Why is Public Education Failing? By Tom DeWeese

Children are coming out of school dumb because they aren't taught academics. They have, instead, become experiments in behavior modification.

It's a fact. Most of today's school children can barely read or write. They can't perform math problems without a calculator. They barely know who the Founding Fathers were and know even less of their achievements. Most can't tell you the name of the President of the United States. It's pure and simple; today's children aren't coming out of school with an academic education.

Colleges know it. They have to set up remedial courses for incoming freshmen just to prepare them for classes. Parents know it. Their children grow dumber everyday.

The politicians say they know it. They hold hearings to grill education "experts," and they hold high-powered education "summits" to debate and discuss the "problem." And they keep coming up with more federal programs and dictate more standards and spend more taxpayer dollars to fix the problem. But the problem continues to explode. Why?

Frankly, any parent can find the answer simply by looking through their child's textbooks or taking a close look at the classroom structures that their children are forced to endure.

That's just what I'm going to do for you and when I'm through, see if you still wonder why there is an education crisis. And ask yourselves why all the politicians, with huge staffs to do their bidding, can't seem to find the problem.

It comes under many names; block scheduling, group learning, cooperative learning. It's all part of a radical change in the way children are handled in the classroom.

Children are paired with others for group grades. Individual achievement is de-emphasized. Under block scheduling a number of subjects are tied together in one long class. For example, math, science, health and physical education have been combined in one school. Children are supposed to learn these skills by working on class projects, such as launching an imaginary rocket to the Moon.

Presumably when faced with various problems in building their rocket, students will seek out the necessary information. They'll need math to calculate the projectory, science to find where the Moon is and health to know what to feed the astronauts. Obviously health is for astronaut training. Children are not instructed on how to do the math calculations or how to find the information they need. They are to find it for themselves. And children who can't keep up are to be helped along by other children in their group. It's called "kids helping kids." That's why teachers are now called "facilitators."

"Cooperative learning" is nothing more than a classroom-management technique that provides a convenient hiding place for bad teachers and under-achieving students. The student who doesn't care to learn, or has failed to grasp a concept, allows the rest of the group to do the work and yet gets the same grade.

What students coming out of such classes cannot do is perform math problems, recite multiplication tables, conjugate a verb or structure a sentence. Random facts picked up in the rush to complete a project do not supply the proper base or structure to understand a subject.

Perhaps the most bizarre of all of the school restructuring programs is mathematics. Math is an exact science, loaded with absolutes. There can be no way to question that certain numbers add up to specific totals. Geometric statements and reasons must lead to absolute conclusions. Instead, today we get "fuzzy" Math. Of course they don't call it that.

As ED Watch explains, "Fuzzy" math's names are Everyday Math, Connected Math, Integrated Math, Math Expressions, Constructive Math, NCTM Math, Standards-based Math, Chicago Math, and Investigations, to name a few. Fuzzy Math means students won't master math: addition, subtraction, multiplications and division.

Instead, Fuzzy Math teaches students to "appreciate" math, but they can't solve the problems. Instead, they are to come up with their own ideas about how to compute.

Here's how nuts it can get. A parent wrote the following letter to explain the everyday horrors of "Everyday Math."

Everyday Math was being used in our school district. My son brought home a multiplication worksheet on estimating. He had 'estimated' that 9×9=81, and the teacher marked it wrong. I met with her and defended my child's answer. The teacher opened her book and read to me that the purpose of the exercise was not to get the right answer, but was to teach the kids to estimate. The correct answer was 100: kids were to round each 9 up to a 10. (The teacher did not seem to know that 81 was the product, as her answer book did not state the same.)

Children are not taught to memorize multiplication tables. Those who promote this concept believe that memorization is bad. Instead, children, they say, should be taught to "discover" multiplication. Students, they say, learn to multiply over several years by "thinking about math."

Social, political, multicultural and especially environmental issues are rampant in the new math programs and textbooks. One such math text is blatant. Dispersed throughout the eighth grade textbooks are short, half-page blocks of text under the heading "SAVE PLANET EARTH." One of the sections describes the benefits of recycling aluminum cans and tells students, "how you can help."

In many of these textbooks there is literally no math. Instead there are lessons asking children to list "threats to animals," including destruction of habitat, poisons and hunting. The book contains short lessons in multiculturalism under the recurring heading "Cultural Kaleidoscope." These things are simply political propaganda and are there for one purpose – behavior modification. It's not Math. Parents are now paying outside tutors to teach their children real Math – after they have been forced to sit in classrooms for eight hours a day being force-fed someone's political agenda.

Conjugate a verb? Diagram a sentence? Learn to spell? This is language class. We have more relevant things to learn.

In a seventh grade language arts class in Prince William County, Virginia, children are given a test entitled, "What makes you good friendship material." Children are to circle "yes," "no" or "maybe" to questions like, "Am I someone who is trusting of others; likes to have close personal friends; is able to influence others; enjoys sharing with others; can keep a secret? If you answered yes to most of these then you are really good friendship material. If not, you need to work on yourself."

