the deliberate dumbing down of america
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AChronologicalPaperTrail
byCharlotteThomsonIserbyt
RAVENNA,OHIO
CONSCIENCE PRESS
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Copyright1999.ConsciencePress.Allrightsreserved.
Firstprinting,September1999Secondprinting,February2000
Publishedin1999.PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.
Acid-freepaper.Archivalquality.
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:9889726ISBN:0966707109
ConsciencePressP.O.Box449Ravenna,Ohio442660449
PrintedbyTheAthensPrintingCompany,Athens,GeorgiaGraphicdesignbyColinLeslie
Coverdesignby3DResearchCompanyIndexcompiledbyKariMiller
CartoonscreatedbyJoelPett,HeraldLeaderofLexington,Kentucky
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Thisbookisdedicatedtomylatemotherandfather,Charlotteand
CliftonThomson,wonderfulparentswhodevotedmuchoftheir
livestopublicservice,andtomylategreataunt,FlorenceStanton
Thomson,whosegenerosityenabledthewritertoundertakethe
research,writing,andpublishingofthisbook.
Itisalsodedicatedtomyhusband,Jan,andtwosons,Robertand
Samuel,whosetoleranceofMomsactivismandfrequentabsences
fromhomeoveraperiodofthirtyyearsallowedthewritertopursuehersearchforthetruth.Jansgourmetcookingliftedour
spiritsandkeptusallfromstarving!Withoutthemenspatience,
humor,andmoralsupport,thisbookcouldnothavebeenwritten.
v
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INMEMORIAM
ThisbookisasmalltributetothelateHonorableJohnM.Ashbrook,17thCongressionalDistrictofOhio,whoseworkinCongressduringthe
1960sand1970sexposedthetreasonousplanswhichultimatelyledtothe
internationalizationanddeliberatedumbingdownofAmericaneducation.
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1 THESOWINGOFTHESEEDS:1lateeighteenthandnineteenthcenturies
2 THETURNINGOFTHETIDES:7earlytwentiethcentury
3 THETROUBLINGTHIRTIES17
4 THEFOMENTATION 27ofthefortiesandfties
5 THESICKSIXTIES:55psychologyandskills
6 THESERIOUSSEVENTIES93
7 THEEFFECTIVEEIGHTIES 159
8 THENOXIOUSNINETIES 265
ix
TABLEOFCONTENTS
foreword xipreface xiiiacknowledgments xxiiiintroduction xxv
afterword 455resources 461glossary G1appendices A1index I1
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FOREWORD
CharlotteIserbytistobegreatlycommendedforhavingputtogetherthemostformidableandpracticalcompilationofdocumentationdescribingthedeliberatedumbingdownofAmericanchildrenbytheireducationsystem.AnyoneinterestedinthetruthwillbeshockedbythewayAmericansocialengineershavesystematicallygoneaboutdestroyingtheintellectofmillionsofAmericanchildrenforthepurposeofleadingtheAmericanpeopleintoasocialistworldgovernmentcontrolledbybehavioralandsocialscientists.
Mrs.Iserbythasalsodocumentedthegradualtransformationofouronceacademically
successful education system into one devoted to training children to become complianthumanresourcestobeusedbygovernmentandindustryfortheirownpurposes.Thisishowfascist-socialistsocietiestraintheirchildrentobecomeservantsoftheirgovernmentmasters.ThesuccessfulimplementationofthisnewphilosophyofeducationwillspelltheendoftheAmericandreamofindividualfreedomandopportunity.Thegovernmentwillplanyourlifeforyou,andunlessyoucomplywithgovernmentrestrictionsandregulationsyourabilitytopursueacareerofyourownchoicewillbeseverelylimited.
WhatissomindbogglingisthatallofthisisbeingnancedbytheAmericanpeoplethemselvesthroughtheirowntaxes.Inotherwords,theAmericanpeopleareunderwritingthedestructionoftheirownfreedomandwayoflifebylavishlynancingthroughfederalgrantstheverysocialscientistswhoareunderminingournationalsovereigntyandpreparingourchildrentobecomethedumbed-downvassalsofthenewworldorder.ItremindsoneofhowtheNazischargedtheirvictimstrainfaretotheirowndoom.
Oneoftheinterestinginsightsrevealedbythesedocumentsishowthesocialengineersuseadeliberatelycreatededucationcrisistomovetheiragendaforwardbyofferingradicalreformsthataresoldtothepublicasxingthecrisiswhichtheyneverdo.Thenewreformssimplysetthestageforthenextcrisis,whichprovidesthepretextforthenextmoveforward.
Thisisthedialecticalprocessatwork,aprocessourbehavioralengineershavelearnedto
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useveryeffectively.Itssuccessdependsontheabilityofthechangeagentstocontinually
deceivethepublicwhichtendstobelieveanythingtheexpertstellthem.Andso,ourchildrencontinuetobeatriskinAmericasschools.Theyareatrisk
academically because of such programs as whole language, mastery learning, directinstruction, Skinnerian operant conditioning, all of which have created huge learningproblems that inevitably lead to what is commonly known as Attention Decit DisorderandthedruggingoffourmillionchildrenwiththepowerfuldrugRitalin.Mrs.Iserbythasdealtextensivelywiththerootcausesofimmoralityinoursocietyandtheroleofthepublicschoolsintheteachingofmoralrelativism(noright/nowrongethics).Sheraisesaredagregardingthecurrenteffortsofleft-wingliberalsandright-wingconservatives(radicalcenter)
tocomeupwithanewkidontheblockcommongroundcharactereducationwhichwill, under the microscope, turn out to be the same warmed-over values educationalertparentgroupshaveresistedforoverftyyears.ThisisaperfectexampleoftheHegelianDialecticatwork.
ThereaderwillndinthisbookaplethoraofinformationthatwillleavenodoubtinthemindoftheseriousresearcherexactlywheretheAmericaneducationsystemisheaded.Ifwe wishtostopthis juggernauttoward asocialist-fascistsystem,thenwe mustrestoreeducationalfreedomtoAmerica.AmericansforgetthatthepresentgovernmenteducationsystemstartedasaPrussianimportinthe1840s50s.ItwasasystembuiltonHegelsbelief
thatthestatewasGodwalkingonearth.Theonlywaytorestoreeducationalfreedom,and put education back into the hands of parents where it belongs, is to get the federalgovernment,withitscoercivepolicies,outofeducation.Thebillionsofdollarsbeingspentbythefederalgovernmenttodestroyeducationalfreedommustbehalted,andthatcanonlybedonebygettingAmericanlegislatorstounderstandthattheAmericanpeoplewanttoremainafreepeople,inchargeoftheirownlivesandtheeducationoftheirchildren.
Foreword
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PREFACE
Coexistenceonthistightlyknitearthshouldbeviewedasanexistencenotonlywithout
warsbutalsowithout[thegovernment]tellingushowtolive,whattosay,whattothink,whattoknow,andwhatnottoknow.
AleksandrSolzhenitsyn,fromaspeechgivenSeptember11,1973 1
Educatedmenareasmuchsuperiortouneducatedmenasthelivingaretothedead.
Aristotle,384322B.C.2
Foroveratwenty-ve-yearperiodtheresearchusedinthischronologyhasbeencollectedfrommanysources:theUnitedStatesDepartmentofEducation;internationalagencies;stateagencies;themedia;concernededucators;parents;legislators,andtalentedresearcherswithwhom I have worked. In the process of gathering this information two beliefs that mostAmericansholdincommonbecameclear:
1)Ifa childcan read, writeand compute ata reasonablyprocientlevel,he willbeabletodojustaboutanythinghewishes,enablinghimtocontrolhisdestinytotheextentthatGodallows(remainfree);
2)Providingsuchbasiceducationalprocienciesisnotandshouldnotbeanexpensiveproposition.
Since most Americans believe the second premisethat providing basic educationalprocienciesisnotandshouldnotbeanexpensivepropositionitbecomesobviousthatitisonlyaradicalagenda,thepurposeofwhichistochangevaluesandattitudes(brainwash),thatisthecostlyagenda.Inotherwords,brainwashingbyourschoolsanduniversitiesiswhatisbankruptingournationandourchildrensminds.
In1997therewere46.4millionpublicschoolstudents.During19931994(thelatest
years the statistics were available) the average per pupil expenditure was $6,330.00 in
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1996 constant dollars. Multiply the number of students by the per pupil expenditure
(usingold-fashionedmathematicalprocedures)foratotalK12budgetperyearof$293.7billiondollars.Ifoneaddsthecostofhighereducationtothisgure,onearrivesatatotalbudgetperyearofoverhalfatrilliondollars. 3ThesorryresultofsuchanincrediblylargeexpendituretheperformanceofAmericanstudentsisdiscussedinPursuingExcellenceAStudyofU.S.TwelfthGradeMathematicsandScienceAchievementinInternationalContext:
InitialFindingsfromtheThirdInternationalMathematicsandScienceStudy(TIMMS),areportfromtheU.S.DepartmentofEducation(NCES98049).PursuingExcellencereads:
AchievementofStudents,KeyPoints:U.S.twelfthgradersscoredbelowtheinternational
averageandamongthelowestofthe21TIMSSnationsinbothmathematicsandsciencegeneralknowledgeinthenalyearofsecondaryschool.(p.24)
Obviously,somethingisterriblywrongwhena$6,330perpupilexpenditureproducessuchpatheticresults.Thiswriterhasvisitedprivateschoolswhichcharge$1,000peryearintuitionwhichenjoysuperioracademicresults.Parentsofhome-schooledchildrenspendamaximumof$1,000peryearandusuallyhavesimilarexcellentresults.
