Difference between revisions of "Public schools in the United States"

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Professor Larry Schwikart, of the [[University of Dayton]], wrote a book about biased textbooks. False claims common in those texts included that the [[Founding Fathers]] wanted a "wall of [[Separation of church and state|separation" between church and state]], that "[[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln]] issued the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] only because he needed [[Black Soldiers in the Civil War|black soldiers]]", and that "[[Mikhail Gorbachev]], not [[Ronald Reagan]], was responsible for ending the [[Cold War]]". <ref>http://www.emailwire.com/release/20086-Controversial-Historian-on-the-Price-of-Business-Show.html</ref>
 
Professor Larry Schwikart, of the [[University of Dayton]], wrote a book about biased textbooks. False claims common in those texts included that the [[Founding Fathers]] wanted a "wall of [[Separation of church and state|separation" between church and state]], that "[[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln]] issued the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] only because he needed [[Black Soldiers in the Civil War|black soldiers]]", and that "[[Mikhail Gorbachev]], not [[Ronald Reagan]], was responsible for ending the [[Cold War]]". <ref>http://www.emailwire.com/release/20086-Controversial-Historian-on-the-Price-of-Business-Show.html</ref>
  
−
Evidence for bias in school textbooks includes promotion of [[Homosexuality:homosexual]] agenda, support of liberal viewpoint, as well as support of the unproven theory of evolution. Most Biology textbooks do not provide the [[Creationism:creationist]] viewpoint a chance, or even a second thought.
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Evidence for bias in school textbooks includes promotion of [[Homosexual]] agenda, support of liberal viewpoint, as well as support of the unproven theory of evolution. Most Biology textbooks do not provide the [[creationist]] viewpoint a chance, or even a second thought.
  
 
===Non-Dismissal of Tenured Teachers===
 
===Non-Dismissal of Tenured Teachers===

Revision as of 00:48, January 17, 2013

Because of violence, vandalism, and other undesirable elements, this public school has a glaring sign warning of the on-campus surveillance cameras at its parking lot entrance.

Public schools in the United States have become predominantly liberal and atheistic[1][2][3][4] government institutions that employ 3 million people and spend $411.5 billion annually at a cost of $10,770 per student.[5] Liberals censor classroom prayer, the Ten Commandments, sharing of faith in classrooms during school hours, and teaching Bible-based morality.[6][7] Mandatory homosexual indoctrination is common as early as elementary school in more liberal states.[8] The failures of underperforming public schools are paradigm of socialism, along with landfills and the Canadian healthcare system.

The following are characteristics of US public schools:

  • 30% of public school students fail to graduate from high school,[9] and more than 40% of minorities fail to graduate;[10] the real drop-out rate may be 50%.[11]
  • Nearly 70% of students leave high school unqualified to attend four-year college, and many are unable to hold a steady job.[9]
  • A 2007 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 77% of students between eighth and 12th grade had used illicit drugs.[12] Fatal overdoses are common but underreported.[13] Public schools are required to present drug "education" to kids.
  • More than 60% of public school teenagers (in one regional study) watch more than 3 hours of television a day, compared with a national average of 35%[14]
  • About half of the viable pregnancies among girls attending public school end in abortions and about half end in birth. Public schools "educate" kids about sex.[15]
  • "About 160,000 students miss school daily because they fear being bullied," and students viciously fight each other and post videos of it on Youtube.com.[16]
  • 20% of students had been dangerously "binge drinking" in the previous 30 days, and 50% of seniors regularly drink illegally, according to a 2007 study of Ottawa County, Michigan.[17][18]
  • 10-20% of students become addicted to cigarettes[18][19]
  • 35% of students are overweight[20]
  • Health screening of public schools in Memphis, Tennessee, found that nearly 10% of students have mental health problems[20].
  • More than 10% of public high schools have a pro-homosexual student club
  • The majority of public school students are completely ignorant about the Bible, even as history and literature
  • California public schools, largest in the nation, now rank at the bottom in academic achievement.[21]

See Also: Public school culture

History

In 1647, Massachusetts Puritans enacted the second law, after Scotland in 1616,[22] establishing universal public schools in the English-speaking world to block the attempts by "ould deluder Satan to keepe men from the whole knowledge of the Scriptures".[23] Each settlement larger than 50 families was required to pay a schoolmaster to teach reading, writing and religious doctrine to the children in the community. Beginning in 1670, Massachusetts provided tax funding for school maintenance. This model was then copied throughout the colonies, and even throughout the world.

