as central to intelligence. A person must be curious, open-minded, reflective, strategic, skeptical, and must search for truth and understanding. By looking at cognitive ability as a set of behaviors rather than an innate talent, intelligence becomes something that educators can teach."

       Apparently, the word "intelligence" has been re-defined to fit the needs of educational "change agents" determined to establish the new global beliefs and values around the world. The new meaning fits the standard for the kind "critical thinking" that is "open-minded" to the planned change. It encourages curiosity and search into all kinds of "truths" and values that match its vision but "closed" the old absolutes of the Bible. See Prov 3:5-7, 4:23-27 and New Beliefs for a Global Village

How Big Brother Plans Your Career: "The School to Work program, which is written into U.S. law, aims to decide for your children what line of work they should be trained and educated for, according to the needs of the state, collaborating with big business. It has all the appearances of a back-door approach to the police state.... The system won’t develop overnight, of course. For such a program to be imposed on a freedom-loving public, there must be stealth and gradualism. But the machinery for it has been written into law." Indeed it has. And it's part of the new global management system. See Molding Human Resources for a Global Workforce

History Still a Mystery to Many Students: "Nearly six in 10 of the nation's high school seniors lack even a basic knowledge of U.S. history, a situation that is virtually unchanged after seven years of concerted effort to bolster history instruction, test results released yesterday by the Department of Education show. Just... 57 percent of fourth-graders knew that a major cause of the Civil War was the split between the North and South over slavery. ...'Since the seniors are very close to voting age . . . one can only feel alarm that they know so little about . . . history and express so little capacity to reflect on its meaning,' said Diane Ravitch, a historian and member of the National Assessment Governing Board." See The International Agenda

Kindergarten Suspension Suit Denied: "A federal judge threw out a civil lawsuit filed by the parents of a kindergartner who was suspended for playing cops and robbers at school. Scot and Cassandra Garrick sued the Sayreville school district in June 2000 after their 6-year-old son and three classmates were disciplined for playing the game and pointing their fingers as guns." Zero Tolerance For Non-Compliance

Private schools compare faiths, discover unity: "Unity began with a somewhat awkward Thanksgiving celebration last fall. ... Now, months later, the groups are more comfortable with each other and embracing their differences --- and similarities. At Clara Mohammed's program, an 'incense road' was created that linked all major prophets from the faiths. 'We've had a good reception from parents and teachers and wondered why we haven't thought of this before,' said Sandra El-Amin, principal at Clara Mohammed. The program isn't designed to be a one-shot, feel-good experience. Sixth-graders in attendance Thursday will continue this education for the next two years. The schools also are designing a joint community service project." Deut 8:10-20

Tai Chi pupil power: "A Belfast primary school is experimenting with Far Eastern martial arts instead of class assemblies. However, the school says it will not make the children more aggressive. Most school assemblies have worthy messages based on religion or topical issues. However, at Cranmore integrated primary they are trying out Tai Chi - a slowed down version of martial arts. A Power Ranger and a Tai Chi master lead the way for primary three pupils in an alternative assembly."  Establishing a Global Spirituality

 

Teacher's Bad Day Paints a Bigger Picture: "As [Substitute teacher Darlene] Hamilton tells the story, it was a very bad day....  Hamilton asked [an angry student] out into the hall, in hopes that without an audience she would calm down. Then came the sort of moment that chills the soul of any educator familiar with the state of the law, the outrage about child abuse and the manner in which bureaucratic school systems deal with their teachers." Just another sign of the revival of a lawlessness that was normal to the West before Christian values changed cultures.  Matt 24:12

 

Sex ed bill stirs a bizarre debate: "Supporters want to eliminate a portion of state law that bars teachers from promoting homosexuality and to ensure that the sex curriculum is medically accurate. Conservatives were furious..." Sex Ed and Global Values

 

7-Year-Old Charged With Felony for Pencil Stabbing : Police have charged a 7-year-old with felony aggravated battery after he allegedly stabbed four elementary school classmates with a pencil." Might pencils be outlawed next? 2 Tim 3:1-14

April

The New Federal Curriculum And How It's Enforced: "The new federal curriculum is a hidden curriculum, but occasionally some evidence of it appears. The homosexual agenda, for example, comes under the purview of multiculturalism. Federal law now requires that multiculturalism be taught in all the schools.