One book being used in classes is called The Book of Questions. Designed around situation ethics, the authors openly admit that "this book is designed to challenge attitudes, values and beliefs." Again behavior modification – not academics — is the root of this exercise.

(1) On an airplane you are talking pleasantly to a stranger of average appearance. Unexpectedly, the person offers you $10,000 for one night of sex. Knowing that there is no danger and that payment is certain, would you accept the offer?

(2) A cave-in occurs while you and a stranger are in a concrete room deep in a mineshaft. Before the phone goes dead, you learn that the entire mine is sealed off and the air hole being drilled will not reach you for 30 hours. If you both take sleeping pills from the medicine chest, the oxygen will last for only 20 hours. Both of you can't survive; alone one of you might. After you both realize this, the stranger takes several sleeping pills and says it's in God's hands and falls asleep. You have a pistol; what do you do?

And so it goes, in Geography where, instead of looking for Colorado on a map, children are instructed to make a "Me" map to psychologically profile the children. In Civics, instead of learning how the government runs and of the great checks and balances that the Founding Fathers installed to protect our liberties, children are taught how to be "global citizens" under the UN's Declaration on Human Rights." In Health classes children are taught about Mother Earth — Gaia — with lessons on the Sierra Club as heroes.

Children are coming out of school dumb because they aren't taught academics. They have, instead, become experiments in behavior modification to prepare them to be citizens of a global village. The fault lies with the U.S. Congress, which now dictates curriculum and perpetuates the Department of Education, from which all of these evils flow.

Tom DeWeese is publisher and editor of The DeWeese Report and president of the American Policy Center, a grassroots, activist think tank headquartered in Warrenton, VA. ampolicycenter@hotmail.com http://www.americanpolicy.org/

In our family we call it "Rainforest Math", because if you peruse a modern math textbook you see more pictures of the "rainforest" than equations.

Having to carry around these 800-page textbooks (i.e., rainforest photograph albums) is also doing serious physical damage to students.

“Have a classroom full of 20 nine year olds who come from poor families, parents who dont have time to work with them (or just don’t work with them at home), and can barely read. And you take them from that and getting them to pass state standards and bring them up to a 4th grade level at the end of the year. Then after you do that, tell me if it was easy or if you had to put a whole hell of a lot of work into it!”

Why did the students come to your third grade barely able to read? They’ve already had two years of school, and maybe Head Start or kindergarten before that.

I’m not criticizing the teaching profession. Many teachers in my family, but I do believe many unsound approaches are being used in some states or school systems, and a fair amount of time wasted teaching feel good PC nonsense that does little to actually educate children and teach them to think and solve problems.

I think you give too much credit to the NEA. I am a teacher in Georgia. GAE is an affiliate of the NEA. Most teachers that I know opt to join PAGE (Professional Association of Georgia Educators) because it's cheaper. We see these folks once or twice a year at sign up time.

There is no collective bargaining in Georgia, and no teacher looks to the NEA or even thinks about the NEA on a daily basis. I personally have no use for them because they are too left-wing for me. I only belong to PAGE because it gives me insurance against wrongful termination (Yes, it does happen) and access to legal advice in the event that I am falsely accused of unethical or inappropriate behavior (This also happens more than you know).

Nothing new, it was tried in the early 70’s in certain unfortunate schools. The strange thing then was that not all the schools in a system did it. I found this out by accident when I talked with a friend about it and she didn’t know what I was talking about even tho our children attended schools in the same district, but different schools. My favorite one of these little dittys was the requirement for a student (about sixth grade) to estimate the cost of outfitting a whaling voyage. The implements were ancient and in some cases we couldn’t even find a definition. Finally, and in desperation, we gave the project to a friend who was a cost analyst who soon gave it back to us without resolution. Finally we confronted the teacher who (I’m not kidding) cried while she told us the kids were supposed to “make up” answers, then she fled the room still in tears.

For the article, believe the education system today is failing because of where education starts... in the home. Teachers have all of these standards to follow... parents have none. If parents would care about their children at home, it would help the education system out greatly. The students who succeed greatly in my class have very involved parents.

Probably, as in many other government jobs, many teachers enter their profession with commitment and a desire to do good. Between the government bureacracy and the union corruption, those poor souls are leading with their chin (that's an old boxing analogy for someone foolishly facing off against an overwhelming opponent and presenting themself for an easy knockout).

You pointed out in your response, "If parents would care about their children at home, it would help the education system out greatly...". Those parents who are able to help educate their children at home might as well homeschool them. As more parents homeschool their children, there will be less need for taxpayer-supported education, property taxes can be decreased accordingly, more children will be better educated, and the less-committed teachers can pursue other careers not requiring forced funding from productive citizens.

The education system doesn't need to be "helped out"; it needs to be dismantled. Only a small fraction of the tax money devoted to "education" goes for anything related to education. Homeschool parents provide a better education, with full curricula from kindergarten through high school for much less money than one beginning teacher is paid in one year. And they still have to pay property taxes to support the government school waste.

No, you’re not an “air head” that’s why I wanted to talk to you.

