Josef Mengele in 1956.
Photo Source : Wikipedia
This diary is a divergence from my usual entries but, truly, if I don't write it then the only other option which seems open to me is to spontaneously combust with fury alone!
So, let me share my troubles with you...
I'll start by asking if anyone else has read this article ... ALEC Education "Academy" Launches on Island Resort which was first posted on PR Watch on 2nd February and republished yesterday on TruthOut?
If you haven't already done so, then I would urge you to read it. But, before you do, be warned that you'll have to suspend your disbelief beforehand.
Very little that the ultra-ring wingers choose to do surprizes me any longer but this article has honestly stunned me into a state bordering on apoplexy!
I mean, are they SERIOUS?
So, ok, let's 'unpack' some of the stated 'aims' of this so-called 'Academy'...
Firstly, and possibly most importantly, it is sponsored by the American Legislative Exchange Council who, for those of you who don't know (which I didn't), describes itself as having a mission which aims to …
"advance the Jeffersonian principles of free markets, limited government, federalism, and individual liberty, through a nonpartisan public-private partnership of America’s state legislators, members of the private sector, the federal government, and general public."
... and, don't worry, that's not all! Their stated aims also include …
prepare the next generation of political leadership through educational programs that promote the principles of Jeffersonian democracy, which are necessary for a free society.
Marvellous .... or not....
So what's it all about? Ok, in a nutshell then, here we go ...
As explained by Dustin Beilke in his PR Watch article,
to understand the ALEC agenda with regard to education, it is important to examine ALEC's education "scorecard."
Imagine getting a report card from your teacher and finding out that you were graded not on how well you understood the course material or scored on the tests and assignments, but rather on to what extent you agreed with your teacher's strange public policy positions. That is the best way to understand the American Legislative Exchange Council's 17th Report Card on American Education released last week.
He then explains that two of the authors of this 'Report Card' are Matthew Ladner who previously worked for The Goldwater Institute, and Dan Lips, who previously worked at The Heritage Foundation, and who currently works at The Goldwater Institute. The Goldwater's byline is "where freedom wins" and they claim to "study public policy with an emphasis on privatization" (nice!)
Essentially, bills put forward by ALEC date back over two decades and their purpose is to privatize public education by way of introducing a school 'voucher' system which attempts to divert taxpayers money away from the public school system and into private charter schools and private online schools. As Beilke acerbically says in his article
"who needs actual teachers when you can have a virtual one?"
But, beyond all the horrors of their stated aims lies something far more disturbing. Not only do the students marks depend, not on their academic performance, but on their inclination or otherwise to agree with the teacher's political perspective but also they meander into eugenics...
the bills also allow shools to ...exclude students with physical disabilities and special educational needs, escape the requirements of collective bargaining agreements and experiment with other pet causes like merit pay, single-sex education, school uniforms, and political and religious indoctrination of students.
And, just to top all of this off, they also, naturally enough, applaud "union busting" and aim to rank students 'policy' rather than their 'performance'.
Julie Underwood, writing about ALEC's policies and proposals for The Nation in July last year, wrote
"But a deeper crisis emerges when we privatize education. As Benjamin Barber has argued, “public schools are not merely schools for the public, but schools of publicness: institutions where we learn what it means to be a public and start down the road toward common national and civic identity.” What happens to our democracy when we return to an educational system whose access is defined by corporate interests and divided by class, language, ability, race and religion? In a push to free-market education, who pays in the end?"
Do we really need to know any more? Are they serious? It seems so.
And, just in case you're still scanning that article searching for some redeeming features, let me save you the trouble, there aren't any! Beyond having no educational standards, admitting only certain students whom they deem 'suitable' (presumably 'suitable' for their particular brand of indoctrination and idiocy) and marking their work according to their political views, they also seem happy to fund legislators 'away days'.
Their invitation to the Florida legislators said :
"You are cordially invited to attend ALEC's K-12 Education Reform Academy, February 3-4, 2012 at the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, Florida. For invited legislators like you, ALEC will cover your room for up to two nights at the host hotel. ALEC will also reimburse up to $500 for travel expenses, which includes coach airfare, cabfare, and a reimbursement of 55.5 cents per mile driven."
"This event will address the top reforms in K-12 education that ALEC believes each state must have to ensure the successful and productive education for all American students. We will discuss what you as a state legislator can do to address a variety of issues surrounding K-12 education reform, including charter schools accessibility, accountability and transparency, standards for teacher excellence, open enrollment, vouchers, tax credits, and blended learning options."
The press are excluded from this event unsurprizingly, but it was held at the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, Florida, and no students or prospective students were allowed to attend.
The Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida (DPCF) called on Florida legislators to boycott the event which took place on 3/4th February, 2012.
I've always harbored a very deep hatred for Josef Mengele and his absurd, offensive and heinous ideas but, frankly, if he stood next to the members of ALEC, I have a feeling he'd be reduced to looking like a 'slightly unpleasant man' by comparison! These people are beyond belief. But, sadly, it is all too real...
I feel sick. I mean really sick. Please someone tell me I am not alone...