There are many talented and respected researchers and activists who havecarefullydocumentedtheweirdactivitieswhichhavetakenplaceinthenameofeducation.Any
oppositiontochangeagentactivitiesinlocalschoolshasinvariablybeenmetwithcriesofProve your case, document your statements, etc. Documentation, when presented, hasbeenignoredandcalledincomplete.Theclassicresponsebytheeducationestablishmenthasbeen,Youretakingthatoutofcontext!evenwhenpresentedwithanentirebookwhichusestheirownwordstodetailexactlywhattheresistersareclaimingtobetrue.Resistersusuallyparentshavebeencalledeverynameinthebook.Parentshavebeentoldforoverthirtyyears,Youretheonlyparentwhohasevercomplained.Themediahasbeenconvincedtojoinintheattackuponcommonsenseviews,effectivelydiscreditingtheperspectiveofwell-informedcitizens.
Thedesirebyresisterstoprovetheircasehasbeensostrongthattheyhavecontinuedtoamassoverathirty-tofty-yearperiodwhatmustsurelyamountto tonsofmaterialscontaining irrefutable proof, in the education change agents own words, of deliberate,malicious intent to achieve behavioral changes in students/parents/society which havenothingtodowithcommonlyunderstoodeducationalobjectives.Upondeliveryofsuchproof,resistersareconsistentlymetwiththeshootthemessengerstonewallingresponsebyteachers,schoolboards,superintendents,stateandlocalofcials,aswellasthesupposedlyobjectiveinstitutionsofacademiaandthepress.
Thisresistersbook,orcollectionofresearchinbookform,wasputtogetherprimarily
tosatisfymyownneedtoseethevariouscomponentswhichledtothedumbingdownoftheUnitedStatesofAmericaassembledinchronologicalorderinwriting.EvenI,whohadobservedtheseweirdactivitiestakingplaceatalllevelsofgovernment,wasreluctanttoacceptamaliciousintentbehindeachindividual,chronologicalactivityorinnovation,unlessIcouldconnectitwithother,similaractivitiestakingplaceatothertimes.Thisbook,whichmakessuchconnections,hasprovidedformeamuch-neededsenseofclosure.
thedeliberatedumbingdownofamericaisalsoabookformychildren,grandchildren,andgreat-grandchildren.IwantthemtoknowthattherewerethousandsofAmericanswhomaynothavediedorbeenshotatinoverseaswars,but wereshotatinsmall-townwars
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atschoolboardmeetings,atstatelegislativehearingsoneducation,and,mostimportantly,
inthemedia.Iwantmyprogenytoknowthatwhateverintellectualandspiritualfreedomstowhichtheymaystilllayclaimwerefoughtforarearesultofthecourageousworkofincrediblepeoplewhodaredtotellthetruthagainstallodds.
Iwantthemtoknowthattherewillalwaysbehopeforfreedomiftheyfollowinthesepeoples footsteps; if they cherish theconcept of free will; if they believe that humanbeings are special, not animals, and that they have intellects, souls, and consciences. IwantthemtoknowthatifthegovernmentschoolsareallowedtoteachchildrenK12usingPavlovian/Skinnerian animal training methodswhich provide tangible rewards only forcorrectanswerstherecanbenofreedom.
Why?Peopletrainednoteducatedbysucheducationaltechniqueswillbefearfuloftakingprincipled,sometimescontroversial,standswhencalledforbecausethesepeoplewillhavebeenprogrammedtospeakuponlyifapositiverewardorresponseisforthcoming.Thepriceoffreedomhasoftenbeenpaidwithpainandloneliness.
In1971whenIreturnedtotheUnitedStatesafterlivingabroadfor18years,Iwasshocked to nd public education had become a warm, fuzzy, soft, mushy, touchy-feelyexperience,withitspurposebeingsocialization,notlearning.Fromthattimeon,fromthevantage point of having two youngsons in the public schools, I became involvedas amemberofaphilosophycommitteeforaschool,asanelectedschoolboardmember,as
co-founder of Guardians of Education for Maine (GEM), and nally as a senior policyadvisor in the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) of the U.S.DepartmentofEducationduringPresidentRonaldReagansrsttermofofce.OERIwas,and is, the ofce from whichall the controversial national and international educationalrestructuringhasemanated.
Thosetenyears(19711981)changedmylife.AsanAmericanwhohadspentmanyyears working abroad, I had experienced traveling in and living in socialist countries.WhenIreturnedtotheUnitedStatesIrealizedthatAmericastransitionfromasovereignconstitutional republic to a socialist democracy would not come about through warfare
(bullets and tanks) but through the implementation and installation of the system inallareasofgovernmentfederal,stateandlocal.Thebrainwashingforacceptanceofthesystemscontrolwouldtakeplaceintheschoolthroughindoctrinationandtheuseofbehavior modication, which comes under so many labels: the most recent labels beingOutcome-BasedEducation,SkinnerianMasteryLearningorDirectInstruction.4Inthe1970sthis writer andmany others wagedthe war against values clarication, which was laterrenamed critical thinking, which regardless of the labeland there are bound to bemany more labels on the horizonis nothing but pure, unadulterated destruction ofabsolutevaluesofrightandwronguponwhichstableandfreesocietiesdependanduponwhichournationwasfounded.
In 1973 I started the long journey into becoming a resister, placing the firstincriminatingpieceofpaperinmyeducationles.ThatrstpieceofpaperwasapurpledittosheetentitledAllAboutMe,nexttowhichwasasmileyface.Itwasanopen-endedquestionnaire beginning with:My name is_____. Mysonbroughtithomefrompublicschoolinfourthgrade.Thequestionswerehighlypersonal;somuchsothattheyencouragedmysontolie,sincehedidntwanttospillthebeansabouthismother,fatherandbrother.Thepurposeofsuchaquestionnairewastondoutthestudentsstateofmind,howhefelt,
whathelikedanddisliked,andwhathisvalueswere.Withthisknowledgeitwouldbeeasier
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forthegovernmentschooltomodifyhisvaluesandbehavioratwillwithout,ofcourse,the
studentsknowledgeorparentsconsent.Thatwasjustthebeginning.Therewasmoretocome:thenewsocialstudiestextbook
WorldofMankind.PublishedbyFollett,thisbookinstructedtheteacherhowtoinstillhumanistic (noright/no wrong) values in theK3students.At thetexts suggestiontheteacherwasencouragedtotakelittletotsforwalksintownduringwhichhewouldpointoutbigandsmallhouses,askingthelittletotswhotheythoughtlivedinthehouses:PoororRich?Whatdoyouthinktheyeatinthebighouse?...inthelittlehouse?WhenIcomplainedaboutthisnon-educationalactivityataschoolboardmeetingIwasdismissedasacensorandthepressdiditsusualhatchetjobonmeasamisguidedparent.Afriendof
mineaverybrightgalwhohadalsolivedabroadforyearstoldmethatshehadoverhearddiscussionofmeatthelocalco-op.ThewordwasoutintownthatIwasakook.Thatwasnotapositiveresponse/rewardformytakingwhatIbelievedtobeaprincipledposition.SinceIhadnotbeentrained,Iwasjustmad!
Nextstopontheroadtobecomingaresisterwastobecomeamemberoftheschoolphilosophycommittee.OurHarvard-educated,professionalchangeagentsuperintendentgaveallofthecommitteemembersacopyofThePhilosophyofEducation(1975version)fromtheMontgomeryCountyschoolsinMaryland,hopingtoinuencewhateverrecommendationswewouldmake.(Forthosewholiketoeatdessertbeforesoup,readtheentryunder1946
concerningCommunity-CenteredSchools:TheBlueprintforEducationinMontgomeryCounty,Maryland.ThisdocumentwasinfacttheBlueprintforthenationsschools.)Whenaskedtowriteapaperexpressingourviewsonthegoalsofeducation,Iwrotethat,amongstothergoals,Ifelttheschoolsshouldstrivetoinstill soundmoralsandvaluesinthestudents.Thesuperintendentandafewteachersonthecommitteezeroedinonme,askingWhatsthedenitionofsoundandwhosevalues?
Aftertwofailedattemptstogetelectedtotheschoolboard,Inallysucceededin1976 on the third try. The votes were counted three times, even though I had won byaveryhealthymargin!
Myexperienceontheschoolboardtaughtmethatwhenitcomestomoderneducation,theendjustiesthemeans.Ourchangeagentsuperintendentwasmoreathomewithaliethanhewaswiththetruth.WhatevergoodIaccomplishedwhileontheschoolboardstoppingthePlanning,ProgrammingandBudgetingSystem(PPBS)nowknownasTotalQualityManagement(TQM)orGenerallyAcceptedAccountingProcedures/GenerallyAccepted Federal Funding Reporting (GAAP/GAFFR), getting values clarication bannedbytheboard,anddemandingve(yes,5!)minutesofgrammarperday,etc.wastossedouttwoweeksafterIleftofce.