      What does this hidden curriculum look like? An article called "Restructuring Education", by ShirleyMcCune... gives us a forecast...: "Our society has undergone profound economic, demographic and social transformation, a transformation that impacts virtually every aspect of our individual and collective lives. It is the manifestation of a new era of civilization and the movement from a national to a global society." ...She does not say the curriculum consists of academic disciplines: math, history, geography, English, science, but that it is interdisciplinary...." To see the occult roots of McCune's vision for the world, read Star Wars Joins United Religions at the Presidio

 

Keep feds out of sex education: "Remember Naomi Wolf? She was the consultant hired by Al Gore's presidential campaign to advise the candidate on everything from his wardrobe to how an ''alpha male' should act. Gore went to elaborate lengths to hide Wolf's involvement in his campaign, perhaps because of what The Washington Post called 'her many provocative views.'' Among them: 'that the best way to strike a balance between abstinence and sexual intercourse is to teach teenagers `sexual gradualism' or masturbation, mutual masturbation, and oral sex.' Gore lost, but Wolf's views prevailed...." See Sex Ed and Global Values

 

Stop yobs at nursery stage, says Blunkett: "Tomorrow's teenage criminals can be identified, and intercepted, in nursery school, David Blunkett said yesterday. The Home Secretary, in his first major speech on the family, said the earliest possible intervention was needed to prevent later delinquency. The behaviour of children aged three and four years should be monitored to spot those who could eventually join gangs and cause misery in their neighbourhoods....

       "Some academics, however, question whether early predictions of criminal potential are scientific or even ethical since the action required stigmatises the child. But Mr Blunkett said: "Instead of trying to pick up the pieces when things go wrong, it makes a lot more sense to invest resources in prevention." The UN Plan for Your Mental Health

Education Reform Organization Chart: It helps you see the whole picture as well as the parts.

School's out for ever (British Telegraph): "...Add to that the rising number of assaults on teachers (many go unreported) and what many demoralised staff perceive as a lack of effective disciplinary sanctions...." 2 Tim 3:1

District digs in its heels over home educators - Family facing prosecution, jail over 'truancy' considers lawsuit: "San Juan Unified School District officials show no sign of yielding in their truancy case against a home-schooling family and, to the contrary, are taking steps to crack down on all home-schooling. ...'It seems that once you enroll a child in the San Juan School District they think he's a possession for life,' Sandra Sorensen told WorldNetDaily." Comparing the U.S. & the UNESCO Education Plan

Catholic school board rules against gay prom date: "A gay Toronto-area high school student will not be allowed to take his boyfriend to his prom after a Catholic school board rejected his request Monday.... [Marc] Hall, in tears after the decision, called the school 'homophobic' and told the board the ruling made him feel rejected. ... 'I believe in justice and that God loves me for who I am,' Hall said. He says he still plans to take his boyfriend to the prom, and that his lawyer will ask for a court injunction to reverse the board's decision."  He may well win the case -- and speed the erosion of religious freedom. Political correctness seems to overshadow God's guidelines these days. Matt 24:12

"Day of Silence": In "Homosexual group targets schools for 'Day of Silence' campaign," Michael L. Betsch writes, "The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), a homosexuality advocacy group, is asking students nationwide to take a nine-hour vow of silence on Wednesday to recognize and protest the circumstances facing homosexual students.... The Day of Silence organizers suggest that children planning to protest April 10 'brainstorm' to create a list of people 'who are likely to stand in your way.'"  In other words, "it's a way to silence people who disagree with homosexuality" and vilify students who base their values on the Bible. See Clinton's War on Hate Bans Christian Values

