THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume X, Issue # 126, May 18, 2008
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
THE NIGHTMARE WE CALL OUR SCHOOLS
By Alan Caruba
THE SORRY STATE OF CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATION: PUBLIC SCHOOLS THAT ARE INEFFECTIVE,
POORLY ADMINISTERED, & BROKEN -- INCOMPETENT TEACHERS, INDIFFERENT ADMINISTRATORS, & STUDENTS FOR
WHOM THE EXPECTATION OF GOOD BEHAVIOR & A DEDICATION TO LEARNING IS LAUGHABLE -- SCHOOLS WHICH ARE
TOTALLY IN THE GRIP OF LABOR UNIONS WITH A DEMONSTRATIVE LIBERAL LEFTIST AGENDA -- SCHOOLS THAT ARE
AGENCIES FOR POLITICAL INDOCTRINATION, INSTILLING THOUGHT PATTERNS THAT RUN COUNTER TO TRADITIONAL
AMERICAN VALUES & BELIEFS
FULL STORY:
A friend of mine recently wrote to me saying:
“My wife is retiring in June after thirty years of teaching.
A high school diploma means nothing. No Child Left
Behind is an even bigger joke. It is a scary situation that
could lead us to third world status, but we are prepared
for that, since we already teach English as a second
language.”
I remember my father, the son of Italian immigrants, telling me how, when he entered kindergarten in the early years of
the last century, the teacher paired him with a boy who spoke both English and Italian. That was how he learned to
speak English. He was not considered special; the school was full of immigrants' children and they were expected to
pick up English as best they could and as fast as they could. Later, my father worked his way through New York
University and became the youngest person at the time to pass the exam to become a Certified Public Account.
The difference between my father’s era — and mine at mid-Twentieth Century — and the children in today’s schools is
that there were subjects we were expected to master and grades reflected actual achievement.
Today’s schools reflect the opening quote from a friend of mine, a fellow with a Master’s degree in Education who tried
his hand at teaching and discovered that his school was a jungle of incompetent teachers, indifferent administrators,
and a majority of students for whom the expectation of good behavior and a dedication to learning was laughable. And
his school was every public school.
That explains why Dr. Renato C. Nicolai, Ed.D., with forty years of teaching in elementary and middle schools as well as
being an administrator in California schools, sat down and wrote The Nightmare That Is Public Education: An Expose
of What Really Happens in Public Schools ($17.95, iUniverse). I recommend this book to parents so that the blinders
can fall from their eyes, and especially to teachers who still have a desire to actually teach.
“I believe teachers and principals work in school systems throughout the United States that are ineffective, poorly
administered, and broken,” says Dr. Nicholai. He cited six “myths” the public is spoon-fed to keep them in the dark.
The Money Myth — “Schools perform poorly because they need more money.”
The Special Ed Myth — “Special education programs burden public schools, hindering their academic performance.”
The Myth of Helplessness — “Social problems like poverty cause students to fail; schools are helpless to prevent it.”
The Class Size Myth — “Schools should reduce class sizes; small classes would produce big improvements.”
The Certification Myth — “Certified or more experienced teachers are substantially more effective.”
The Teacher Pay Myth — “Teachers are badly underpaid.”
Politically Conservative parents have an even greater problem with today’s schools, which are totally in the grip of unions
with a demonstrative Leftist agenda. Dr. Nicholai writes:
“The terms multiculturalism, modernism, diversity, secular
humanism, individual self-expression, moral relativism, and
political correctness identify the secular-progressive.”
“When these terms are discussed with praise and commitment,
you know you’re on the trail of persons who believe that
traditional values, rights, and responsibilities are old-fashioned
and out of step with modern thought.”
“Public schools are havens for Liberal thought and practice.
Secondary teachers are generally Far Left, Left, or Left-leaning.”
The greatest complaint of parents with children in today’s school is that the schools are factories for indoctrination of
values that run contrary to their own “old-fashioned” views.
It is doubtful, still, that parents have any idea how bad the situation is in their local schools, even if their children attend
those in prosperous suburbs. Dr. Nicholai simply says they have been hoodwinked. Everyone participates, from the
students to the teachers to the administrators.
“Actually, at most public high schools, chaos is just under the
surface of the daily routine, with cops on campus and
administrators supervising before and after school, during
passing periods, and at lunches and recesses, with walkie-talkies
and cell phones.”
Not exactly the description of a serene, safe environment in which to learn or teach anything.
We Americans, as a nation, have known about this as far back as 1983, when the National Commission on Excellence in
Education issued its report, A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform. Here we are, twenty-five
years later, and the situation is infinitely worse.
At a current average cost of $9,200 per student, an increase of 69% over 1980 per-pupil spending, taxpayers are
spending more and getting worse results.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
Education & America's Schools
A Practical Guide to Homeschooling
Alan Caruba is a veteran business and science writer, a Public Relations Counselor, and Founder of the National Anxiety Center, a
clearinghouse for information about media-driven scare campaigns. Caruba writes a weekly commentary, "Warning Signs," posted
on the Internet website of the National Anxiety Center, which is located at
www.anxietycenter.com.
Caruba has a daily blog at http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com.
Caruba’s new book, Right Answers: Separating Fact from Fantasy, has been published by Merril Press.
© Alan Caruba 2008
Published with Permission of Alan Caruba
ACaruba@AOL.Com
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Conservative & Free-Market Analysis of Government, Politics & Public Policy, Covering Political, Legal, Constitutional, Economic,
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Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity