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Tuesday, January 3rd, 2017

Curriculum Is the Cure

Author:     Sol Stern
Source:     Manhattan Institute City Journal
Publication Date:     December 12, 2016
 Link: Curriculum Is the Cure
Stephan:   American students rank very poorly in things like math, reading, and science. But what really concerns me is that they seem to have no conception at all about the principles upon which the country was founded or even the structure of the government the Founders created.  A majority of young people cannot even name the branches of government. Here is a good evaluation of what is coming in American public education.

South Dakota classroom
Credit: Shutterstock

President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education has set off a new round in America’s long-running education wars. Teachers’ unions and progressive activists are warning of impending disaster—that DeVos and other “billionaire privatizers” are out to dismantle America’s public schools, the pillars of our democracy. Pro-choice education reformers, on the other hand, are cheering the DeVos appointment, and see great opportunities ahead for their movement. DeVos is one of the nation’s most tenacious advocates for (and generous funders of) the market approach to education. She likes charter schools, but is a true believer in vouchers—the policy of giving parents of children stuck in failing public schools tax dollars to pay tuition at the private schools of their choice. Even more encouraging, DeVos will presumably have the backing of a president who pledged on the campaign trail to use $20 billion in federal education funds to boost voucher programs in the states.

Unfortunately, hyperbole seems to be trumping reality (pun not intended) in this latest dust-up over the schools. Both sides ought to consider a ceasefire in order […]

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