Testing the Boundaries of Parental Authority over Education: The Case of Homeschooling by Rob Reich, (requires Acrobat Reader) Abstract: "Should, and if so, how should the liberal state regulate homeschooling, the arrangement that gives parents the most control over the education of children? ...In the first section, I look at the recent history of homeschooling... In section two, I canvas a trilogy of interests in education -- the parents’, the state’s, and the child’s -- as a prelude to considering the justifiability of homeschooling. I argue here that while each party shares an interest in the development of children into normal adulthood, the state has an independent interest in educating for citizenship and the child has an independent interest in an education for autonomy, neither of which may be shared by parents.

       "...one function of any school environment must be to expose children to and engage students with values and beliefs other than those they are likely to encounter within their homes. Because homeschooling is structurally and in practice the least likely to meet this end, I argue that while the state should not ban homeschooling it must nevertheless regulate its practice with vigilance." (Paper prepared for delivery at the 2001 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, San Francisco, Aug. 30 - Sept. 2, 2001.)  2 Chron 20:12 and Silencing the Opposition

 

Sex education advisers ban celibacy [abstinence] group: "...teachers who booked a youth theatre company to preach a message of sexual abstinence in their schools have been told not to repeat the invitation because it is 'unsuitable' for pupils. ...The row blew up after eight secondary schools in the resort were visited by the Canadian Challenge Team, an Ottawa-based volunteer youth group which travels the world with its message that 'the safest sex is no sex'. ...

     "'Members of our team went to see it and were quite anxious about some of the messages it was portraying... In particular, its anti-condom message was not helpful.'" Sex Ed and Global Values

 

Gay-straight clubs growing in schools: "... gay students -- and their straight allies -- are pleased to have a club of their own, a weekly forum to share worries, frustrations and laughs. ... Gay-straight alliances, or GSAs, first appeared in Massachusetts in 1989 and have spread rapidly coast-to-coast in recent years. About 1,000 of America's 26,000 high schools now have them, according to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. Critics argue that GSAs promote homosexuality and have no place in schools. Defenders say the clubs are invaluable in encouraging tolerance and easing the isolation that drives many gay students into substance abuse and suicide attempts. ... 'The whole point is to unify,' [said Ellyn Lambeck, a junior.]" Proverbs 12 But some lesbians prefer to create a culture of their own, even if it hurts their child. See the next item:

Textbook Politics: "For many in the public school system, the primary goal of education has been to drive a new level of political awareness in the next generation. The outrages of big business, the fragile environment and the oppression of native cultures have become a sort of holy trinity within the curriculum." Brainwashing in America

March

'Om' schooling  - Schools reach for yoga to calm and collect students: "Slowly opening his eyes, Rosa Parks Elementary fourth-grader Benny Huang said, 'I feel really grumpy in the morning. Yoga makes me feel ungrumpy.'...The kid-geared yoga program fits perfectly into the California Department of Education's goals for physical education programs. ...  An ideal program, says state schools chief Delaine Eastin, emphasizes 'the whole child -- physically, mentally and socially.' ...

      "The hatha [yoga] program used in these schools was created in 1997 by respected yoga teacher Tony Sanchez, who founded the nonprofit United States Yoga Association and runs the San Francisco Yoga Studio. The kid-geared yoga program fits perfectly into the California Department of Education's goals for physical education programs.... An ideal program, says state schools chief Delaine Eastin, emphasizes 'the whole child -- physically, mentally and socially.' ...

