Where are the menus?

From today's Miami Herald:

Ten years ago Florida enacted the most sweeping school reform measures taken to date by any state. In essence, it rewards schools whose achievement test scores are excelling and punishes schools whose scores are poor and/or not improving. For those who believe government schooling can be reformed, it has been hailed as a huge success. One of the best features is that it has narrowed the achievement gap between minority and majority students. And a signifcant number of really bad schools have been closed down. But not everyone is happy. One complaint is that graduation rates have not improved (maybe that's because you have KNOW SOMETHING in order to graduate now). But a more thoughtful complaint is that teaching to the tests tends to produce a very sterile, unimaginative curriculum which does not engage and stimulate students who easily grasp the basics.

From today's Baltimore Sun:

In the late 1980's and early 90's, one of the panaceas advanced by the reform movement was involving teenagers in community service as a means of getting them outside the sterile walls of the classroom to gain a vision of life beyond their mandatory thirteen years of incarceration in public schools. I'ts not a bad idea, and many good schools in many states have adopted some form of this concept. A few years back, Maryland became the first state to make community service credits mandatory for high school graduation. Now it has come under fire because, in an effort to help students complete the requirement and graduate on time, many schools are creating activities during the school day that fulfill the community service requirement. But complaining parents feel that this takes away academic learning time, and that all community service should be done after regular school hours.

Both of these stories illustrate the foolishness of one-size-fits-all government-controlled school policies. It's like going to a restaurant and being told the legislature is voting on what you will eat for dinner, and as soon as the poll is finished you will be served what they have chosen for you. One can envision a massive complaint department would have to be installed at such an establishment. But complaints are what the public schools have done the best job of generating.

What's wrong with back-to-basics schools that teach to the tests, alongside enrichment schools that teach that which is aesthetically and intellectually stimulating? What's wrong with schools with a high component of built-in community service, alongside schools where all the time is spent on academic learning (and perhaps meet for fewer hours per day)? Or all of those choices, in various combinations, within the same school?

Mandated schooling and legislated curricula have made parents into chronic whiners instead of thoughtful educational consumers. Where are the menus?

Government nannying

The lead editorial in today's Arizona Daily Star bemoans state School Superintendent Tom Horne's initiative to promote new health standards for physical education and health classes in Arizona public schools. The Star's worry, in their own words:

"Horne is churning up a lot of activity - including public hearings next month - that is unlikely to produce anything of substance in Arizona classrooms...(whereas) we believe the state school superintendent should be using his bully pulpit to demand better education for Arizona children...(and) exploring innovative ways to engage students in those crucial STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) areas of study."

Let me see if I have this straight.

1. Arizona kids are developing unhealthy lifestyles, and the schools need to "fix" this by having "teachers instruct their students on the benefits of physical activity" because...the kids don't have parents? Because...students always respond correctly to such lectures (like "Just say no!")?

2. The state school superintendent can magically turn around Arizona public schools' lousy performance in reading and math by "using his bully pulpit." What will he do? Bang on it and shout, "Now, cut it out! I mean it!"?

And while we're on the subject, does the superintendent teach anybody anything? Could his salary buy four or five more teachers to handle first grade reading?

Clearly academic success is a mystery too difficult for Mr. Horne..or the legislature (and bright ideas like mandating certain curricular "additions") can actually accomplish. All I can say is, it's a good thing all those successful (non-certified) homeschooling moms didn't have him (or the legislature) supervising the excellent education they were (somehow?) able to provide their children.

With apologies to Shakespeare...government-guided, government-funded education is like a "tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

Bumper Sticker Truth

It's always fun when folks say more than they meant to. Such is often the case with bumper stickers. The two pictured at the right are stickers I have seen first hand here in Tucson within the last couple of months.

In both cases, they are meant to be left-wing, pro-socialist, government-school-mandating, and pro-teacher-union. I know this is true, because these images were found on web sites with products all in line with those advocacies.

So let's have some fun contrasting the designers' intended meaning, with what I would call a "more rational" perspective.

Bumper sticker #1:

I would love to add, "but over-schooled." One of the tricks of the left-wing socialist teacher unions is to couch everything they control as "education," as though no education exists in life outside of their control. Hence, they label certain (conservative) politicians as being "anti-education," just because they won't support throwing more money down the Black Holes these people control. The intent of the bumper sticker is to evoke sympathy toward more spending on government schooling. The irony is that it is true BECAUSE of too much spending on government schooling. If there were free competition in educatin, and all schools competed for students equally on the basis of the effectiveness of their educational efforts, failing schools would go out of business. But they are protected from competition now by a socialist hegemony which funnels more and more funds to useless efforts. Under-educated, indeed, but over-schooled!