Anothermilestoneonmyjourneywasanin-servicetrainingsessionentitledInnovationsinEducation.Aretiredteacher,whounderstoodwhatwashappeningineducation,paidfor me to attend. This training program developed by Professor Ronald Havelock of theUniversityofMichiganandfundedbytheUnitedStatesOfceofEducationtaughtteachersandadministratorshowtosneakincontroversialmethodsofteachingandinnovativeprograms. These controversial, innovative programs included health education, sexeducation,drugandalcoholeducation,deatheducation,criticalthinkingeducation,etc.SincethenIhavealwaysfounditinterestingthatthecontroversialschoolprogramsaretheonlyonesthathavethewordeducationattachedtothem!Idontrecalluntilrecentlymath
ed.,readinged.,historyed.,orscienceed.Agoodruleofthumbforteachers,parents
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andschoolboardmembersinterestedinacademicsandtraditionalvaluesistoquestionany
subjectthathasthewordeducationattachedtoit.Thisin-servicetrainingliterallyblewmymind.Ihaveneverrecoveredfromit.The
presenter(changeagent)taughtushowtomanipulatethetaxpayers/parentsintoacceptingcontroversialprograms.Heexplainedhowtoidentifytheresistersinthecommunityandhowtogetaroundtheirresistance.Heinstructedus inhowto gotothehighly respectedmembersofthecommunitythosewiththeChamberofCommerce,Rotary,JuniorLeague,Little League, YMCA, Historical Society, etc.to manipulate them into supporting thecontroversial/non-academicprogramsandintobad-mouthingtheresisters.Advicewasalsogivenastohowtogetthemediatosupporttheseprograms.
I left this trainingwith my very valuable textbook,TheChangeAgentsGuide toInnovationsinEducation,undermyarmfeelingverysicktomystomachandincompletedenialoverthatinwhichIhadbeeninvolved.ThiswasnotthenationinwhichIgrewup; something seriously disturbing had happened between 1953 when I left the UnitedStatesand1971whenIreturned.
OrchestratedConsensus
Inretrospect,IhadjustfoundoutthattheUnitedStateswasengagedinwar.People
write important books about war: books documenting the battles fought, the names ofthegeneralsinvolved,thenamesofthosewhoredtherstshot.Thisbookissimplyahistorybookaboutanotherkindofwar:
onefoughtusingpsychologicalmethods;
aone-hundred-yearwar;
adifferent,moredeadlywarthananyinwhichourcountryhaseverbeeninvolved;
awaraboutwhichtheaverageAmericanhasntthefoggiestidea.
The reason Americans do not understand this war is becauseithas been fought insecretintheschoolsofournation,targetingourchildrenwhoarecaptiveinclassrooms.Thewagersofthiswarareusingverysophisticatedandeffectivetools:
HegelianDialectic(commonground,consensusandcompromise)
Gradualism(twostepsforward;onestepbackward)
Semanticdeception(redeningtermstogetagreementwithoutunderstanding).
The Hegelian Dialectic5 is a process formulated by the German philosopher Georg
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Synthesis(consensus)
ThesisAntithesis
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Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (17701831) and used by Karl Marx in codifying revolutionary
Communismasdialecticalmaterialism.Thisprocesscanbeillustratedas:TheThesisrepresentseitheranestablishedpracticeorpointofviewwhichispitted
against the Antithesisusually a crisis of opposition fabricated or created by changeagentscausingtheThesistocompromiseitself,incorporatingsomepartoftheAntithesistoproducetheSynthesissometimescalledconsensus.Thisistheprimarytoolinthebagoftricksusedbychangeagentswhoaretrainedtodirectthisprocessalloverthecountry;much like the in-service training I received. A good example of this concept was voicedbyT.H.BellwhenhewasU.S.SecretaryofEducation:[We]needto create a crisis togetconsensus inorder tobringaboutchange.(Thereadermightberemindedthatit
was under T.H.Bellsdirection that the U.S. Department of Education implemented thechangessuggestedbyANationatRiskthealarmthatwassoundedintheearly1980stoannouncethecrisisineducation.)
Sincewehavebeen,asanation,sorelentlesslyexposedtothisHegeliandialecticalprocess(whichisessentialtothesmoothoperationofthesystem)undertheguiseof reaching consensus in our involvement in parent-teacher organizations, on schoolboards, in legislatures, andeven in goal setting in community serviceorganizations andgroupsincluding our churchesI want to explain clearly how it works in a practicalapplication.Agoodexamplewithwhichmostofuscanidentifyinvolvespropertytaxesfor
localschools.LetusconsideranexamplefromMichiganTheinternationalistchangeagentsmustabolishlocalcontrol(theThesis)inorder
to restructure ourschools from academics to global workforce training (theSynthesis).Fundingofeducationwiththepropertytaxallowslocalcontrol,butitalsoenablesthechangeagentsandteachersunionstocreatehigherandhigherschoolbudgetspaidforwithhighertaxes,thus infuriatinghomeowners.Eventually,property ownersacceptthechangeagents radicalproposal (the Anti- thesis)toreduce theirproperty taxes by transferringeducation funding from the localproperty tax to the state income tax. Thus, the changeagents accomplishtheirultimate goal;the transferoffundingofeducation fromthe local
level to the state level. When this transfer occurs it increases state/federal control andfunding,leadingtothefederal/internationalistgoalofimplementingglobalworkforcetrainingthroughtheschools(theSynthesis).6
Regardingthepowerofgradualism,rememberthestoryofthefrogandhowhedidntsavehimselfbecausehedidntrealizewhatwashappeningtohim?Hewasthrownintocold water which, in turn, was gradually heated up until nally it reached the boilingpointandhewasdead.Thisishowgradualismworksthroughaseriesofcreatedcrises which utilize Hegels dialectical process, leading us to more radical change thanwewouldeverotherwiseaccept.
Intheinstanceofsemanticdeceptiondoyourememberyourkindlyprincipaltellingyouthatthenewdecision-makingprogramwouldhelpyourchildmakebetterdecisions?Whatgoodparentwouldntwanthisorherchildtolearnhowtomakegooddecisions?Didyouknowthatthedecision-makingprogramisthesamecontroversialvaluesclaricationprogram recently rejected by your school board and against which you may have givenrepeated testimony? As Ive said before, the wagers of this intellectual social war haveemployedveryeffectiveweaponstoimplementtheirchanges.
Thiswarhas,infact,becomethewartoendallwars.Ifcitizensonthisplanetcanbe
brainwashedorrobotized,usingdumbed-downPavlovian/Skinnerian education,to accept
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whatthosein controlwant,there willbeno morewars.Iftherearenorightsorwrongs,
there willbenoone wantingtorightawrong.Robotshave noconscience. The onlypermissible conscience will be the United Nations or a global conscience. Whether anactionisgoodorbadwillbedecidedbyaGlobalGovernmentsGlobalConscience,asrecommendedbyDr.BrockChisholm,executivesecretaryoftheWorldHealthOrganization,InterimCommission,in1947andlaterin1996bycurrentUnitedStatesSecretaryofStateMadelineAlbright.(Seequotesinentryunder1947.)
Youmayprotest,But,noonehasdiedinthiswar.Isthattheonlycriteriawehavewith which to measure whether war is war? Didnt Aristotle say it well when he said,Educatedmenareasmuchsuperiortouneducatedmenasthelivingaretothedead?To
withholdthetoolsofeducationcankillapersonsspiritjustassurelyasabullethisbody.ThetragedyisthatmanyAmericanshavediedinotherwarstoprotectthefreedomsbeingtaken away in thisone.Thiswarwhichproducesthedeathofintellectandfreedomisnotwagedbyaforeignenemybutbythesilentenemyintheivorytowers,inourowngovernment,andintax-exemptfoundationstheenemywhoseeverymoveI havetriedtodocumentinthisbook,usuallyinhis/her/itsownwords.
Ronald Havelocks change agent in-service training prepared me for what I wouldndintheU.S.DepartmentofEducationwhenIworkedtherefrom19811982.Theuseoftaxpayershard-earnedmoneytofundHavelocksChangeAgentManualwasonlyoneout
ofhundredsofexpensiveU.S.DepartmentofEducationgrantseachyeargoingeverywhere,evenoverseas,tofurtherthecauseofinternationalistdumbingdowneducation(behaviormodication) so necessary for the present introduction of global workforce training. Iwasrelievedofmydutiesafterleakinganimportanttechnologygrant(computer-assistedinstructionproposal)tothepress.
Much of this book contains quotes from government documents detailing the realpurposesofAmericaneducation:
touse the schools tochange Americafromafree,individualnation toasocialist,global state, just one ofmany socialist states which will be subservient to theUnitedNationsCharter,nottheUnitedStatesConstitution
tobrainwashourchildren,startingatbirth,torejectindividualisminfavorofcollectivism
torejecthighacademicstandardsinfavorofOBE/ISO1400/90007egalitarianism
torejecttruthandabsolutesinfavoroftolerance,situationalethicsandconsensus
torejectAmericanvaluesinfavorofinternationalistvalues(globalism)
torejectfreedomtochooseonescareerinfavorofthetotalitarianK12school-to-
work/OBE process, aptly namedlimited learning for lifelong labor,8 coordinatedthroughUnitedNationsEducational,Scientic,andCulturalOrganization.
Onlywhenallchildreninpublic,privateandhomeschoolsarerobotizedandbelieveasonewillWorldGovernmentbeacceptabletocitizensandabletobeimplementedwithoutring a shot.The attractive-sounding choice proposals will enable the globalist elite toachievetheirgoal:therobotization(brainwashing)ofallAmericansinordertogaintheiracceptance of lifelong education and workforce trainingpart of the world managementsystemtoachieveanewglobalfeudalism.
