Education Reform, Workforce Training and the Home Schooler

In the 1995-96 school year, the number of children being homeschooled in Washington state increased by 18% while public school enrollment increased by 1% and private school enrollment increased by 4% (Northwest Cable Works). Obviously, more and more parents are becoming concerned with the direction of Goals 2000 and education reform and are pulling their children from the public schools and are either homeschooling them or sending them to private schools.

ESHB 1209, bringing education reform to Washington state, carried an exemption from the Certificate of Initial Mastery (CIM) as a graduation requirement for private, parochial and homeschool students. Many parents believe this is all they need to protect their children from what is happening in the public schools and public arena.

In 1989, at the National Governors' Association conference in Wichita, Kansas, Dr Shirley McCune stated,

What we are into is the total restructuring of society. What is happening in America today and what is happening in Kansas and the Great Plains is not simply a chance situation in the usual winds of change…it amounts to…a total transformation of society…you can't get away from it…" (highlighting added).

From the glossary of terms of the April 1996 School-to-Work Conference itinerary: "All Students. All students means all students, not just the noncollege-bound." All students is defined in state documents as anyone who has been, is now, or will be in the schools. The restructuring that is happening in America today will not only affect every child in this country, it will also affect every man and woman in this country.

Parents ask, "How can this be?"

Private and homeschool parents need to realize that the purpose and function of education under education reform and Goals 2000 has changed. No longer is the purpose of education to produce a innovative, creative, intelligent individual. The purpose of education, under Goals 2000/education reform, is to produce a socially productive human resource unit defined in terms of the worth of the human resource to the state driven economy. This is analogous with the polytechnical education system of the former Soviet Union.

Indications are, from material already published by the Governor's office, that any child who does not obtain his/her Certificate of Initial Mastery (CIM) will not be able to work or advance to higher education. The document referred to is entitled the Final Report, Governor's Council on School-to-Work Transition, March 23, 1995:

Source: Final Report; Governor's Council on School to Work Transition; 1995

The above is from page 11 of this document. Note what constitutes paid and unpaid work-based learning activities. Remember that ESHB 1209 only exempts private and homeschoolers from the requirement of obtaining the CIM as a graduation requirement; it does not exempt them from having to have it before obtaining a job or advancing to higher education.

Yet another document, published by the Washington state Higher Education Coordinating Board states,

The Certificate of Mastery will be the foundation on which minimum freshman admissions standards are built.

In a document authored by Dr Cal Crow, Center for Career and Work-Related Education, Highline Community College, entitled What is School-to-Career?, this correlation is made between school and work:

School-to-career is a new way of thinking about education for all students. Because it is intended to be an agent of systemic change, it is consistent with many current education reform efforts. In fact, in the state of Washington, school-to-career legislation was enacted concurrently with education reform. (highlighting added).

All students includes private and homeschoolers.

What does this mean for the private and homeschooled child? It means the exemption clause of ESHB 1209 carries no protection for private and homeschoolers in the larger picture; that there has been no provision made, nor any attempt to make provision, to exempt private and homeschoolers from the requirement of the Certificate of Initial Mastery as a prerequisite to getting a job or advancing to higher education.

RCW 28A.630.885 states: The certificate of mastery shall be obtained by most students at about the age of sixteen, and is evidence that the student has successfully mastered the essential academic learning requirements during his or her educational career.

The measure of "mastery" will be the assessment. Unless the child can pass the state prescribed assessment, he/she will not be able to receive his/her Certificate of Mastery.

How hard will it be for the private or homeschooled child to pass the assessments? Very, because the assessments are designed to measure whether the child can demonstrate the wanted process — the wanted procedure/behavior; the wanted attitudes, values, and beliefs; the wanted way of thinking. The only way the child will be able to demonstrate the wanted process is if he/she has been through the very structured and very strictured process of outcome-based education, the purpose of which is to socialize the child, to engage the child in "socially useful productive labor."

So, what happens to the private or homeschooled child who does not have the Certificate of Initial Mastery? The CIM is the prerequisite requirement to employment and higher education. Indications are, at this time, that any child who does not have a CIM will be sent to a Youth Center where he/she will be remediated until he/she passes the assessments and obtains the CIM.

What can parents do? Many parents are removing their children from the public schools and either homeschooling them or sending them to private schools to remove them from harms way. This is a decision that only the parents can make. But parents must realize that this is only a stop-gap measure and is not a long term cure.

Dr Shirley McCune told parents on the west side of Washington state that she “envisioned their diplomas would implode on the wall and they, as their children, would have to be retrained in the ways of the new society.” A very telling statement, indeed.

Parents, citizens need to realize that the only way they and their child(ren) are going to be saved from this socialist system is for them to become informed and involved in defeating it. Those implementing this system claim majority status by procedural consensus which simply means that they claim to represent those who do not actively speak out against this. The Washington Commission on Student Learning put out a pie chart in 1995 which shows that only 5% of the people in Washington state really know what education reform is all about. That means that 95% of the people do not know. The only way school boards, administrators, the state education office can claim that parents support the restructuring of the American education system is by procedural consensus — claiming the support of the 95% by virtue of their ignorance or their refusal to speak out against this. This is also known as tacit approval or consent.

There are any number of parent groups being formed across Washington state to fight the scourge of education reform. Join them or start your own. Network with others opposing education reform become educated, become involved. Every person can make a difference.

Contact your legislator. Ask what he/she intends to do to protect the home school, private school, and parochial school students.

The restructuring of the American education system is targeted for completion and full implementation in September of the year 2000. The system will engulf every man, woman and child in the United States. If we do nothing, we will lose not only our children but also our freedom.

© December 1996; Lynn M Stuter

╪