Bumper Sticker #2:

It is meant to be an ironic contrast to the "war on terrorism, war on drugs, war on poverty" federal initiatives, which the same liberals who support mandatory government schooling would declare to be failed wastes of resources, both financial and human. The intended meaning is that in funding these other initiatives, we have under-funded government education, and thus have, in effect, waged a war on education (government schooling) by not yielding to all of its whiny demands for more cash. A conservative take on the sticker would be that the continued perpetuation of AND increases in government funding for these schools (which can be documented) have only strengthened the grip of mandatory schooling, thus denying TRUE education to a signifcant portion of the American population. If you're keeping score, the percentage of American children NOT in government schools (who are homeschooled or in private schools) has not changed significatly in the last fifty years: it hovers between eleven to thirteen percent of the school-age population. So the proponents of forced government schooling have not lost much, while the nation is losing more and more minds to poor education (schooling) every year. The war on (valid) education is going well, indeed.

Statism in Sheep's Clothing

A friend who knows my passion for classical education recently asked what I think of the Great Hearts Academies in the Phoenix area. To paraphrase Gollum, "We hates 'em!"

This is a network of six charter schools (they threaten to add five more), that have provided interested families in the Phoenix area a prep school education (and an authentically rigorous one, as their test scores attest) as tuition-free charter schools. Their rhetoric mixes traditional prep school academic values with the heritage of the Great Books schools like St. John's College and the American idealism of places like the Gilder Lehrman Institute and the Free Enterprise Institute. They also incorporate phraseology (truth, beauty, goodness) and reading lists (the Omnibus) that were popularized in the past twenty years by the classical Christian school movement with which I have been associated.

So why shouldn't I welcome them as comrades-in-arms in the quest to halt the academic decline and fall of American education? Well, in a very narrow sense, I do. As a proponent of school choice, I welcome any diversion that forces American parents to make some kind of thoughtful choice for their children's education, as opposed to aimlessly wandering down the street in search of a yellow bus.

But I sincerely hope that as increased choices are forced into the awareness of parents, they will begin to ask more quality questions. I hope they will move from "How much does it cost?" or "Is transportation provided?" or "Are the teachers certified? (whatever that means)?" to "Will my child be taught the fear of the Lord?" or "What is your philosophy of the nature of the child?" or "What do you believe the end goal of education to be?"

It is precisely because of the different possible answers to these questions (which really matter), that I hope sincere Muslims will choose consistent Muslim education; sincere Jews will choose quality Jewish education; sincere Christians will choose authentic Christian education; and naturalistic humanists will choose...oh, maybe the Great Hearts Academies.

All attempts at education must have a means of dealing with fundamental philosophical questions. How those questions are dealt with is more impactful than how the schools actually label themselves. A school labelled "Christian," for example, which provides naturalistic answers to the basic questions above (and there have been some, I'm afraid), is not worth its salt and should be brought down.

In other words, how a school treats learners is more impactful than what is says it believes about the nature of a learner. The logical outcomes toward which the method of education propels the students is more important than what the school says its goals are. What the intructors demonstrate daily about their fear of God (or lack thereof) is more formative than what the school literature says about what it teaches or doesn't teach about fear of God.

However - and this is the real problem - this is not a two-way street. While a Muslim, Jewish, or Christian school may fail at effectively inculcating the worldview espoused by its founders, a state school (public or charter) can never "accidentally" espouse Muslim presuppositions, or inculcate Jewish outlooks, or replicate Christian behavior. All charter school charters incessantly cry out, "Non-sectarian!" But at their roots, those three worldviews have non-negotiable identities grounded in propositional assertions which can be debated, analyzed, or replicated; whole civilizations and cultures have been built on these presuppositions!

When Christian schools fail to faithfully inculcate Christian worldview and practice in our schools, it is usually because our teachers were educated in and by the same presuppositions of naturalistic humanism that most eveyone else in this nation was nurtured in. But students coming out of state-controlled schools don't just "happen" to come out thinking and acting with Christian presuppositions. They may achieve such integration in spite of having been subjected to statist education, but according to pollsters like George Barna, it is an exceedingly rare phenomenon, and according the research of the Nehemiah Institute, it is becoming rarer by the day. But because God is sovereign and Aslan is not a tame lion, when such graduates do exist, the first thing they will do is put their own children in a Christian school or homeschool them.

Ironically, the Great Hearts Academies tout the outstanding "moral formation" of their approach (which means "we can be good without God") and one of them is actually named Veritas (Latin for truth - but which truth?). As for the type of truth taught at Veritas, I can tell you all about it, even though I have never been there. I can guarantee it is a multi-cultural, relativistic, negotiable truth - certainly not the truth revealed in John 14:6. How can I be so sure? Because I know where their money comes from.