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Thesocialist/fascistglobalworkforcetrainingagendaisbeingimplementedas Iwrite
this book. The report to the European Commission entitledTransatlantic Co-operation inInternationalEducation:Projects of theHandswerkskammerKoblenzwith Partners in the
United States and in the EuropeanUnion by Karl-Jurgen Wilbert and Bernard Eckgold(May1997)saysinpart:
InJune,1994,withthesupportof theHandswerkskamerKoblenz,anAmerican-Germanvocational education conference took place... at theUniversity of Texas at Austin. Thevocational education researchersand economic specialists... were in agreementthat aneconomicandemploymentpolicyisnecessarywhereasystematicvocationaltrainingisasequallyimportantasan academiceducation,as acareerpathway....Therstpracticalstepsalongtheselines,whicharealsosignicantfromthepointofviewoftheeducationalpolicy, were made with the vocational trainingof American apprentices inskilled craftcompanies,intheareaoftheKoblenzchamber.
Undersectione)ScienticAssistancefortheProjects,onereads:
The international projects ought to bescientically assisted and analyzed both forthefeedbacktothetransatlanticdialogueoneducationalpolicy,andalsofor theassessmentandqualitativeimprovementofthecross-bordervocationaleducationprojects.Asaresult
itshouldbemadepossibleonthe Germansideto set upa connectionto otherprojectsof German-Americancooperation in vocational training;e.g.,ofthefederalinstituteforvocationaltrainingfortheprojectintheU.S.stateofMaine.OntheUSAsideaninterlinkingwithotherinitiativesforvocationaltrainingforexample,throughtheCenterfortheStudyofHumanResourcesattheUniversityofTexas,Austinwouldbedesirable.
This particular document discusses the history of apprenticeshipsespecially therole of medieval guildsand attempts tomake a case for nations which heretofore havecherishedliberaleconomicideasi.e.,individualeconomicfreedomtoreturntoasystemofcooperativeeconomicsolutions(theguildsystemusedintheMiddleAgeswhichacceptedveryyoungchildrenfromfarmsandcitiesandtrainedtheminnecessaryskills).Anotherword for this isserfdom.Had our electedofcialsatthe federal, state,and locallevelsread this document, they could never have voted in favor of socialist/fascist legislationimplementingworkforcetrainingtomeettheneedsoftheglobaleconomy.Unless,ofcourse,they happen to support such a totalitarian economic system. (This incredible documentwasaccessedatthefollowinginternetaddress:http://www.kwk-koblenz.de/ausland/trans-uk.doc)
JustasBarbaraTuchmanoranotherhistorianwoulddoinwritingthehistoryofthe
other kinds of wars, I have identied chronologically the major battles, players, datesandplaces.IknowthatresearchersandwriterswithfarmoretalentthanIwillfeelthatIhaveneglectedsomekeyeventsinthiswar.Istandguiltyonallcounts,evenbeforetheirwell-researchedchargesaresubmitted.Yes,muchofimportancehasbeenleftout,duetospacelimitations,buttheoverviewofthebattleeldsandmaneuverswillgivethereaderanopportunitytoglimpsetheimmensityofthisconict.
Inordertowinabattleonemustknowwhotherealenemyis.Otherwise,oneisshootinginthedarkandoftenhittingthosenottheleastbitresponsibleforthemayhem.Thisbook,hopefully,identiestherealenemyandprovidesAmericansinvolvedinthis
warbe they plain, ordinary citizens, elected ofcials, or traditional teacherswith the
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ammunitiontoghttoobtainvictory.
Endnotes:
1NotedSovietdissident,slavelaborcampintern,andauthorofTheGulagArchipelago andnumerousotherbooks.2TheBasicWorksofAristotle, Richard McKeon, Ed., fromFamiliarQuotations byJohnBartlett,14thed. (Little, Brown
&Co.:Boston,Toronto,1968).3StatisticstakenfromTheConditionofEducation,1997,publishedbytheNationalCenterforEducationalStatistics,U.S.
DepartmentofEducation(NCES97388).Internetaddress:http://www.ed/gov/NCES.4OBE/ML/DIoroutcomes-basededucation/masterylearning/directinstruction.5DeanGotcher,authorofTheDialectic&Praxis:DiapraxandtheEndoftheAges andothermaterialsdealingwithdialectical
consensusbuildingandhumanrelationstraining,hasdonesomeexcellentworkinthisareaofresearch.Formoredetailed
informationonthisprocess,pleasewritetoDeanGotcheroftheInstitutionforAuthorityResearch,5436S.BostonPl.,Tulsa,Oklahoma74l05,orcall9187423855.
6SeeAppendixXXIIforanarticlebyTimClemwhichexplainsthisprocessinmuchmoredetail.7ISOstandsforInternationalStandardsofOperationformanufacturing(9000)andhumanresources(1400),coordinated
throughtheUnitedNationsEducational,SocialandCulturalOrganization(UNESCO).8PrivatizationorSocializationbyC.Weatherly,1994.DeliveredaspartofaspeechtoagroupinMinnesotaandlaterpub-
lishedinTheChristianConsciencemagazine(Vol.1,No.2:February1995,pp.2930).
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
InparticularIwanttothankahandfulofgovernmentofcialswhoprovidedmewithimportantdocuments.Theymustremainanonymousforobviousreasons.
IwouldalsoliketomentionseveralincrediblyneAmericanswhoareunfortunatelynolongerwithus,whoprovidedmewiththepricelessresearchandnecessaryresourcestowritethisbook.Theyare:Jo-AnnAbrigg,RexfordDaniels,NormanDodd,RuthFeld,MaryLarkin,
JudgeRobertMorris,WalterCrockerPewandMaryRoyer.Veryspecialthanksgotothefollowingeducationresearchersandwriterswithwhom
Ihaveworkedandwhohavecontributedtoandmadethisbookpossible(inalphabeticalorder):MaryAdams,PollyAnglin,MarilynBoyer,ShirleyCorrell,PeggyandDennisCuddy,
Janet Egan, Melanie Fields, Ann Frazier, Betty Freauf, Jeannie Georges, Peggy Grimes,RosalindHaley,KarenHayes,TraceyHayes,MaureenHeaton,MaryJoHeiland,AnnHerzer,AnitaHoge, Betsy Kraus, Jacqueline and Malcolm Lawrence, Mina Legg,Bettye and KirkLewis,JoanneLisac,JoanMasters,NancyMaze,JanelleMoon,OpalMoore,BarbaraMorris,LuAnneRobson,PatriciaRoyall,ElisabethRussinoff,CrisShardelman,DebbieStevens,RoseStewart,ElisabethTrotto,GeorgianaWarner,GeriWenta,andJilWilson.Thanksarealsoextendedtotheirrespectivespouseswhomadetheircontributionspossible.
Obviously,thejobofeditingthisbookwasmonumental!CynthiaWeatherly,whoisoneofthenationsnesteducationresearchersandtalentedwritersandwithwhomIhaveworkedfortwentyyears,tookmyroughmanuscriptandturneditintoamammothhistoricalpresentation. Her incredible work on this book represents a true labor of love for thisnation and for our childrenand grandchildren. Iwillforeverbe grateful toCindi and herhusband,Neal,whoextendedagraciouswelcometomeeachtimeIdescendeduponthem,includingafour-monthstaylastwinter!
In addition, my deepestthanks go to the Leslie family of Conscience PressSarah,
LynnandColin,andSarahsparents,PaulandJeanHuling,eachofwhomcontributedin
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hisownvitalwaytothepublicationofthisbookinsuchaprofessionalmanner.Howthis
familypublishedthisbookandmanagedatthesametimetomakethreemovesinandout of different housesduring this one-year period is beyond belief. There are no wordsto express this writers gratitude for this one familys contribution to the preservationoflibertyforallAmericans.
Ofcourse,thebookwouldneverhaveseenthelightofdaywithouttheveryprofessionaljobdeliveredbyTimandJanetFieldsofTheAthensPrintingCompanyofAthens,Georgia.Timsunbelievablepatiencewithinterminabledelayswasbeyondthecallofduty.
Andlast,butnotleast,thankstothefolksatthereferencedeskoftheUniversityof Georgia Library, who cheerfully and professionally assisted the writer and editor
with critical documentation, and to Air Tran, whose extremely reasonable airfare fromBoston toAtlanta allowed Cindi and me to collaborate on the most importantstages ofthisbooksproduction.
Deepest apologies towhomeverI have neglected tomention.Youwill nd a specialplaceinHeaven.
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INTRODUCTION
Inthefallofl972asmallgroupofstudentsinanintroductiontoeducationalpsychologyclassatamidwesternuniversitysavedeverysinglesoulinthelifeboat.
The professor became agitated. No! Go back and do the exercise again. Followtheinstructions.
Thestudents,productsoftheradical1960sculture,expectedthistobeasmallgroupassignment in creativityand ingenuity. They had worked out an intricate plan wherebyeveryoneinthelifeboatcouldsurvive.Whentheprofessorpersisted,thestudentsresistedand
ultimatelyrefusedtodotheexercise.Chalkupavictorytothehumanspirit.
However,itwas ashort-livedvictory.Thisoverloadedlifeboat incrisisrepresentedadramaticshiftineducation.Theexerciseinwhichstudentswerecompelledtochoosewhichhumanswereexpendableand,therefore,shouldbecastoffintothewaterbecameamainstayinclassroomsacrossthecountry.Creativesolutions?Notallowed.Instructions?Strictlyadheredto.Intruth,thereistobeonlyonecorrectanswertothelifeboatdrama:death.