      "Sanchez's program, called ABC Yoga, combines mind and matter.... Teachers incorporate yoga into lessons on physics, anatomy and geometry. While careful not to discuss yoga's religious aspects, teachers do explore the history of yoga and its exercises." See Psalm 1:1-6 and Establishing a Global Spirituality

 

Teachers tell church schools to open doors: "Church schools should lose their power over admissions and be forced to take children from other religions, a teachers' leader said yesterday. He warned that the Government's decision to encourage more faith schools risked the establishment of 'Osama bin Laden academies'...." John 16:33

 

District 'harasses' home educators: "Mom investigated for neglect, faces jail over child's 'truancy' ...Officials accused Sorensen of neglect, reporting her to California child welfare authorities, and are planning to prosecute her in the Sacramento County courts. The legal actions arose after she and her husband decided to set up a private school within their home for their 10-year-old son." 2 Cor 2:14

 

Creationism in schools 'leads to more bigotry': "Teachers joined the simmering row over creationism in the classroom yesterday, arguing that the Government's willingness to take money from millionaires 'with strong views' threatened to result in a generation of 'bigots'. Secular campaigners called on ministers to ban the teaching of creationism in state-funded schools, warning that failure to do so would allow 'every crackpot religious group to start peddling their own mad fantasies in schools'." Matt 10:16-22

 

Students are volunteering and making a difference: "Though teens often get a bad rap, Gajdatsy and a group of her peers spent their midwinter vacation in a plastic-draped room at Camp Fire USA's Seattle headquarters painting panels to install in a bus shelter. ...

      "Volunteer Corps projects count toward service hours now required by many school districts. New Seattle high-school students, for example, must complete 60 hours of 'service learning' to graduate. All corps projects include education, service and reflection where students show what they learned from the experience." To understand the manipulative process of "service learning," see Serving a Greater Whole andThe Nazi Model For Outcome-Based Education

 

Character education becomes vital part of curriculum: "The students at Charles F. Johnson Elementary School in Endicott don't walk down halls, they walk down philosophies. Every corridor has a street name, like 'Harmony Boulevard,' 'Peace Street,' 'Friendly Crossings' or 'Helping Hands Drive.' Students eat their lunches in 'Diversity Hall.' ...

     "In 2000, when New York's Schools Against Violence in Education legislation was put in place mandating character education, Charles F. Johnson was ready. The three C's -- civility, citizenship and character, cornerstones of the the new educational system, were already just as important as the three R's at the school." See Character Training for Global Citizenship

 

Boy can use girls' washroom before sex change: "A high-school student in the early stages of changing his sex has been granted permission to use the girls' washroom at his school, despite the objections of some parents. 'This student has been medically authorized to live and dress as a woman and therefore has a right to use the girls' washroom,' [said] Carola Lane, superintendent of the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District." See Sex Ed and Global Values

February

Berkeley sexuality class under fire: "The University of California at Berkeley has suspended a male sexuality class after the campus newspaper published allegations that students watched their instructor have sex at a strip club and participated in an orgy at an extracurricular party.... 'Those sorts of activities are not part of the approved course curriculum,' Felde said....

      "A female sexuality course is also under review.... The courses were offered under the university's 'democratic education' or 'de-cal' program, which are sponsored but not funded by the university. They are organized and run by student instructors and can be taken for credit toward graduation. Other such courses are Blackjack, where students are taught how to count cards, and Copwatch....". Matt 24:12

 

Academic cheating is on the rise, researchers say: "High school students cheat. Not all of them, of course, but many. And those who do think it's no big deal. ... But the core reason for a perceived national increase in cheating is an overall decline in personal integrity, with some adults setting poor standards, say researchers and those who deal with ethical issues. From would-be Notre Dame coach George O'Leary, who lied.... 'If you look at the sports world and the business world and the political world and your personal world, you see a whole lot of cheating going on,' said Phil Anderson, director of the honor system at Kansas State University. 'It's in the culture...and students think they can get away with it.'" 2 Tim 3:1-14

 

