Tag Archives: Charter Schools

Good News For Tennessee Students

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On Sunday, The U.K. Daily Mail reported that Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has invited Hillsdale College to open 50 charter schools whose anti-woke curriculum will teach students that America is ‘an exceptionally good country.’  What a wonderful idea. We can’t expect to raise children who want America to live up to its potential if we keep telling them that America is a bad country. We have our flaws, and we have made mistakes, but we have learned from those mistakes and moved forward. It should be noted that the mistake of slavery, which the political left does not seem to be able to forget, was a worldwide mistake that America played only a small part of. Unfortunately, much of the leadership in our education system is not willing to admit that.

The article reports:

Hillsdale College, which has close ties with former President Donald Trump,  developed the ‘1776 Curriculum’ and is eager to add to its network of charter schools with the curriculum that focus on ‘the centrality of the Western tradition.’

That curriculum – which spans 2,400 pages – was set up in response to the New York Times 1619 Project, which frames the founding of the United States through the eyes of slaves, and has been blasted for multiple inaccuracies.  

Note that the article felt it necessary to describe Hillsdale College as a conservative college and to tie the teaching of actual American history to former President Trump. This is a blatant example of mixing spin in with content in a news article.

The article notes:

The college’s ‘1776 Curriculum’ is currently being used in the two dozen member schools in about 13 states, as well as several dozen more across the country, per its website. 

It comes as battles continue to rage across the US about what is being taught in public schools. Many parents have been outraged by the push towards divisive ‘equity’ lessons based on the teachings of critical race theory, which opponents say is divisive, and teaches white children that they are ‘oppressors.’

Florida has also enacted the Parental Rights in Education Bill – the so-called ‘Don’t say gay’ bill, in response to reports of teachers encouraging children confused about their gender identity to hide it from their parents, and even move them towards medical treatment given to transgender people.  

Hillsdale has been criticized for its curriculum, which puts a spin on American history and provides a negative take on the New Deal and global warming.

…Hillsdale, which was founded in 1844 by abolitionists, does not accept state or federal funding, including no student grants or loans. 

The Times reported this move allows the school to ‘avoid some government oversight, such as compliance with federal Title IX rules governing sexual discrimination.’  

Instead, the school relies partly on donations from conservative benefactors that are fueled by aggressive fund-raising campaigns, the Times reported, including on Rush Limbaugh’s radio program before he died, and in Hillsdale’s widely circulated digest, Imprimis, including a 2017 piece in which President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was called ‘a hero to populist conservatives around the world.’ 

Again, note the spin. Charter schools run by Hillsdale College are a definite threat to the education establishment, which tends to lean left. As this plan moves forward, you can expect a multitude of negative articles from the American mainstream media.

The Beginning Of An Awakening?

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Many people join organizations hoping that they will fulfill the promise of helping to create a society where opportunities are equal. Sometimes those organizations work toward worthwhile goals, and sometimes those organizations are fronts for goals that are destructive. The title Black Lives Matter is a good one–black lives do matter, just as all lives matter. However, the tenants of the organization do not line up with the title. Unfortunately, there are many black Americans who have not yet realized this, but some black Americans are waking up. The Epoch Times posted an article yesterday about one black American who joined Black Lives matter hoping that they would be involved in activities that would help the black community. Unfortunately, he was wrong.

The article reports:

A Black Lives Matter chapter founder in Minnesota has resigned, claiming that the organization isn’t concerned about helping black communities or helping improve the education quality in Minneapolis, according to a video published last week.

Rashard Turner, the founder of a Black Lives Matter chapter in neighboring St. Paul, said he started the branch in 2015 but became disillusioned roughly a year after becoming “an insider” within the left-wing organization, according to a video released by TakeCharge—a group that rejects various provisions promoted by Black Lives Matter, including critical race theory-linked claims that the United States is inherently racist.

“After a year on the inside, I learned they had little concern for rebuilding black families, and they cared even less about improving the quality of education for students in Minneapolis,” Turner said in the video.

“That was made clear when they publicly denounced charter schools alongside the teachers union. I was an insider in Black Lives Matter. And I learned the ugly truth. The moratorium on charter schools does not support rebuilding the black family. But it does create barriers to a better education for black children. I resigned from Black Lives Matter after a year and a half. But I didn’t quit working to improve black lives and access to a great education.”

Please follow the link to the article to view the video. I hope that many more Americans will  learn what Rashard Turner has learned.

Taking Away Religious Freedom And Parent’s Rights

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On September 13th, CBN News reported that the New York Department of Education is moving to force all private schools in the state to perform as public schools. The department is reevaluating a 125-year-old law that would require private schools to offer the equivalent instruction to students as required in public schools.

The article reports:

This means all private schools’ curriculum, scheduling, lesson plans, hiring standards, and reporting requirements would have to follow all regulations as required by the state for public schools. The new regulations would also give the power to local school districts to oversee and inspect private and parochial schools. If a school was found lacking in compliance with the proposed regulations, the school could be closed. 

The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), a non-profit legal defense organization, represents Parents Union for Religious Integrity of Torah Education (PURITE). The parents and rabbis who sought PJI’s assistance practice ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Judaism. They have been training their youth in small religious schools known as yeshivas for thousands of years. The schools instruct in subjects such as math and English language while focusing primarily on the Torah and Talmud. 

PURITE notes that the proposed regulations would essentially outlaw their way of life and education. Parochial school leaders and homeschool families are also concerned about the suggested rules. 

PJI attorney Kevin Snider sent a letter last week to the New York Department of Education, which had been accepting public comment. Snider’s letter explains in some detail the conflict between Torah-based education and the goals of NY public schools.

This is the precursor to a move against homeschooling. Unfortunately the American public education system is failing the students. Many students who go to college are having to take remedial courses in English and mathematics before they can actually take a college course. Our children are graduating high school with no marketable skills and no practical life skills. The have been schooled in what to think, but not schooled in how to think. As parents realize that the public schools are failing their children, they are turning to other ways to educate their children.

The following chart shows the growth of homeschooling in America since 1970. People taking their children out of public school is a threat to the education establishment. We already know that children in Charter Schools, private schools and homeschooling do better than children in public school.  That is the reason the State of New York is going after private education.

Ultimately parents are responsible for raising and educating their children. That is a responsibility and right that the government is slowly infringing on.