Thenarrowing(dumbingdown)ofintellectualfreedomhadbegun.Lifeboatexercisesepitomizetheshiftineducationfromacademiceducation(18801960)tovalueseducation(19601980).InthedeliberatedumbingdownofamericawriterCharlotteIserbytchroniclesthisshiftandthelatershifttoworkforcetrainingeducation(19802000).Thecaseismadethatthevalueseducationperiodwascriticaltothetransformationofeducation.Itsucceededinpersuading(brainwashing?duping?)Americansintoacceptingthebeliefthatvaluesweretransient, exible andsituationalsubject to the evolution of human society. Brave newvalues were integrated into curricula and instruction. The mind ofthe average Americanbecametrained(conditioned)toaccepttheideathateducationexistssolelyforthepurpose
ofgettingagoodpayingjobintheglobalworkforceeconomy.
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Human capital, a term coined byreformers to describe our children, implies that
humansareexpendable.Thisexplainswhythelifeboatexercisehasbeenusedsorampantly,and why itwas socriticaltothe education reformersplans.Isit any wonder,then,thatwe witnessed the horror of the Littleton, Colorado shootings, and that other violencein schools across the country is increasing? Death education in the classroom may belinkedtodeathsintheclassroom.Thedumbingdownofanationinevitablyleadstothedeathofaculture.
The premise of Charlotte Iserbyts chronological history of the deliberate dumbingdownofAmericaisborneoutbytheauthorsextensivedocumentation,gatheredfromtheeducationcommunitysownsources.Iserbytisolatesthepublicpolicyendofeducationand
stickswithitfromdecadetodecade,steadfastlydocumentingthecontroversialmethodologythat has been institutionalized into legislation, public documents and other importantpapers setting forth public agenda. By choosing to focus on public policy in the contextof academic theory, Iserbyt lls an important void in anti-reform literature. Her mostimportant contribution is demonstrating how theory influenced public policy, publicpolicyinuencedtheory,andhowthisultimatelyaffectedpracticehowpolicyandtheoryplayedoutintheclassroom.
Iserbytskillfullydemonstratestheinterconnectionsbetweentheinternational,national,regional,stateandlocalplansforthetransformationofAmericansocietyviaeducation.
Iserbyt connects the evolution of educationin the twentieth century to major signicantgeopolitical, social and economic events which have inuenced education policy. Thisattentiontodetailaddsimportantcontexttotheeventschronicledinthebook,adimensionnotfoundinotherbookscritiquingeducationreform.
FortoomanyyearsthelateHarvardpsychologistB.F.Skinnerhasbeenvirtuallyignoredby conservative leaders, who focused their criticism exclusively on pervasive culturalinuencesofthehumanisticpsychologists(Rogers,Maslow,etal.).Skinnerwaswrittenoffasautopianpsychologistwhorepresentednothreat.Iserbytspremise,provenwell,isthatB.F.Skinneriscomfortablyaliveandwellembeddedwithinmoderneducationmethods.
Direct Instruction, Mastery Learning and Outcome-Based Education are irrefutably thecurrent incarnation of Skinners1960s Programmed Instructiona methodof instructionwhichlinkedchildrentothecomputerandturnedlearningintoaowchartofmanagedbehaviors.
Interwoven throughout the book is the important theme of operant conditioning ineducation.Surprisingly,Iserbytneverdebatestheeffectivenessofthemethod.Entryafterentryinthe book substantiates Iserbyts premisethatthe method ispurposefully used tocreatearoboticchildonewhocannotmakeconnections,repeatanact,norrecallafact unlessprovidedwith the necessary stimuli and environment(like a dog who learnsto sit after the immediate receipt of a dog biscuit). Iserbyt reaches the inescapableconclusionthatthemethodperfectlycomplementsthereformersagendaforadumbed-downglobalworkforce.
Iserbytsoeffectivelynailsdownhercasethatthedebatenoticeablyshiftstotheethicsofimplementing such a method onchildren. The late Christian apologist and theologian,Dr.FrancisSchaeffer,whendiscussingtheevilsofB.F.Skinnerinhislittlebooklet BacktoFreedomandDignity (1972), warned:Within the Skinnerian system there are noethicalcontrols;thereisnoboundarylimittowhatcanbedonebytheeliteinwhosehandscontrol
resides.ThereisintriguingevidenceinIserbytsbookthatthedemocraticsocietyofthe
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nearfuturewillbemanagedviasystematizedoperantconditioningastartlingproposition
withramicationswhichreachfarbeyondthescopeofsimpleeducationreform.Inevitably,questionsandcontroversywillariseafterpublicationofthisbook.Howmany
popularcomputergames,programs,andcurriculaforchildrenareheavilydependentuponthismethodamethodwhichrequiresimmediaterewards?TowhatextenthavehomeschoolandChristianschoolleaders,authors,andcurriculumcompaniesendorsedandutilizedthismethod?Howmanychildrearing(training)programs,workbooksandseminarsarebasedupontheseSkinnerianmethods?Afterreadingthisbookparentswillnolongerbedupedintoacceptingbehavioristmethodsinwhateverguise,orbywhatevernametheycome.
Publicationofthedeliberatedumbingdownofamericaiscertaintoaddfueltothere
inthisnationsphonicswars.Eversincepublicationofherrstwork(BacktoBasicsReformorOBESkinnerianInternationalCurriculum,1985),IserbythasbeentrumpetingthefactthattheSkinnerianmethodappliedintheExemplaryCenterforReadingInstruction(ECRI)istheverysamemethodappliedinSiegfriedEngelmannsDISTAR(DirectInstructionSystemforTeachingandRemediation,nowknownasReadingMastery).Inherlatestwork,Iserbytprovides exhaustive documentation that Direct Instruction (a.k.a. systematic, intensivephonics)whichisbeinginstitutionalizednationallyundertheguiseoftraditionalphonicsthankstothepassageofTheReading ExcellenceAct of 1998relies on the Skinnerianmethodtoteachreading.
Charlotte Iserbyt is the consummate whistle-blower. The writer describes her ownpersonal experiences as a school board director and as senior policy advisor in the U.S.DepartmentofEducationsOfceofEducationalResearchandImprovementfromwhichemanatedmostofthedumbingdownprogramsdescribedinthisbook.Therearenosacredcows in Iserbyts reporting of the chronological history of education reform. With littlefanfare,theagendasandmethodsofkeyreformleaders(conservativeandliberal)areallowedtounmaskthemselvesintheirownwordsandbytheirownactions.OfparticularinterestisIserbytsmaterialontheissueofschoolchoiceabundantevidencefrombothsidesofthepoliticalspectrum.Thereaderwilllearnthatprivate,Christianandhomeschoolsareall
neatlytiedintothereformwebviacomputertechnology,databanking,assessmenttestingand, ultimately, theintentionto userewards and penalties to enforce compliance to thetransformedsystemofeducationinthiscountry.
Thecarefulresearcherwillappreciatethefactthatthebookisheavilydocumentedbutuser-friendly.Citationsaredesignedfortheaveragereader,notjusttheacademician.Thechronologicalformatofthebookallowsonetoreadforwardorbackwardintime,oroneentryatatime,accordingtopersonalpreference.Theaccompanyingappendicesprovideasource ofin-depthtopical material, whichfreesupthe chronological textfrombecomingboggeddownindetails.Theindexandglossaryaresuchvaluableresearchtoolsthattheyareworththepriceofthebook.
Iserbytdoesverylittlehand-holdingthroughoutthebook.Commentaryissparse;readerscan make their own connections and insert their own personal experiences. Iserbyt hasstrategicallylaiddownkeypiecestoagiantjigsawpuzzle.Theoverallpictureispurposefullyarrangedtoportrayonepointofview.However,readerswillbehard-pressedtocomeupwithanalternativeview.Justwhenitseemsthatonepieceofthepuzzleisanisolated,insignicant event,suddenlyone comesacross astunningnewentrythatputsthe piecestightlytogethertoformavividpictureoftheoverallplan.Tryasonemight,thereadercannot
escapetheconsistent,deliberate,100-yearplantodumbdownthepopulace.
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Amidstallofthepolicydocumentsandhistoricaldatainthebook,onecaneasily
identifytheheartofthewriter.Iserbytgentlyremindsthereaderthattherealissueathandis the child. It is Americas children who are experiencing the full brunt of the newmethods,newcurriculaandnewagendasintheclassroom.Manyreaderswillexperiencethelightbulbturningonastheyfullycometounderstandhowtheinnovationswhichhave occurred in education during the last century affected their parents, themselves,theirchildrenandgrandchildren.
Teachersmayndthecontentsofthisbookparticularlyenlighteningandrefreshing.Iserbyt takes the reader behind the scenes to reveal the true nature of many popularclassroomcurricula.Thetruthwillbecomfortingtothosewhohaveutilizedcertainprograms
ormethods,andperhapsweretroubledbythem,butdidntknowthefullscopeorplanbehindthem.Iserbytdoesnotignoreorsoft-peddletheethicalissues,butencouragesthereadertotakethehighmoralground.
TheotherdayacallerphonedintoRushLimbaughsdailyradiotalkshow.Thecallerswifeearns$25,000peryearasateacher.Shehas30students.Herschooldistrictreceives$9,000peryearperstudent.Thistotals$270,000peryear.Whyisntmywifebeingpaidmore?heasked.Thecallerandpeoplelikehimshouldbereferredtothedeliberatedumbingdownofamerica.Inthisbooktheywillndthescandalousanswer.Ithassomethingtodowithwhy
wehaveagenerationofasLimbaughdescribesityoungskullsfullofmush.