Public School Textbook Calls Jews 'Illiterates': "A Los Angeles public schools textbook on the Muslim religion was yanked this week after it was discovered that the book's foreword describes Jews as 'illiterates who reject knowledge.' ... Despite the anti-Semitic slur, Los Angeles school district official Jim Konantz suggested the book's removal may not be permanent. 'We're going to talk to the foundation members and determine exactly why the commentary's there and whether there is research to support it,' he told the AP."  Compare that lie with the following warning from a Jewish mother who was hiding with her daughter from Nazi persecution during the second world war.  The little girl saw a plane flying overhead and and happily announced that it belonged to the Allies, not the Nazi Axis. She had recognized it by its flight pattern. "Hush, said the mother. "Don't show your knowledge or people will discover that you are Jewish." The same could be true of many homeschoolers. Today's politically correct and dumbed-down society has little appreciation for contrary knowledge. See Information and Knowledge and Preparing for Persecution.

January

Multicultural Education as a Social Movement: "...multicultural education has become disassociated in many schools from its roots in social movement, partly through the increased involvement of White educators.... I describe three common metaphors people use for conceptualizing the form multicultural education might take: multicultural education as therapy, as teaching techniques, and as academic discourse. I then propose a more helpful metaphor: multicultural education as a social movement."  See America's Spiritual Slide and New Beliefs for a Global Village

 

 

"Menominee [MI] elementary school reading program sees success." Wizards and hobbits inhabiting the classrooms (Eagle Herald, 1-28, 2002): "In a scene reminiscent of the Harry Potter movie, students get to carry a magic wand or wear a wizard's hat as a reward for reaching certain levels of achievement in the school's Accelerated Reader program. The rewards are part of a new motivational program at the school called the 'Magical, Mystical World of Reading.'...

       "Student progress is measured on a large bulletin board displayed in a hallway, using a student's picture to mark the level of achievement and the rewards earned. When students reach 15 points they become a unicorn and receive a gold magic wand; at 25 points they become a gnome and are rewarded with a treat of doughnuts in the library during recess; at 35 points they become a wizard and wear a wizard's hat in school; at 50 points they become a Hobbit and wear a hat and cape; at 75 points they become a sorcerer and receive chocolate gold coins.... 'They're excited about it -- even the older kids.'" See Harry Potter and the Power of Suggestion

 

Lawmakers 'sanction' use of district-approved 'porn' : "Instructions on homosexual sodomy and a glorified account of lesbian pedophilia are among the instructional materials approved by the Los Angeles Unified School District for use in 'diversity' and 'safety' programs being presented to elementary through high school students....

     "'The material is being put forward under the guise of tolerance and diversity, but it's inappropriate. It's lewd and lascivious ... and is darn embarrassing. Here I sit in my office reading my porn. It made me turn red....' [Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy] told WorldNetDaily." See Rom 1:22-32 and Sex Ed and Global Values.

Islam studies spark hate mail, lawsuits: "Word of public-school students pretending to be Muslims, wearing robes, simulating jihads and memorizing verses from the Koran in a seventh-grade California classroom touched off a firestorm of debate... As WorldNetDaily reported last week, an article by Assist News Service described student activities at Excelsior School in Byron, Calif., where 'students are to pretend that they are Muslims, wear Muslim clothing to school, stage their own jihad via a dice game and pick out a Muslim name (to replace their own) from a list of 30.'" Prov 22:6

Public School Peddles Book Promoting Witchcraft: "An elementary school in Enterprise, Utah was recently caught pedaling a book to elementary school students entitled The Wizards Handbook. The Scholastic Book Club order form promotes the book by stating, 'Find the Wizard Inside YOU!' and 'Make your own magic wands, cast spells, predict the future, and lots more!' ... Pacific Justice Institute attorney, Roger Ho, sent a legal demand letter to the Superintendent of the school district. 'By encouraging the students to purchase the handbook, the school is effectively encouraging the adoption of certain religious practices normally identified with witchcraft based religions,' said Mr. Ho." Actually, Scholastics, the U.S. publisher of Harry Potter books, has been peddling pagan and occult books for children for years through its monthly catalog of inexpensive books. See Myths, Magic and Mystical Make-Believe  and Establishing a Global Spirituality