“In my classroom I do sometimes use cooperative learning. Although I teach a 3rd grade class. The receive below grade level, at grade level, and above grade level on their grade cards. I do cooperative groups when we are doing scientific experiments (what impact does friction have on a moving object). In my classroom they do not receive a group grade. They did the experiment together and had to analyze the data on their own.

My daughter goes to a private school and cooperative learning is there in their reading program - individual unit tests and a “group” project on say, Sequencing. They use Foundations & Frameworks.
http://www.briarwoodchristianschool.org/content.asp?id=87132

It’s okay. Luckily we have a bright child and she cruises through it. I think it would be more beneficial to kids who have reading and comprehension issues. It is useful in presenting concepts in flow charts. It also uses repetition questions for the various comprehension concepts.

“As for math, I do not use everyday math. My student are just now learning their multiplication facts. (no 9x9 estimation) We have NO calculators. The students work every problem out and I hand papers back if they do not show their work. I want them to know how to get the correct answer.”

That’s not allowed at her school either. It’s memorization. I don’t like their curriculum - SAXON.

What text do you use for Math? What is your opinion of Saxon? I’m thinking about supplementing her with a Houghton Mifflin Math book. I find Saxon to be too SLOW in moving on and their word problems to be too easy and a cookie cutter approach.

“In English, we use Shurley English. My 3rd graders know noun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition and object of the preposition. I also do not accept answers that are not in complete sentences. The students will be handed back their paper and write it again.”

LOL!!! So does my daughter’s school - complete with jingles! Ditto ... .

“Furthermore, on every spelling test the students have two of the States names. I also show them where the state is on the map and a few facts about the state. Anything we are learning and if they mention a place, I will show it to them on a map or globe.

Yeah, we’re doing the states and capitals, locations etc.. We just finished up a poster on Alaska. Sounds the same as her class.

If you don’t mind my asking, what book do you use for Science?

“This saying of course, I have very conservative values. For the article, believe the education system today is failing because of where education starts... in the home. Teachers have all of these standards to follow... parents have none. If parents would care about their children at home, it would help the education system out greatly. The students who succeed greatly in my class have very involved parents. Those who don’t, I usually stay with after school or before school to help them get caught up.”

I hear ya! I am a stay at home Mom and I keep after her. I am blessed that she’s a smart kid. As for other kids it varies there ... .

It’s easy to pick out the kids of divorced parents and easily see the impact of that ... it’s sad. IMO it is not up to teachers to raise the kids too! The advantage we have is that if kids are acting up in serious ways, they WILL and are asked to leave.

I’d appreciate your feedback on my questions. My daughter is also in 3rd grade.

I figured it was that area of the country. You are fortunate in that all the propaganda has not reached your schools yet. Too bad you couldn’t find a way to show your school successes as a model for the country at large. The entire north east is lost. Some of the garbage they teach in schools would get teachers arrested years back, for corrupting the minds of minors! Needless to say, students can’t spell, (and they aren’t corrected, spelling doesn’t count) They do not know history, in fact, I will try to make a long story short. I yanked my son out of public school and enrolled him in a great Charter school. Until then, he thought, as he had been taught, that the Civil War was about slavery!

That is just an example. He came to love history, and read on his own. He just entered college in the fall and wants to be a History teacher because he says “they don’t teach history” And this is no easy task, he is working full time, and going to school full time. I try to encourage him, so he doesn’t get too discouraged. Here everything is so expensive, it makes it really rough.

Yes I agree, there must be bad approaches. Furthermore, to hold the student back, you have to have parents agree to it. They would rather pass the student on and have them behind. (in elementary grades) Which makes it very hard when they get to 3rd grade and everything we do consists of reading!

Luckily this year I only have one student that is very below average and four that are just slightly behind. My first year teaching I had a student who could not read a word! He was in special education, but when he was in my classroom... its very hard!

I also agree that some teachers take too much time with good feeling stuff. Teach the facts. What students are going to need for life! Real-world problems. How to count back change (thats a head-ache day teaching that in my classroom). How to write a complete sentence. History.

Wow, this is a new definition. The estimate is in the calculation? I constantly used estimates in business over many years, but the estimates were estimated results CALCULATED EXACTLY. Never heard of estimated calculations.

No it's not a new definition. It may be different from the one you're using but it isn't new. Are you referring to estimates that you provide to prospective customers? If so, you're right, the estimate is fully calculated from the best information available.

In grade-school math classes, though, an estimate is a quick approximation of the answer to a complicated calculation. If that approximation says that the result should be around 100 and your calculated answer is over 300, you immediately know that your result is suspect.

Those parents who are able to help educate their children at home might as well homeschool them.

I saw an article once in a newspaper showing a parent working on school work with a child. At first I thought it was an article about homeschooling, but it turned out to be something about parents being able to help their kids with homework.

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks that when parents are *helping* their kids with homework, they WERE homeschooling.

So many parents say they can't homeschool, but this shows that they really can.

Any parent who knows enough to help their children find the correct answer in any subject is qualified enough to teach that subject. I daresay, any reasonably educated parent could get their children through at least 6th grade, enough to give them a very solid foundation in English and Math.

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