SARAHLESLIE
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THESOWINGOFTHESEEDS:
lateeighteenthandnineteenthcenturies
TheSowingoftheSeeds:lateeighteenthandnineteenthcenturiesistheshort-estchapterofthedeliberatedumbingdownofamerica.Undoubtedly,thischaptermaybeoneofthe
mostimportantsincethephilosophiesofJean-JacquesRousseau,WilhelmWundt,andJohnDeweyet
al.,reectatotaldeparturefromthetraditionaldenitionofeducationliketheonegivenin TheNew
CenturyDictionaryoftheEnglishLanguage(Appleton,Century,Crofts:NewYork,1927):
Thedrawingoutofapersonsinnatetalentsandabilitiesbyimpartingtheknowledgeoflanguages,scienticreasoning,history,literature,rhetoric,etc.thechannelsthroughwhichthoseabilitieswouldourishandserve.1
Aquantumleapwastakenfromtheabovedenitiontothenew,dehumanizingdenitionusedby
theexperimentalpsychologistsfoundinAnOutlineofEducationalPsychology(Barnes&Noble:New
York,1934,rev.ed.)byRudolphPintneretal.Thattrulyrevolutionarydenitionclaimsthat
learningistheresultofmodiabilityinthepathsofneuralconduction.Explanationsofevensuchformsoflearningasabstractionandgeneralizationdemandoftheneuronesonlygrowth,excitability,conductivity,andmodiability.Themindistheconnection-systemofman;andlearningistheprocessofconnecting.Thesituation-responseformulaisadequatetocoverlearningofanysort,andthereallyinuentialfactorsinlearningarereadinessoftheneurones,sequenceintime,belongingness,andsatisfyingconsequences.2
Anin-depthunderstandingofthedeplorablesituationfoundinournationsschoolstodayis
impossiblewithoutanunderstandingoftheredenitionintheabovestatements.Educationinthe
1
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twenty-rstcenturywill,forthemajorityofyouth,beworkforcetraining.Thus,theneedforPavlovian/
Skinnerianmethodologybasedonoperantconditioningwhich,inessence,isattheheartoftheabove
dehumanizingdenitionofeducation.Thissowingoftheseedsthroughredenitionwillreapthe
deathoftraditional,liberalartseducationthroughtheadventofmasterylearning,outcome-based
education,anddirectinstructionallofwhichwillbeperformance-basedandbehaviorist.
1762
EMILEBYJEAN-JACQUESROUSSEAU(CHEZJEANNEAULMEDUCHESNE:A.AMSTERDAM[Paris],1762)waspublished.RousseausSocialContractpresentedinEmileinuencedtheFrenchRevolution.InthisbookRousseaupromotedchild-centeredpermissiveeducationinwhichateachershouldavoidstrictdisciplineandtiresomelessons.BothRousseau(17121788)andSwisseducatorJohannHeinrichPestalozzi(17461827)believedthatthewholechildshouldbeeducatedbydoing,andthatreligionshouldnotbeaguidingprincipleinedu-cation,athemeweshallseerepeatedoverthenext238years.
1832
WILHELMWUNDT,FOUNDEROFEXPERIMENTALPSYCHOLOGYANDTHEFORCEBEHINDITSdissemi-nationthroughouttheWesternworld,wasbornin1832inNeckarau,southernGermany.ThefollowingexcerptsconcerningWundtscontributiontomoderneducationaretakenfromTheLeipzigConnection:TheSystematicDestructionofAmericanEducationbyPaoloLionniandLanceJ.Klass3(HeronBooks:Portland,Ore.,1980):
To Wundt, a thing made sense and was worth pursuing if it could be measured,
quantied,andscienticallydemonstrated.Seeingnowaytodothiswiththehumansoul,heproposedthatpsychologyconcernitselfsolelywithexperience.AsWundtputit...KarlMarxinjectedHegelstheorieswitheconomicsandsociology,developingaphilosophyofdialecticalmaterialism.(p.8)
FromWundtsworkitwasonlyashortsteptothelaterredenitionofeducation.Origi-nally,educationmeantdrawingoutofapersonsinnatetalentsandabilitiesbyimpartingtheknowledgeoflanguages,scienticreasoning,history,literature,rhetoric,etc.thechannelsthroughwhichthoseabilitieswouldourishandserve.Totheexperimentalpsychologist,however,educationbecametheprocessofexposingthestudenttomeaningfulexperiencessoastoensuredesiredreactions:
[L]earningistheresultofmodiabilityinthepathsofneuralconduction.Explanationsofevensuchformsoflearningasabstractionandgeneralizationdemandoftheneuronesonlygrowth,excitability,conductivity,andmodiability.Themindistheconnection-systemofman;andlearningistheprocessofconnecting.Thesituation-responseformulaisadequatetocoverlearningofanysort,andthereallyinuentialfactorsinlearningarereadinessoftheneurones,sequenceintime,belongingness,andsatisfyingconsequences.4
Ifoneassumes(asdidWundt)thatthereisnothingtheretobeginwithbutabody,abrain,anervoussystem,thenonemusttrytoeducatebyinducingsensationsinthatner-
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voussystem.Throughtheseexperiences,theindividualwilllearntorespondtoanygivenstimulus,withthecorrectresponse.Thechildisnot,forexample,thoughtcapableof
volitionalcontroloverhisactions,orofdecidingwhetherhewillactornotactinacertainway;hisactionsarethoughttobepreconditionedandbeyondhiscontrol,heisastimulus-responsemechanism.Accordingtothisthinking,heishisreactions.WundtsthesislaidthephilosophicalbasisfortheprinciplesofconditioninglaterdevelopedbyPavlov(whostudiedphysiologyinLeipzigin1884,veyearsafterWundthadinauguratedhislaboratorythere)andAmericanbehavioralpsychologistssuchasWatsonandSkinner;forlaboratoriesandelectroconvulsivetherapy;forschoolsorientedmoretowardsocializationofthechildthantowardthedevelopmentofintellect;andfortheemergenceofasocietymoreandmoreblatantlydevotedtothegraticationofsensorydesireattheexpenseofresponsibilityandachievement.(pp.1415)
[Ed.Note:ThereadershouldpurchaseTheLeipzigConnection:TheSystematicDestructionofAmericanEducation,aslimpaperbackbookwhich,inthiswritersopinion,isthemostuse-fulandimportantbookavailableregardingthemethodusedtochangechildrensbehavior/valuesandtodumbdownanentiresociety.Theauthors,LionniandKlass,havemadeanoutstandingcontributiontothehistoryofAmericaneducationandtotheunderstandingofwhyandhowAmerica,whichupuntilthe1930shadthenesteducationsystemintheworld,endedupwithoneoftheworsteducationsystemsintheindustrializedworldinashortperiodofftyyears.
AnothercommentaryontheimportanceofWundtstheoriescomesfromDennisL.Cuddy,Ph.D.,inanexcellentarticleentitledTheConditioningofAmerica(TheChristianNews,NewHaven,Mo.,December11,1989).5Anexcerptfollows:
TheconditioningofmodernAmericansocietybeganwithJohnDewey,apsychologist,aFabianSocialistandtheFatherofProgressiveEducation.DeweyusedthepsychologydevelopedinLeipzigbyWilhelmWundt,andbelievedthatthroughastimulus-responseapproach(likePavlov)studentscouldbeconditionedforanewsocialorder.]
1862
THEFIRSTEXPERIMENTWITHOUTCOME-BASEDEDUCATION(OBE)WASCONDUCTEDINEnglandin1862.Teacheroppositionresultedinabandonmentoftheexperiment.DonMartinofUni-versityofPittsburgh,GeorgeE.OverholtandWayneJ.UrbanofGeorgiaStateUniversitywroteAccountabilityinAmericanEducation:ACritique(PrincetonBookCompany:Princeton,N.J.,1976)containingasectionentitledPaymentforResultswhichchroniclestheEnglishexperiment.Thefollowingexcerptoutlinestheexperiment:
Thecallforsoundandcheapelementaryinstructionwasansweredbylegislation,passedbyParliamentduring1862,knownasTheRevisedCode.Thiswasthelegislationthatproducedpayment[for]results,thenineteenthcenturyEnglishaccountabilitysystem....TheoppositiontotheEnglishpayment-[for]-resultssystemwhicharoseatthetimeofitsintroductionwasparticularlyinteresting.Teachersprovidedthebulkoftheresistance,andtheybasedtheirobjectionsonbotheducationalandeconomicgrounds....Theyabhorredthenarrownessandmechanicalcharacterthesystemimposedontheeducationalprocess.Theyalsoobjectedtotheeconomicburdenforceduponthembybasingtheirpayonstudentperformance.
TheSowingoftheSeeds:c.1862
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[Ed.Note:PaymentforResultsandOutcome-BasedEducationarebasedonteacherac-countabilityandrequireteachingtothetest,theresultsofwhicharetobemeasuredfor
accountabilitypurposes.Bothmethodsofteachingresultinanarrow,mechanisticsystemofeducationsimilartoMasteryLearning.TeachersintheUnitedStatesin1999,aswereteach-ersinvolvedintheexperimentinEngland,willbejudgedandpaidaccordingtostudentstest scores;i.e.,how well the teachers teach tothe test.ProponentsofMastery Learningbelievethatalmostallchildrencanlearnifgivenenoughtime,adequateresourcesgearedtotheindividuallearningstyleofthestudent,andacurriculumalignedtotestitems(teachtothetest).MasteryLearningusesSkinnerianmethodology(operantconditioning)inordertoobtainpredictableresults.BenjaminBloom,thefatherofMasteryLearning,saysthatthepurposeofeducationistochangethethoughts,actionsandfeelingsofstudents.Mastery
Learning(ML)anditsfraternaltwinDirectInstruction(DI)arekeycomponentsofOutcome-BasedEducation(OBE)andEffectiveSchoolsResearch(ESR).Thereaderisurgedtostudythedenitionsofalltheseterms,includingthebehavioristtermsectionfoundintheglosssaryofthisbookpriortoreadingfurther.Theonecommonthreadrunningthroughthisbookrelatestothesetermsandtheirimportanceintheimplementationofworkforcetrainingandattitudeandvaluechange.]