Many children did not attend public school for the first two centuries. It was not until 1852 that Massachusetts became the first state to require attendance by students aged 6 through 16, and it was not until 1918 that all states had compulsory attendance laws. High schools did not generally exist until after the Civil War, and the first American kindergarten didn't exist until 1856 in Watertown, Wisconsin.

Views on morals

So-called "character education"

In response to the perception that public schools have stopped teaching morality, many state education departments have or are in the process of developing "morality" that avoid good and evil, right and wrong, and instead present under the heading of "character" education.[24] The lack of appreciation for right and wrong can surprise outsiders, and even school principals. When one public school student was charged with felony computer crime for altering the grades of 20 students, the principal said, we "want to teach them what's right and wrong, and it's tough for some kids to catch on to the idea that changing grades is the wrong thing to do."[25] The impact of the removal of morality from the public school curriculum (which is also used in private schools) is that "more than one in three boys (35 percent) and one-fourth of the girls (26 percent) — a total of 30 percent overall — admitted stealing from a store within the past year."[26] Liberal politicians are the most frequent opponents of initiatives designed to build moral fiber in the public school system, with organizations like the ACLU and teacher's unions devoting a significant amount of their resources towards this end. In 2010, a school board in North Dakota decided to change the name of their mascot from the "Satans." Liberals unrolled a large-scale media campaign that blanketed the district with pro-Satan propaganda in an attempt to keep the name, but they were unsuccessful. [27]

Prayer

See also: Classroom prayer

The White House announced the release of Revised Religious Guidelines for America's Public Schools on May 29, 1998. Within this announcement, President Clinton stated, "Nothing in the First Amendment converts our public schools into religion-free zones, or requires all religious expression to be left behind at the school house door." --President Clinton, July 12, 1998[28]

In 2003, the Education Department released the following guidelines that clarified and added requirements to Public Schools to ensure the religious rights of students.[29]

Schools that don’t allow students to pray outside the classroom or that prohibit teachers from holding religious meetings among themselves could lose federal money, the Education Department said late last week.

The guidance reflects the Bush administration’s push to ensure that schools give teachers and students as much freedom to pray as the courts have allowed.
The department makes clear that teachers cannot pray with students or attempt to shape their religious views. The instructions, released by the department on Feb. 7, broadly follow the same direction given by the Clinton administration and the courts. Prayer is generally allowed provided it happens outside the class and is initiated by students, not by school officials.

The department, however, also offered some significant additions, including more details on such contentious matters as moments of silence and prayer in student assemblies. And for the first time, federal funds are tied to compliance with the guidelines. The burden is on schools to prove compliance through a yearly report.

Teaching the Bible in Public Schools

The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools[30] (NCBCPS) provides a program for teaching the Bible in public schools. Currently, the NCBCPS's Bible curriculum has been voted into 462 school districts (over 1,900 high schools) in 38 states. Over 210,000 students have already taken this course nationwide, on the high school campus, during school hours, for credit.

Suppression and intolerance of Christian views

Activist judges have proclaimed that teaching creationism[31] and intelligent design[32] in public schools is unconstitutional because they claim that such teachings would amount to a government establishment of religion, which is prohibited by the First Amendment.[33]

Educational outcomes

Declining literacy

Since the rapid expansion and liberalization of public schools after World War II, students' literacy levels have dropped significantly. While the average 14-year-old had a vocabulary of 25,000 words in 1945, the equivalent student in 2000 had a vocabulary of only 10,000 words, a severe disadvantage in an increasingly textual world.[34]

Liberal bias in textbooks

See also: Textbook bias

Textbooks (K-12) have been systematically analyzed in a study funded by the U.S. government. The 1986 findings were that massive, systematic liberal bias exists, resulting in several information blackouts in four key areas of modern American life—marriage, religion, politics, and business. While an actual conspiracy was then ruled out, the cause was found to be a "a very widespread secular and liberal mindset" pervading "the leadership in the world of education [and textbook publishing]"[35].