Bullies Bully Advice For Kids: "How a bully becomes a bully: He is angry. Someone might have bullied him in the past. He has a low self-esteem...." Or too much self-esteem? See link below:

Can self-esteem be bad for your child? (The Times, UK, 1-7) "For years parenting manuals have instructed us to do what we can to boost our children’s self- worth — and we have responded enthusiastically, offering endless praise for the smallest effort. I have seen a five-year-old applauded for managing to crumple paper into a ball, and the words “brilliant”, “fantastic” and “amazing” are never far from our lips. Never mind that those exposed to promiscuous praise often turn into self-centred and unbearably selfish brats, or that this creates problems with authority at home. Meanwhile, in some primary schools, gold stars and smiley faces are doled out routinely, and no form of behaviour appears to be unworthy of approval. The cult of self-esteem even has government backing: getting people to feel good about themselves is central to new Labour’s social policy. ...

       "But a low sense of self-worth may not be the social ill we believe it to be. Indeed, a report published last November by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation dismissed as myth the idea that low self-esteem drives children towards antisocial behaviour. In a review of research published in scientific journals, the report concluded that it is confident children who are more likely to be racists, to bully others and to engage in drink-driving and speeding." See The Secret of Success

 

Transcript of remarks by President Bush at the signing ceremony for his education bill. "...we've got another challenge, and that's to protect America from evil ones. And I want to assure the seniors and juniors and sophomores here at Hamilton High School that the effort that this great country is engaged in, the effort to defend freedom and to defend our people, the effort to route out terror wherever it exists, is noble and just and right, and your great country will prevail in this effort.

      "...we owe the children of America a good education. And today begins a new era, a new time in public education in our country. As of this hour, America's schools will be on a new path of reform and a new path of results. Our schools will have higher expectations."

       Yet, it's essentially the same program President Clinton signed into law in 1994. [See Brave New Schools: Introduction]  A concerned Arkansas homeschooler wrote: "If I understand correctly this [all the new rules, regulations and standards] is 'only' for public school kids and that there are some protections built into the bill for homeschoolers. Of course that means you have to trust the government and depend on your state legislators not to interpret it broadly."
 

Minneapolis 9th Graders Told to Choose Career Path Now (CNS): "All ninth graders in Minneapolis, Minn. schools have until Jan. 15 to choose a career path that will determine much of their high school curriculum and, if all goes well, prepare them for a job as an adult. The new system is praised by some for encouraging kids to stay in school, but criticized by others as a misguided effort to lock kids into a career field too early in life. 'Minneapolis students who enter ninth grade in the fall of 2002 will experience high schools that are dramatically different from those that exist today,' promises the school district's Web site.
       "The program at the center of the controversy is called 'Small Learning Communities (SLCs),' a new education curriculum being implemented in school districts across the country.... The programs often include a form of apprenticeship that places the students in a work-type setting or even in a local business. ... Critics of the new system say it's just a way of putting kids to work in menial jobs that local businesses need filled. 'Schools are being transformed into jobs skills training centers,' said Quist. 'The schools are going to be the way to certify people for entry level jobs. Academic training ... as the focal point of education is just being replaced.'" This program was planned long ago by UNESCO and other change agents in charge of building a human resource management system for the global workforce. Molding Human Resources for a Global Workforce
 

 

Let’s Exorcise the Cancer of ‘Self-Esteem’ in Children: Professor "Baumeister... found that people with high self-esteem tend to have low self-control. His excellent research lays the self-esteem myth to waste. Criminals, he has discovered, do not suffer from low self-esteem. They are not acting out their rage at being oppressed, suppressed, and abused. They are dangerous because they are narcissists. They believe that what they want, they deserve to have.