1874
EDWARDLEETHORNDIKEWASBORNAUGUST31,1874INWILLIAMSBURG,MASSACHUsetts.Thorn-dikewastrainedinthenewpsychologybytherstgenerationofWilhelmWundtsprotegs.HegraduatedfromWesleyanUniversityin1895afterhavingstudiedwithWundtiansAndrewC.ArmstrongandCharlesJudd.HewenttograduateschoolatHarvardandstudiedunderpsychologistWilliamJames.WhileatHarvard,ThorndikesurprisedJamesbydoingresearchwithchickens,testingtheirbehavior,andpioneeringwhatlaterbecameknownasanimalpsychology.AsbrieystatedbyThorndikehimself,psychologywasthescienceofthein-tellect,character,andbehaviorofanimals,includingman. 6TofurtherexcerptTheLeipzig
ConnectionsexcellenttreatmentofThorndikesbackground:
ThorndikeappliedforafellowshipatColumbia,wasacceptedbyCattell,andmovedwithhistwomostintelligentchickenstoNewYork,wherehecontinuedhisresearchandearnedhisPh.D.in1893.Thorndikesspecialtywasthepuzzlebox,intowhichhewouldputvariousanimals(chickens,rats,cats)andletthemndtheirwayoutbythemselves.Hisdoctoraldissertationoncatshasbecomepartoftheclassicalliteratureofpsychology.Afterreceiv-inghisdoctorate,hespentayearasateacheratWesternReserveUniversity,anditwasntlongbeforeCattelladvisedDean[JamesEarl]RusselltovisitThorndikesrstclassroomatWesternReserve:AlthoughtheDeanfoundhimdealingwiththeinvestigationsofmiceandmonkeys,hecameawaysatisedthathewasworthtryingoutonhumans.
RussellofferedThorndikeajobatTeachersCollege,wheretheexperimenterremainedforthenextthirtyyears.Thorndikewastherstpsychologisttostudyanimalbehaviorinanexperimentalpsychologylaboratoryand(followingCattellssuggestion)applythesametechniquestochildrenandyouth;asoneresult,in1903,hepublishedthebookEducationalPsychology.Inthefollowingyearshepublishedatotalof507books,monographs,andar-ticles.
ThorndikesprimaryassumptionwasthesameasWundts:thatmanisananimal,thathisactionsareactuallyalwaysreactions,andthathecanbestudiedinthelaboratory
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inmuchthesamewayasananimalmightbestudied.Thorndikeequatedchildrenwiththerats,monkeys,sh,cats,andchickensuponwhichheexperimentedinhislaboratoryandwas
preparedtoapplywhathefoundtheretolearningintheclassroom.Heextrapolatedlawsfromhisresearchintoanimalbehaviorwhichhethenappliedtothetrainingofteachers,whotookwhattheyhadlearnedtoeverycorneroftheUnitedStatesandrantheirclassrooms,curricula,andschools,onthebasisofthisneweducationalpsychology.
InThePrinciplesofTeachingBasedonPsychology(1906),Thorndikeproposedmakingthestudyofteachingscienticandpractical.Thorndikesdenitionoftheartofteachingis
theartofgivingandwithholdingstimuliwiththeresultofproducingorpreventingcertainresponses.Inthisdenitionthetermstimulusisusedwidelyforanyeventwhichinuences
apersonforawordspokentohim,alook,asentencewhichhereads,theairhebreathes,etc.,etc.Thetermresponseisusedforanyreactionmadebyhimanewthought,afeel-ingofinterest,abodilyact,anymentalorbodilyconditionresultingfromthestimulus.Theaimoftheteacheristoproducedesirableandpreventundesirablechangesinhumanbeingsbyproducingandpreventingcertainresponses.Themeansatthedisposaloftheteacherarethestimuliwhichcanbebroughttobearuponthepupiltheteacherswords,gestures,andappearance,theconditionandappliancesoftheschoolroom,thebookstobeusedandobjectstobeseen,andsoonthroughalonglistofthethingsandeventswhichtheteachercancontrol.
1896
PSYCHOLOGYBYJOHNDEWEY,THEFATHEROFPROGRESSIVEEDUCATION,WASPUBLISHED(Uni-versityofChicagoPress:Chicago,1896).ThiswastherstAmericantextbookontherevisedsubjectofeducation.Psychologywouldbecomethemostwidely-readandquotedtextbookusedinschoolsofeducationinthiscountry.Justpriortothepublicationofhislandmarkbook,DeweyhadjoinedthefacultyoftheRockefeller-endowedUniversityofChicagoasheadofthecombineddepartmentsofphilosophy,psychologyandpedagogy(teaching).Inthatsameyear,
1895,theuniversityallocated$1,000toestablishalaboratoryinwhichDeweycouldapplypsychologicalprinciplesandexperimentaltechniquestothestudyoflearning.ThelaboratoryopenedinJanuary1896astheDeweySchool,latertobecomeknownasTheUniversityofChicagoLaboratorySchool.7Deweythoughtoftheschoolasaplace
wherehistheoriesofeducationcouldbeputintopractice,tested,andscienticallyeval-uated.
Deweysoughttoapplythedoctrinesofexperienceandexperimenttoeverydaylifeand,hence,toeducation...seekingviathismodelinstitutiontopavethewayfortheschools
ofthefuture.Therehehadputintoactualpracticethreeoftherevolutionarybeliefshehadculledfromthenewpsychology:thattoputthechildinpossessionofhisfullesttalents,educationshouldbeactiveratherthanpassive;thattopreparethechildforademocraticsociety,theschoolshouldbesocialratherthanindividualist;andthattoenablethechildtothinkcreatively,experimentationratherthanimitationshouldbeencouraged.8
SamuelBlumenfeldinhisbook,TheWholeLanguage/OBEFraud(ParadigmCo.:Boise,Idaho,1996),furtherexplainsDeweysperspective:
TheSowingoftheSeeds:c.1896
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Whatkindofcurriculumwouldttheschoolthatwasamini-cooperativesociety?Deweysrecommendationwasindeedradical:buildthecurriculumnotaroundacademicsubjectsbut
aroundoccupationalactivitieswhichprovidedmaximumopportunitiesforpeerinteractionandsocialization.SincethebeginningofWesterncivilization,theschoolcurriculumwascen-teredaroundthedevelopmentofacademicskills,theintellectualfaculties,andhighliteracy.Deweywantedtochangeallofthat.Why?Becausehighliteracyproducedthatabominableformofindependentintelligencewhichwasbasically,asDeweybelieved,anti-social.
Thus,fromDeweyspointofview,theschoolsprimarycommitmenttoliteracywasindeedthekeytothewholeproblem.In1898,Deweywroteanessay,ThePrimary-Edu-cationFetish,inwhichheexplainedexactlywhathemeant:
Thereis...afalseeducationgodwhoseidolatorsarelegion,andwhosecultinuencesthe
entireeducationalsystem.Thisislanguagestudythestudynotofforeignlanguage,butofEnglish;notinhigher,butinprimaryeducation.Itisalmostanunquestionedassumption,ofeducationaltheoryandpracticeboth,thattherstthreeyearsofachildsschoollifeshallbemainlytakenupwithlearningtoreadandwritehisownlanguage.Ifweaddtothisthelearningofacertainamountofnumericalcombinations,wehavethepivotaboutwhichprimaryeducationswings....Itdoesnotfollow,however,thatconditionssocial,industrialandintellectualhaveundergonesucharadicalchange,thatthetimehascomeforathoroughgoingexaminationoftheemphasisputuponlinguisticworkinelementaryinstruction....Thepleaforthepredominanceoflearningtoreadinearlyschoollifebecauseofthegreatimportanceattachingtoliteratureseemstomeaperversion.
Endnotes:
1PaoloLionniandLanceJ.Klass.TheLeipzigConnection:TheSystematicDestructionofAmericanEducation (HeronBooks:Portland,Ore.,1980).
2Ibid.3TheLeipzigConnectionmaybeobtainedbysendingacheckfor$11.45to:HeronBooks,P.O.Box503,Sheridan,OR,orby
calling15038433834.4RudolphPintneretal.AnOutlineofEducationalPsychology,Revised(Barnes&Noble:NewYork,1934),p.79.5Dr.CuddysimportantpublicationsonthehistoryofAmericaneducation,fromwhichthiswriterhasfrequentlyquoted,canbe
obtainedbywriting:FloridaProFamilyForum,Inc.,P.O.Box1059,HighlandCity,FL338461059;orbycalling19146446218.