Unfortunately many who believe themselves to be Christians will not be so discerning, and will embrace the Great Hearts Academies as their child's educational "savior."

And that's why "we hates 'em."

Charmed Evening # 3

Over a hundred Casa Grandeans gathered on Friday evening, June 5, in the ballroom of The Property Conference Center to celebrate the opening of a new educational alternative in Casa Grande this fall, Logos Academy. The theme for the evening was "A Classic Evening," in recognition of the ambitious classical Christian curriculum which the new school will offer.

Guests enjoyed a delicious Italian buffet while enjoying the strains of live harp music. After-dinner entertainment began with a scene from Shakespeare's "The Tempest," delightfully performed by sixth grade students from Cornerstone Christian Academy of Tucson, a sister classical school. Special speaker for the evening was the Honorable William O'Neil, Pinal County Superior Court Judge. Judge O'Neil challenged those present to support Logos Academy as a local Christian educational resource. Judge O'Neil and his wife, Tammy, spent many years homeschooling their four children, as well as transporting them to a Christian high school in Chandler.

Although those present were from several different churches and businesses in Casa Grande, there was a clear spirit of camaraderie evidenced by how long everyone lingered to visit after the program had ended.

Logos Academy is co-sponsored by a group of Casa Grande churches through an independent school board presided over by Dave Landry, pastor of Calvary Chapel. Offering grades kindergarten through fifth under the direction of head teacher, Mrs. Dorinda Manning, the academy will be located at Cornerstone Community Church, where Harley Faber is pastor.

Deep in the heart of....

The following story was first reported by ESPN’s Rick Reilly on December 23, 2008. Here it is retold by The Truth Project’s Dale Tackett. It represents a national treasure.


As a kid growing up in a small town, I remember the excitement that preceded our high school’s home football games. I recall the sense of “oneness” within our community as all the store owners would display “spirit” banners and posters that said “Go Broncos” or “Beat Bonneville” in their windows urging support for “our team” on Friday night. It seemed the whole town would turn out for the game. I dreamed of what it would be like to be one of the players on the field with the whole town cheering you on. And, I experienced it.
High school football is big in America.

But I suppose there is no place where it is bigger than in Texas. Friday nights there are legend.

The fans scream; the stands are packed; cheerleaders with pom-poms jump and sway to the beat of the school band; parents yell encouragement (mostly); mom’s turn their eyes away when their little boys are crunched by the “bullies on the other team who didn’t really have to hit him that hard, did he?” and everybody joins in the chants and stomps their feet on the metal stands until you are sure they will collapse.
This is the frenzy of Texas high school football.

However, there is a football team in Texas that is a little different. When they play on Friday night, their stands are pretty much empty, no band, no cheerleaders, no mass of parents or townsfolk wearing the school colors and waving banners and flags. They take the field without anyone cheering them on. When they get a first down, there is no deafening surge from the stands. When they score a touchdown, which rarely happens, there is no wild celebration behind them…only the individual shouts of satisfaction that come from the 14 players and their coach and the 20 or so people that are sitting on their side of the field. All of it seems hollow and muffled in contrast to the tidal wave of roars and drums and chants that come from the opposing side.

They are the Tornadoes of the Gainesville State School, a fenced, maximum-security facility of the Texas Youth Commission. The young men who go to Gainesville State are there because they have made some major mistakes in their lives. But the players who are on the team are there because they have worked hard and have disciplined themselves to meet the “criteria” that gives them the privilege to leave the facility and play football on Friday nights—always an away game for them—always a home game for their opponents—and almost always a loss. They don’t have a weight program or training equipment or high-paid coaches and assistants. They don’t have a large pool of players to draw from. The school has 275 boys, but many are too old or too young or can’t or don’t meet the “criteria” to play. And they don’t have the support of a town and a mass of parents and family and reporters and bands and cheerleaders.

That is, until November 7th. Something changed. They played Grapevine Faith Christian School.

The way the Gainesville coach, Mark Williams, recounted it for me, it went something like this: Earlier in the week, he had received a call from Faith Christian coach, Kris Hogan, asking him if it would be okay if Faith formed a “spirit” line for his team when they ran on the field. Mark said, “Sure, that would be a real encouragement to the kids.” He thought that the line would consist of a couple of the JV cheerleaders, but when they took the field, there were a hundred people in it and it stretched to the 40-yard line, filled with Faith parents, fans and varsity cheerleaders, complete with a banner at the end for them to burst through that read “Go Tornadoes!”. And then, those parents and fans sat in the stands behind the Gainesville players and when the Tornadoes broke the huddle and went up to the line they could hear people cheering for them, by name. When they got a first down, “their” fans erupted.

