The State of California approves and promotes the mutilation of children. Newsom does not want parents to have a say in their children education or lives—just pay the taxes and the bills. Instead of math, kids are taught racism in the math class. Instead of science, kids are taught not to believe science. In history they are taught we are all racists or the oppressed.
“ Progressive Democrats push forth Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DIE) at the expense of promoting the best learning experience for all students. Billions of wasted Government funding later, history has shown their battle cry, “No child left ahead”, a dismal failure.
A good example was banning the teaching of Algebra in San Francisco schools a decade ago. This was done to create a level playing field for children from disadvantaged homes to help them catch-up with their math deficiencies.
Ten years later, a Stanford study found eliminating Algebra in Middle School was a grave mistake. Under achieving student’s performance did not improve. Those who were deprived taking Algebra until High School had their college prep plans impeded.
Even in liberal San Francisco, parents revolted. “
No child left ahead by Richard Eber
Richard Eber, Exclusive to the California Political News and Views, 10/3/23
One wonders why public education in California is literally in the toilet.
Gavin Newsom recently held a press conference to publicize a bill he was signing that fined parents who oppose teaching alleged racist-woke social values and pornography in their classrooms.
The problem is Big Brother in Sacramento making decisions restricting 1st Amendment free speech rights.
Newsom’s actions reflect his grandstanding approach to dealing with education. He does not address chronic problems that plague underperforming schools in the Golden State. Three fourths of students are not up to national standards in math and English.
This woeful record can be partially attributed to the influx of non-English speaking kids in Sanctuary Cities. With this said, solutions have proven futile. Little effort has been made to raise test scores for all groups that plummeted when classroom learning was absent during almost two years of the Covid-19 epidemic.
While public schools remained open in Florida under orders from their Governor Ron DeSantis, California’s classrooms were closed at the urging of Progressive Democrats and their union supporters.
Rather than harping on this sad fact, strategies must be found to make up for past dismal performance. Reforms might include:
- Year around school and special programs to make up for lost basic education skills. More time in the classroom is needed to rectify these deficiencies. Tutoring and additional instruction time should be funded by the State.
- Time spent on physical education, art, sex education, and dancing, needs to be restricted until the academic performance of all students can be improved.
- A new approach is necessary for educating immigrants who lack English skills when enrolling in kindergarten. The State should consider the successful Rocketship Charter School model of intense English and math teaching involving extra school hours and computer lab training.
- Allow teachers more latitude enforcing discipline in their classrooms. School districts should stop walking on eggshells to avoid lawsuits. Instead, they need to concentrate on fulfilling their educational mission.
- Stop all levels of government trying to curtail Charter Schools ability to open and compete in the current failing education system. If present trends of deficient performance continues, school vouchers will need to be seriously considered.
The elephant in the closet is the powerful California Teachers Association (CTA). Their close affiliation with the Governor and the Legislature has allowed them a virtual stranglehold on public education. The Democratic legislature has virtually no competition or conservative input. The CTA has controlled public education for a couple of generations.
The results speak for themselves. The union continues to ask for additional funding offering little in return. The psychologists, MBA fruitcakes, and useless administrators they endorse, are not bringing meaningful change.
There is no way to sugarcoat California’s educational woes. This is one instance where Donald Trump can’t be blamed. Lack of money for educational purposes is hardly debatable either. The government has failed to effectively perform their job.
The current system is hurting kids and families. Parents know if their children lack basic skills to meet graduation standards for high school seniors, they will likely not succeed in higher education. Efforts made to eliminate SAT tests for college admission hardly provides a solution.
Progressive Democrats push forth Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DIE) at the expense of promoting the best learning experience for all students. Billions of wasted Government funding later, history has shown their battle cry, “No child left ahead”, a dismal failure.
A good example was banning the teaching of Algebra in San Francisco schools a decade ago. This was done to create a level playing field for children from disadvantaged homes to help them catch-up with their math deficiencies.
Ten years later, a Stanford study found eliminating Algebra in Middle School was a grave mistake. Under achieving student’s performance did not improve. Those who were deprived taking Algebra until High School had their college prep plans impeded.
Even in liberal San Francisco, parents revolted. There is a move to put a measure on the ballot next year urging the school board (best known for trying to rename schools named Washington and Jefferson) to introduce Algebra curriculum to middle schools once again.
Unfortunately, this was not an isolated instance. There has been a move by some educators to eliminate advanced placement courses in High School. This is justified because such classes are supposed to discriminate against people of color and the less intelligent.
The extra point added to gifted students for Advanced Placement courses on their GPA is a no-no in Woke World. Promoting “Excellence,” is not part of their educational mission.
Just ask Superintendent of Public Education Tony Thurmond. He is a virtual hostage of the unions and the legislature. Sitting behind Gavin Newsom, Thurmond is perfect fit to push Progressive education values in California. This failed educator recently placed his hat in the ring to replace the termed-out governor.
Yikes!
Are there enough angry enough people to impose needed educational reform in Sacramento? The answer is probably “no”. Most voters are too brainwashed and apathetic to bring change.
Sure, a few grassroots efforts will succeed in changing the compositions of a few school boards. Most of these efforts will amount to placing lipstick on a pig. Until strong parental choice is instituted on a statewide basis, the status quo will prevail.
Fixing public education, is an area the state Republican Party has been saying the right things. They have encouraged GOP members to run for available school board seats. Sadly, the Party has not funded any of these election bids.
Most of the money raised by the State GOP is allocated for funding the operations of State Chairwomen Jessica Patterson and her staff. Somehow, “The rang, tang, bang, reminiscent of gin and vermouth”, is missing from this organization.
As former Congressman Sonny Bono once quipped, “The beat goes on.”
Public education in California still remains in the toilet so to speak.
As the article says, “Promoting ‘Excellence,’ is not part of their educational mission.” Dumbing down is, since it serves the purposes of the power-hungry so much better. And yes, the power-hungry have succeeded in convincing enough parents that dumbing down — now via DEI — is for their children’s and the commons’ good. Implementing the good strategies in this article would be an uphill battle, but a worthwhile one.
A voucher system is critical]y needed to allow parents of potential AP students to be pulled from failing public schools and placed in schools that will challenge their abilities.
Ghidotti Early College High School in Grass Valley has a small High School staff because all of their students attend classes at Sierra Community College. Students graduate with one or more Associates Degrees before their High School graduation ceremony. That’s the good side.
Unfortunately the school endorses the “Equity” part of DEI. In response to complaints from parents that their precious child worked hard to maintain a GPA of 90% or more, it wasn’t fair that there be only one Valedictorian in the class, so the school bestows the Valedictorian title to all students with a GPA 90% or higher. Our granddaughter’s class had 21 valedictorians. Which is not only absurd but allows the 21st highest student of put “valedictorian” on their college application, thereby acing out better qualified applicants.
This Marxist attack on our schools is obviously dumbing down our next generation. American public education schools used to be the envy of the world. Today they are losing to third world country education spending less than half of what we allocate per student.
The school unions are at the center of the failing system. The bloated D.O.E. employs thousands of bureaucrats and can not point to one successful mandate.
School choice is the answer. Charter schools have proven they provide a better education through competition for excellence.
“Equity is the antithesis of Meritocratic”. The democrat “woke” world is collapsing in failure after failure. It is indefensible, so do not be intimidated by the far left power hungry zealots running it.