        "...the sort of self-esteem bloating of many of America’s kids is not based on a realistic appraisal of their strengths and weaknesses; therefore, it does not lead to accomplishment. Rather, it is based on unconditional acceptance of whatever they do and think; therefore, it leads to mediocrity. ...The problem, as this latest research illuminates, is that America’s schools have lowered expectations for more that 30 years. At the same time, they have upped the level of “positive reinforcement”. According to Twenge, the high self-esteem in question - counterfeit positive self-assessments- sets children up for disappointment. The further problem is that these high-self esteem kids, having been given something for nothing, are likely to enter adulthood believing that the whole world is an entitlement program designed with them in mind. Addicted not to achievement but to entitlement, they may continue to expect the same treatment from spouses, employers, the legal system and so on.

       "In fact, corporate managers across the country consistently tell me that this is the problem they have with young employees. Some of these high self-esteemers may become depressed; on the other hand, some, finding it difficult to cope with reality, may get what they think is their due by engaging in antisocial behavior." See The Secret of Success and Glossary (scroll to "self-esteem")

 

Current trends: "If you don't think that there is a battle going on for your child's mind then you need to wake up! If you were Satan and you wanted to control a generation where would you start? With the children of course, but who trains those children? Why educators, who will need to be indoctrinated into new educational philosophy. These educators will be taught that the way children have been educated in the last century is old fashion and boring. They will be taught that noisy, active classrooms are best and that social interaction is even more important than children learning facts. These educators will truly believe that they are providing children with the best education possible by practicing these techniques....

       "Right after college graduation I was offered a job at a Christian school. My first year of teaching I begin putting the above techniques to practice. I even had the students identify their Multiple Intelligences. I was frustrated by cooperative groups because the students always ended up fighting and the group work took so long. I also found that cooperative groups also allowed students to just copy off of each other. I tried to always use the highest levels on Bloom's Taxonomy and to incorporate critical thinking. Do you see what happened? I brought these practices into a Christian school, with no resistance at all from administration. It is happening in Christian schools all over America. Graduate School As continued teaching I began working on my Master's degree. The program that I picked just heaped more and more dangerous education practices into my mind. These were some of the things that I learned from my graduate school program." See Brainwashing in America

 

Missing pupils 'to be tracked down': New efforts are planned to trace thousands of Scottish youngsters who have never attended state school, it has been reported. The Scottish Executive intends to use birth registers, census information, health visitor records and nursery enrolments to track down the estimated 5,000 children, The Scotsman newspaper said.

     "But the move is said to have angered parents who educate their children at home. All parents have the right to teach their child themselves - but those who withdraw from the state system must first receive permission from their local education authority. ....The Scottish Executive said draft guidance on home education would take into account parents and councils' views in an effort to give both sides a clearer idea of their rights and responsibilities. [This UN expression sounds fair, but its implication is horrendous: you have no rights unless you fulfill its prescribed social responsibilities -- including government-planned community service, etc.]

     "The paper reported that councils would set up monitoring procedures to ensure the education provided by parents was suitable once the children were found. A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive said it believed school was the most suitable environment for educating children.

     "...Alison Preuss, spokeswoman for the Schoolhouse Home Education Association, attacked any plans to use private records. She told The Scotsman: "The executive has succeeded in alienating the entire home education community of Scotland in a matter of days and should be utterly ashamed of publishing this bully's charter." See The UN Plan for Your Mental Health

 

Connexions - Young People: Connexions is all about giving you the best start in life. As the service launches across England, you will find guidance, advice and support to help you make the right decisions about your life, education and career choices. Connexions ... will change the way you make decisions about your future. By 2003, a network of personal advisers will mean that you can get all the advice and guidance on anything stopping you getting on in life, from one place, one person. Help will even be available on-line and over the phone. Connexions is growing and will soon have a website totally devoted to young people like you." Parental advise and traditional values clash with this new global setting. See What Happened To Parents' Rights?