You see, coach Hogan had sent an email out to the Faith Christian family asking them to consider doing something kind for these young men, many who didn’t know what it meant to have a mom and dad who cared, many who felt the world was against them, not for them. Hogan asked that they simply send a message that these boys were “just as valuable as any other person on earth.”

So half of the Faith Christian fans were now sitting on the visitor’s side of the field, cheering for the Gainesville team, and in some cases, against their own sons.
–Cheering for a team decked out in old uniforms and helmets.

–Cheering for boys who wouldn’t go home that night and have a smiling dad slap him on the back and feel his mom put her arms around him and say “I’m so proud of you son!”

–Cheering for the underdog.

Though the score was familiar (down 33-0 at half-time), this was a Friday night like no other for the Tornadoes. In the locker room, the players were confused.

“Why are they cheerin’ for us, coach?”

“Because, men, they want to encourage you. They want you to know that they care about you…that you have value.”

Coach Williams said the boys were stunned. For many of these kids, it may have been the first time that anyone had shown them, so visibly, unconditional love.
Williams then encouraged them to set a goal for the second half: to score a touchdown. And when they took the field again, with their fans cheering them on, they did. Williams said, “Everything started to click in the second half. Our passes started to click. Our sweeps and counters started to click.” And they did score. Two touchdowns.

And the fans went wild.

I asked Coach Williams what the bus ride was like on the way home and he laughed and told me that they were all asleep—their bellies were full. After the game, the parents brought a whole bunch of food over to the guys: hamburgers, fries, candy, sodas…and included in the meal sack was a Bible and a letter of encouragement from a Faith Christian player. But then, he said, they formed a line for us out to the bus. And the parents patted them on the back and said, “Nice game” and “Look forward to seeing you guys next time.”

The phone went dead at this point. I think Coach Williams was choking back some tears. And so was I.

I asked him one final question: “If you could tell other people one thing about your kids, what would it be?” He said, “Don’t be scared of them. Treat them with respect. Yes, they’ve made some mistakes, but they are trying their best to turn their life around. Give ‘em a shot at it.”

As they left the field that night, Coach Williams grabbed Coach Hogan and said to him: “You’ll never know what your people did for these kids tonight. You’ll never, ever know.”

When the world looks at a Christian, the number one thing they should see is what was shown on a high school football field last fall in Texas.
Jesus said: “Let your light shine among men is such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Let us do so.

And I must mention (because it is the mission of this column to point these things out) that Gainesville State plays public schools, too. Please notice what kind of school took the lead in this heart-warming experience. We have those kinds of schools here in Tucson, too.

Who should be expelled?

Last night I revisited the Ben Stein documentary, Expelled. I had seen a pre-release back when it first came out so I could write a review for it on another blog: http://www.wittenberghall.com/holytrinityclassical/

For those unfamiliar with the film, the basic premise is that American academics who question doctrinaire Darwinism in any form are being systematically shoved out of the academic world. Institutions which have expelled scientists who point out that the emperor of natural section is embarrassingly naked (devoid of evidence) include George Mason University, Baylor University, Iowa State University, and the Smithsonian Institute. When confronted by Ben Stein as to their attack on academic freedom, they consistently denied (in the face of facts), trivialized, dissimulated, or dodged the issue. In other words, they all lied. An effective way that this was illustrated in the film was that after each interviewee denied anyone was expelled from their institution for not believing in Darwinism, Stein flashed on the screen the actual documenting letter received by each of the expelled scientists confirming that it was their failure to support evolution (as taught by current popular standards) which had been the cause of their dismissal.

This lack of integrity on the part of the administrations of these institutions would be alarming enough, but what I am really intrigued by was the interview with a scientist in Poland near the end of the film. Stein asked if he had ever been required to teach Darwinian evolution in the university in Poland, and he quickly replied, “NO!” He went on the comment that this is a uniquely American problem, because American academics have to be “politically correct” (his actual words).

I want you to pause a moment to let this sink in. A man who taught for dozens of years during an oppressive communist dictatorship was more academically free to explore both sides of an issue than a scientist in America, because we are more censorial and heavy-handed in demanding everyone think exactly the same way, than their communist society. Is this the America you have always been told you live in? Yet we have socialized (government subsidized, and therefore government-controlled) education in the “land of the free,” and only 13 per cent of the school age population have escaped from it (through homeschooling or private schools).

I say it’s time to expel…the students! Set them free! (Have I made anybody mad yet? I’m sure trying hard…).