Professor Larry Schwikart, of the University of Dayton, wrote a book about biased textbooks. False claims common in those texts included that the Founding Fathers wanted a "wall of separation" between church and state, that "Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation only because he needed black soldiers", and that "Mikhail Gorbachev, not Ronald Reagan, was responsible for ending the Cold War". [36]

Evidence for bias in school textbooks includes promotion of Homosexual agenda, support of liberal viewpoint, as well as support of the unproven theory of evolution. Most Biology textbooks do not provide the creationist viewpoint a chance, or even a second thought.

Non-Dismissal of Tenured Teachers

Due to the strength of the nation's teachers' union, it is nearly impossible to fire a bad performing teacher with tenure. The process can take years and involves countless steps to even attempt. The union claims that the protections are needed against arbitrary and malicious lawsuits.

The New York public schools system has approximately 700 teachers accused of insubordination to sexual misconduct. They remain in seclusion from the classroom but are paid full salaries until their cases are heard, sometimes from months to years later. All because their union contract makes it extremely difficult to fire them. [37]

Flow chart for firing teachers in the nations second largest school district, Los Angeles Unified School district

Graduates

Before 1962

Given that public schools educate about 90% of Americans, it is astounding how few prominent Americans attended public school after the banning of school-sponsored prayer in 1962. Here is an impressive list of people who attended public schools before the banning of school-sponsored prayer.

After 1962

Here is a mostly unimpressive list of people who attended public school after school-sponsored prayer was banned in 1962:

  • Brad Pitt, actor, graduated from Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Missouri, 1981; dropped out of college.[53]
  • Tom Cruise, actor, attended several public high schools including Glen Ridge High School, New Jersey during the 1970's. [54]
  • John Sununu, former one-term Senator from New Hampshire, graduated from Salem High School in the 1970's;[55] claiming to be pro-life, Sununu arranged for the nomination of David Souter to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he then repeatedly voted on the side of abortion
  • John Edwards, indicted in 2011 on allegations arising from his affair with a mistress, was a former one-term Senator from North Carolina and two-time unsuccessful candidate for nomination for president, attended public school in Robbins, N.C. during the 1960's.[56]
  • Spike Lee, producer, actor, graduated from John Dewey High School, Brooklyn, NY.[57]
  • Laura Bush attended James Bowie Elementary School, San Jacinto Junior High School, and Midland Lee High School in Midland, Texas (Graduated 1964); came out in support of gay marriage and abortion in 2010.[58]
  • William J. Clinton[59] graduated from Hot Springs High School in Arkansas in 1964, and became the only president impeached in the 20th century.
  • Anthony Weiner, a congressman who resigned in disgrace in 2011 after first denying but then confirming an indecent use of Twitter, graduated from a public high school in Brooklyn.
  • Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Inc., graduated from Homestead High School in Cupertino, CA in 1972; his colleague, Steve Wozniak, graduated from the same high school in 1968.
  • Eminem, a liberal rapper, repeatedly failed 9th grade in public school and ultimately dropped out.
  • Alan Colmes, a liberal news commentator, attended public school in New York City.
  • Sarah Palin, vice presidential candidate on the Republican Party ticket in 2008 and favorite of some Tea Party groups, went to Wasilla High School and graduated in 1982 and then attended 5 different colleges before becoming more conservative later in life.[60]
  • Rick Perry, Texas governor, infringed on parental rights by requiring young girls to receive an HPV vaccine.
  • Kenneth D. Cockrell, Texas Graduated from Rockdale High School, Rockdale, Texas, in 1968. A veteran of five spaceflights, Cockrell has logged more than 1,560 hours in space.[61]
  • Russell Alan Hulse, New York Graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, New York, in 1966. Winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics.[62]
  • Richard Axel, New York Graduated from Stuyvesant High School, New York, New York, in 1963. Winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.[63]
  • Hugh David Politzer, New York Graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, New York, in 1966. Winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics.[64]
  • Christine O'Donnell graduated from Moorestown High School in 1987.[65]
  • Scott Walker graduated from Delavan-Darien High School in 1986.[66]
  • Paul Ryan, an establishment Republican, graduated from Joseph A. Craig High School, Janesville, WI in 1988.[67]
  • Sharron Angle (born 1949) graduated from Wooster High School in Reno, Nevada.[68]
  • Jon Huntsman, Republican Presidential candidate and former Governor of Utah, attended Highland High School in Salt Lake City, Utah before he dropped out in 1978 to pursue a career as a rock and roll keyboardist.[69]
  • Michelle Bachmann, Republican member of the House of Representatives graduated from Anoka High School, Anoka, Minnesota in 1974.[70]
  • Mike Huckabee, former Republican Governor of Arkansas, graduated from Hope High School, Hope Arkansas, in 1974.[71]
  • Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, Graduated from Cheltenham High School, Wyncote, Pennsylvania, in 1967. [72]
  • Rand Paul, Republican Senator, Graduated from Brazoswood High School, Clute, Texas in 1981. [73]

