Are Private Schools Selling Out?
by Eileen Spatz
My neighbor, a
mother of two, is beginning the arduous search for a good private school for
her future kindergartner. She has read enough
distressing articles about the trendy public school curricula (tolerance
training, death education, and global citizenship, etc) to rule out this option
for her children. Because of the
research I’ve done on textbooks and teaching methodologies, she has asked me to
help her sort through various private schools’ catalogs.
In asking these schools what book
publishers and titles they use, it is evident that many private schools are now
using the politically correct public school textbooks. Most private schools receive government
subsidies for textbooks, and this appears to be influencing which textbooks are
then purchased. Most state-approved
books are tailored to and aligned with the Goals 2000 law of 1994, and reflect
a carefully crafted political vision.
This message runs through all subjects; math, literature, social studies
and science. It is pervasive and
consistent among the major textbook publishers.
What is this message? That we are one world, one community, one citizenship. That
we must save the planet and worship Mother Earth. That we should think, work, and function as
teams, not as individuals. That morality
is self-defined, based on one’s personal experience, not on abstract
God-originated absolutes.
Mind you, these books are being used in
Catholic schools and Christian schools of various denominations. Although the schools also provide religious
instruction alongside these texts, many of the messages woven through the
secular texts are in direct conflict with the Bible! Wouldn’t this be confusing to children?
Parents who enroll their children in
private schools are making significant financial sacrifices. I know, I
experienced this strain the year my children were enrolled in a private
school. And because I had also
experienced several years at the local public school, I was able to identify
several red flags at this private school.
The same bad math books, the same whole language-based reading
curriculum, and many of the same ridiculous teaching methods (ie, making puppets to act out a scene from a book instead
of writing a book report). Most of the
teachers hired at private schools have received their credentials from
universities where all this muck is taught as holy writ.
Many parents (myself
included) place blind faith in the private school they select assuming that if
it’s private, expensive, and they teach about God, it must be good. They do not take the time to look through the
textbooks or quiz the teachers on their personal teaching philosophy. And if they did, would they know what to look
for?
Only a textbook comparison would
clearly show the slant of these politically correct texts. For instance, the 4th grade Mathematics Plus
from Harcourt Brace shows three kids (a black child, an Asian child and a Hispanic
child) on the cover recycling newspapers and cans. The book has about 400 pages filled to the
brim with multiculturalism, environmentalism, politically correct messages
woven into group projects, calculator icons throughout (use your calculator!)
and so many bold graphics and color photos it makes your head spin. Sprinkled through these 400 pages are about
100 pages of actual math—but don’t confuse that with good math. No indeed, estimation (guessing) is the key
concept this book stresses through every chapter. The local private schools that use this book
charge $4,500-$5,500 annual tuition.
Compare this with the Saxon 4 math text
which also has about 400 pages. Saxon,
which is rarely used in public schools, contains no pictures, no color
graphics. Every single page in the text
is about learning math concepts and doing math computation. Calculators are not permitted. There is not one word about recycling or
global warming. There are no group
projects at all, and the only time estimation is used is at the beginning of a
difficult division problem. Could it be that private schools that receive government textbook
subsidies are steered clear of Saxon because it does not contain "the
message?"
Looking at this disturbing trend in our
private schools makes me nervous. We are
quickly reaching a point where a government-defined curriculum will shape all
schools, public and private. The only
way for a private institution to remain true to quality standards is to refuse
any government subsidies and to reject accreditation (which is also railroading
private schools toward the political education agenda). Tuitions may rise when government assistance
is eliminated, but this is a small price to pay for freedom in education.
As I looked through the dozen or so
private school catalogs my neighbor handed me I became even more convinced of
our decision, two years ago, to home school.
Although I know there are some private schools where quality books are
still used, they are not the norm anymore.
Frankly, the stress caused by the high cost and inconvenient commute to
these schools is just not worth it. The
answer is to create the school of your choice at home. Now, if I could just convince my neighbor of
that…
Ms. Spatz is a mother
of three who now home schools her three children in San Clemente,
California. She has been active in
researching and writing about education issues since 1994.
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