 

Sustainability - Student Action Kit: "Global Vision [see Brainwashing in America] invites you to help design the ten films component of the Sustainability Student Action Kit by nominating leading thinkers, organisations, projects and/or ideas which embody the most promising solutions to global problems in the world.... We're looking for innovative solutions on the cutting edge, as well as traditional ones that should be more widely used. The important thing is that they be world-class and can be implemented right away..... Here are some examples of the kinds of things we're interested in."

      The list of "examples" includes "7. RELIGIOUS PLURALISM." It, in turn, lists the following "innovative solutions":

• Reconceptualising inappropriate and/or adversarial religious dogmas;" (That would include Jesus words in John 14:6: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.")

• "understanding the underlying mythological and psychological meaning of religious belief and experience;" (This complements Tolkien's view of mythology.) See Lord of the Rings: Truth, Myth or 'Discovered Reality"?

• "finding shared values between faiths;" (...such as: "all religions lead to the same ultimate reality"?)

• "understanding the socio-economic forces that lead to fundamentalism and fanaticism;

• "psychological education;" (This is the heart of UNESCO's world education system)

• "formation of a universal global ethic;" (It would outlaw Biblical Christianity) See The UN Plan for Your Mental Health

• "potential of faith traditions to advance human dignity," See Conforming the Church to the New Millennium

• "social justice and peace; etc."  See Two UN Summits, One Millennium Goal

Restructuring Education by Shirley McCune (Her influence and occult beliefs are described in A New Way of Thinking and Star Wars Joins United Religions at the Presidio): "The need for the restructuring of education moves beyond the issues of educational reform. Any such restructuring must be grounded in a broad understanding of the basic contract between education and society and the ways that that contract and set of relationships must be changed to meet individual, community, and national needs. ...

        "Five societal transformations create pressures for change and begin to shape the necessary directions for educational restructuring. These five forces-economic, social demographic, organizational, educational, and individual-help us to establish the context and general directions for restructuring education. ...

        "The school is moving out of the business of 'schooling' into the business of human resource development. Some will question the need for an expanded role for schools. The answers must be found in the need for a holistic approach to growth and learning and the reality that the public schools continue to be the only comprehensive delivery system of services to children.... Services for senior citizens, adult job training, adult education, and a variety of other activities have opened the school to the community. The extension of this model is a learning community where persons of all ages are interacting in learning programs. The school is not simply a multi-function building but is a center where a wide variety of interactive, inter-generational programs are provided that can extend the learning of all groups. ...

        "A major task of educational programs is to extend the world view of the child; this should include a view of careers, of the community, of our nation and our global community." See Molding Human Resources for a Global Workforce

 

On the front line in war against dunces: "If you dumb down secondary education, a generation later you will find you have dumbed down everything, your teachers, your politicians, your businessmen, your television, even your scientists. ...
      "Only 40 years ago, the grammar and public schools...turned out students with a wider and deeper general education than one now finds in the average university graduate....

      "Dumbing-down continues to expand in ripples, long after the first big stone has been thrown into the lily-pond. In the Christmas issue of The Spectator, Julia Lewis writes a poignant piece: “An Axe to the Roots of our National Culture”. ... She tells how “the Government is forcing libraries to sell, and sometimes pulp, great works of literature in the name of vibrancy and multiculturism”. With deadly bureaucratic precision, each local authority has been given 8.5 years to replenish its entire stock. 'Councils have to submit a ‘library plan’ to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport . . . ‘the targets are to make sure that libraries are vibrant and attract people to them’.” The result is the dumbing-down of libraries, just as secondary education was dumbed down in the 1960s and 70s. Apart from the insult to the residual functions of local authorities, this is authoritarian modernisation, with its contempt for the past....

      "It may, perhaps, be too late to reverse the iconoclasm of the 1960s that destroyed the grammar schools. It is not too late to fight the book-pulping of the Department of Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest." See The International Agenda

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For the 2001 Education News links, click on Education News - 1