See Also

References

  1. ↑ Exodus from "public schools" gets a helping hand, Exodus Mandate, Sept 15, 1998
  2. ↑ For example, "in 2005, officials at East Brunswick High School adopted a policy prohibiting representatives of the school district from participating in student-initiated prayer." [1]
  3. ↑ From 2004 to 2006, a public school banned Bible study by children ... during recess. A teacher complained about the use of the Bible and the principal then censored the study activity, according to a sworn statement by a teacher told to stop it. Principal "Summa, having learned of a complaint by a teacher and of the students' Bible study, told fourth-grade teacher Virginia Larue to nix the group's recess meeting. ... Larue later told one of Luke's Bible study colleagues the group could no longer meet at recess."[2]
  4. ↑ Atheists routinely impose their views on public schools, though liberals deny it. For example, a court prohibited a moment of silence in Illinois "Township High School District 214 after atheist activist Rob Sherman challenged" it.[3]
  5. ↑ Statistics about education
  6. ↑ See, e.g., Stone v. Graham (1980) (excluding Ten Commandments from public school).
  7. ↑ A public school banned Bible study by children ... during recess. A teacher complained about the use of the Bible and the principal then censored the study activity, according to a sworn statement by a teacher told to stop it. [4]
  8. ↑ http://www.massresistance.org/media/video/brainwashing.html
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Only 70% of all students in public high schools graduate, and only 32% of all students leave high school qualified to attend four-year colleges."[5]
  10. ↑ "Only 71 percent of kids graduate from high school within four years, and for minorities the numbers are even worse -- 58 percent for Hispanics and 55 percent for African Americans," [Bill Gates] wrote. "If the decline in childhood deaths [in developing countries] is one of the most positive statistics ever, these are some of the most negative."[6]
  11. ↑ http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/47272207.html
  12. ↑ According to Monitoring the Future, a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, illicit drug use is up among students between eighth and 12th grade. In 1991, 62 percent had used illicit drugs. In 2007, the number jumped to 77 percent. [7]
  13. ↑ Fatal overdoses are common, although often underreported.Reporting of a heroin overdose by 16-year-old public school student was an exception to the underreporting.
  14. ↑ http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/dec/01/memphis-youth-make-progress-on-risky-behavior/ (study of Memphis students)
  15. ↑ "There is zero shame [to teenage pregnancy]," the school nurse observed.[8]
  16. ↑ One victim is now "being homeschooled at state expense."[9]
  17. ↑ The Grand Rapids Press The Grand Rapids Press: Ottawa County confronts teen drinking, By Greg Chandler, December 04, 2008[10]
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 http://www.mlive.com/chronicle/news/index.ssf/2008/12/ottawa_co_youth_survey_surpris.html
  19. ↑ http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/dec/01/memphis-youth-make-progress-on-risky-behavior/
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/nov/29/students-health-needs-attention/
  21. ↑ High-Spending California School System Collapsing AP, June 21, 2009
  22. ↑ The Social, Economic & Political Reasons for the Decline of Gaelic in Scotland [11]
  23. ↑ Family Encyclopedia of American History (Reader's Digest 1975)
  24. ↑ [12]
  25. ↑ http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-student-grade-felony,0,7871401.story
  26. ↑ http://charactercounts.org/programs/reportcard/index.html
  27. ↑ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-11/news/ct-perspec-0311-things-20120311_1_devil-man-great-deceiver-native-americans
  28. ↑ http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-1998/wh-0530.html
  29. ↑ http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=17550
  30. ↑ http://www.bibleinschools.net/
  31. ↑ https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/482/578/case.html
  32. ↑ www.pamd.uscourts.gov/kitzmiller/kitzmiller_342.pdf
  33. ↑ See Kitzmiller, 400 F.Supp.2d at 765
  34. ↑ Utne Reader (July-August 2000), 28-9.
  35. ↑ Censorship: Evidence of Bias in Our Children's textbooks, Paul C. Vitz, Servant Books, 1986, ISBN 0-89283-305-X
  36. ↑ http://www.emailwire.com/release/20086-Controversial-Historian-on-the-Price-of-Business-Show.html
  37. ↑ 700 NYC Teachers Paid to Do Nothing AP, June 22, 2009
  38. ↑ http://www.dixonil.com/reagan/reagan2.htm
  39. ↑ http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/press_releases/2007/PR07_11_August_02_2007_Eisenhower_Co_Sponsor_Little_Rock.pdf
  40. ↑ http://www.nndb.com/edu/836/000068632/
  41. ↑ http://www.visitgrandrapids.org/ford-facts.php
  42. ↑ http://www.nndb.com/people/062/000023990/
  43. ↑ http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/103truman/103visual1.htm
  44. ↑ http://www.famoustexans.com/rossperot.htm
  45. ↑ http://www.nndb.com/people/598/000022532/
  46. ↑ http://gale.cengage.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/powell_c.htm
  47. ↑ http://online-bibleconcordance.com/Ministers/BillyGraham.aspx
  48. ↑ michaelmedved.townhall.com/About.aspx
  49. ↑ http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/inventor/wright/index.html
  50. ↑ http://www.nndb.com/people/738/000138324/
  51. ↑ http://www.nndb.com/people/052/000099752/
  52. ↑ http://libraryoflibrary.com/E_n_c_p_d_Ollie_North.html
  53. ↑ http://www.rolemodel.net/brad_pitt.cfm
  54. ↑ http://www.nndb.com/people/791/000022725/
  55. ↑ http://www.sununu.senate.gov/biography.html
  56. ↑ http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2004/primaries/edwards_bio.html
  57. ↑ http://movies.nytimes.com/person/99175/Spike-Lee/biography
  58. ↑ http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/laura-bush-supports-gay-marriage-abortion/story?id=10629213
  59. ↑ http://www.hotsprings.org/things_to_do/historic_hotsprings/presidents_hometown.asp
  60. ↑ http://outhouserag.typepad.com/outhouserag/2008/09/sarah-palin-198.html
  61. ↑ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cockrell.htmll
  62. ↑ http://alumni.bxscience.edu/?page=NotableAlumni
  63. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Axel
  64. ↑ http://alumni.bxscience.edu/?page=NotableAlumni
  65. ↑ "Delaware politics: From middle-class New Jersey, moral activist Christine O'Donnell knew 'God was calling'", Delaware Online
  66. ↑ Ames, Ann Marie, "Rock County Close to Home for Walker", Walworth County Today, Sept. 7, 2010
  67. ↑ http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/06/16/politics/wis-ryan/
  68. ↑ "Sharron Angle, Biography"
  69. ↑ [13]
  70. ↑ [14]
  71. ↑ [15]
  72. ↑ [16]
  73. ↑ [17]
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