CuddysnewlyrevisededitionofChronologyofEducationwithQuotableQuotes andSecretRecordsRevealed:TheMen,theMoneyandtheMethodsBehindtheNewWorldOrdershouldbeinthelibraryofeveryseriouseducationresearcher.6TheLeipzigConnection,pp.3639.7Ibid.8ThesequotestakenfromIdaB.DePenciersbook,TheHistoryoftheLaboratorySchools:TheUniversityofChicago ,18961965
(QuadrangleBooks:Chicago,1967)andAHistoryofTeachersCollege:ColumbiaUniversitybyLawrenceA.Cremin,DavidA.Shannon,andMaryEvelynTownsend(ColumbiaUniversityPress:NewYork,1934),ascitedin TheLeipzigConnection.
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THETURNINGOFTHETIDES*:
earlytwentiethcentury
Foranationthathadbeenabletopointwithpridetoextraordinaryadvancesinallareasofendeavorcarriedoutbyindividuals,withnoassistancewhatsoeverfromthegovernment,
theearlyyearsofthetwentiethcenturysurelyreectedaTurningoftheTides.Analiencollectivist
(socialist)philosophy,muchofwhichcamefromEurope,crashedontotheshoresofournation,
bringing with it radical changes in economics, politics, and education, fundedsurprisinglyenoughbyseveralwealthyAmericanfamiliesandtheirtax-exemptfoundations.
Thegoalofthesewealthyfamiliesandtheirfoundationsaseamlessnon-competitiveglobal
systemforcommerceandtradewhenstrippedofoweryexpressionsofconcernforminorities,
the less fortunate, etc., represented the initial stage of what this author now refers to as the
deliberatedumbingdownofamerica.
Seventyyearslater,thecarefullylaidplanstochangeAmericafromasovereign,constitutional
republicwithafreeenterpriseeconomicbasetojustoneofmanynationsinaninternationalsocialist
(collectivist)system(NewWorldOrder)areapparent.Onlyadumbeddownpopulation,withno
memory of Americasroots as a prideful nation,could be expected to willingly succumbto the
global workforce training planned by the Carnegie Corporation and the John D. Rockefellers, I
andII,intheearlytwentiethcenturywhichisbeingimplementedbytheUnitedStatesCongress
intheyear1999.
7
*TheTurningoftheTidesisthetitleofareportsubmittedtoCongressbyHon.PaulW.Shafer(Mich.)andJohnHowlandSnow.TheoriginaltextwasdeliveredintheHouseofRepresentativesonMarch21,1952.
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1902
THEGENERALEDUCATIONBOARD(GEB)WASINCORPORATEDBYANACTOFTHEUNITEDStatesCongress.ApprovedJanuary12,1902,theGeneralEducationBoardwasendowedbyMr.JohnD.Rockefeller,Sr.,forthepurposeofestablishinganeducationallaboratorytoexperimentwithearlyinnovationsineducation.
1905
IN1905 THE INTERCOLLEGIATE SOCIALIST SOCIETY(ISS) WAS FOUNDED IN NEW YORK CITYbyUptonSinclair,JackLondon,ClarenceDarrowandothers.ItspermanentheadquarterswereestablishedattheRandSchoolofSocialStudiesin1908andISSbecametheLeaguefor Industrial Democracy (LID)in 1921.John Dewey became president ofthe League forIndustrialDemocracyin1939.
THE CARNEGIE FOUNDATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF TEACHING WAS FOUNDED IN1905.Henry S. Pritchett served as the Foundations rst president. Pritchett was the author ofWhatIsReligionandOtherStudentQuestions(HoughtonMifinCompany:Boston,1906),RelationsofDenominationstoColleges(1908),andAWomansOpportunitiesinChristianIndustryandBusiness(1907).
1906
NATIONALEDUCATIONASSOCIATION(NEA)BECAMEAFEDERALLYCHARTEREDASSOCIATIONforteachersin1906undertheauthorityofH.R.10501.Originallyfoundedin1857,itwasknownastheNationalTeachersAssociationuntil1870.
1908
IN1908ITALIANEDUCATOR,THELATEMARIAMONTESSORI(18701952),DEVELOPEDAmethodofteachingrelyingonguidanceand training ofsensesrather than morerigidcontrolof
childrens activitieswhich would bevery inuential throughout the rest of the century.Montessoriwasadoctorwho,aftergraduatingfrommedicalschoolinRome,tookapositionatapsychiatricclinicandbecameinterestedinhelpingretardedchildren.Herpedagogicalmentor became Edouard Seguin, a French physician who worked with retarded childrenand who promoted the idea that having the children work with concrete objectshelpedtheirphysicalandmentaldevelopment.
MontessoriopenedherrstCasadeiBambini(Montessorischool)inRomein1907.Shecreatedaclassroomclimateinwhichherbeliefthatachildsindividuallibertywouldbe
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violatediftwochildrenwantthesamematerialandarenotlefttosettletheproblemfor
themselvesorbyforciblyremovinga misbehavingchildfromagroup.Montessori,muchlike Rudolph Steiner of Germany, taught that each child is already a perfectly developedadulthuman being and that through her educational processtheincarnatingchild canndhisownplaceinthecosmos.ItshouldbenotedthatatonetimeBenitoMussoliniwaspresidentoftheMontessoriSocietyofItaly.
TheMontessoriMethod was published in 1912 and much of Montessoris work wasprintedbytheTheosophicalPublishingHouse.MontessorioncelivedwiththeTheosophistsinIndiaandearnedthepraiseofMahatmaGandhiwithherCosmicEducationwhichwaspopularwithHindusandTheosophistsworldwide.ElizabethClareProphet,thecultichead
oftheChurchUniversalandTriumphant,foundedagroupcalledMontessoriInternational,andRobertMuller,thecelebratedauthoroftheNewAgeWorldCoreCurriculum ,inaCostaRicaspeechclaimedthattheMontessoriMethodwasoneoftheeducationalprogramswhichwouldgreatlybenetglobalchildrenfortheNewAge.
InherEducationforaNewWorldMontessoriwrotethatTheworldwasnotcreatedforustoenjoy,butwearecreatedtoevolvethecosmos.InanissueoftheNorthAmericanMontessoriTeachersAssociationJournal onendsthefollowingrevealingcomment:
MariaMontessori,alongwithmanyotherenlightenedthinkersofourtime,foresawnothinglessthantheemergenceofanewhumanculture.Thisnewculture,aglobal,planetized
humanity,wouldbebasedonanewconsciousnessoftheunityandinterdependenceofallbeing,theinterconnectednessofallformsofenergyandmatter.Itisacultureofthepresentparadigmshift,bywhichwearebeginningtoalignourselvestoeducatethehumanpotentialforconsciouscooperationwiththeevolutionoflifeontheplanet.1
1913
JOHND.ROCKEFELLER,JR.SDIRECTOROFCHARITYFORTHEROCKEFELLERFOUNDATION,FrederickT.Gates,setuptheSouthernEducationBoard(SEB),whichwaslaterincorporatedintotheGeneralEducationBoard(GEB)in1913,settinginmotionthedeliberatedumbingdownofAmerica.TheCountrySchoolofTomorrow:OccasionalPapersNo.1(GeneralEducationBoard:NewYork,1913)writtenbyFrederickT.GatescontainedasectionentitledAVisionoftheRemedyinwhichhewrotethefollowing:
Isthereaughtofremedyforthisneglectofrurallife?Letus,atleast,yieldourselvestothegraticationsofabeautifuldreamthatthereis.Inourdream,wehavelimitlessresources,
andthepeopleyieldthemselveswithperfectdocilitytoourmoldinghand.Thepresenteducationalconventionsfadefromourminds;and,unhamperedbytradition,weworkourowngoodwilluponagratefulandresponsiveruralfolk.Weshallnottrytomakethesepeopleoranyoftheirchildrenintophilosophersormenoflearningorofscience.Wearenottoraiseupfromamongthemauthors,orators,poets,ormenofletters.Weshallnotsearchforembryogreatartists,painters,musicians.Norwillwecherisheventhehumblerambitiontoraiseupfromamongthemlawyers,doctors,preachers,politicians,statesmen,ofwhomwenowhaveamplesupply.
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1914
A RESOLUTION WAS PASSED BY THE NORMAL SCHOOL SECTION OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATIONASSOciation at its annual meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota in the year 1914. An excerptfollows:
WeviewwithalarmtheactivityoftheCarnegieandRockefellerFoundationsagenciesnotinanywayresponsibletothepeopleintheireffortstocontrolthepoliciesofourStateeducationalinstitutions,tofashionaftertheirconceptionandtostandardizeourcoursesofstudy,andtosurroundtheinstitutionswithconditionswhichmenacetrueacademicfreedomanddefeattheprimarypurposeofdemocracyasheretoforepreservedinviolatein
ourcommonschools,normalschools,anduniversities.
1917
THE1917CONGRESSIONALRECORDOFTHEUNITEDSTATESSENATEPUBLISHEDTHEFOLlowingexcerpt from a booklet containing articles by Bishop Warren A. Candler, Chancellor ofEmoryUniversityinAtlanta:
Thisboard[theGeneralEducationBoard]wasauthorizedtodoalmosteveryconceivablething which is anywise related to education, from opening a kitchen to establishing auniversity, and its power to connect itself with the work of every sort of educationalplant or enterprise conceivable will be especially observed. This power to project itsinuence over other corporations is at once the greatest and most dangerous powerithas.(p.2831)
THEUNITEDSTATESENTEREDWORLDWARIIN1917.
1918
IN THE JANUARY13,1918 ISSUE OFNEW YORKWORLD WILLIAM BOYCE THOMPSON, FEDeralReserve Bank director andfounding member of the Council on Foreign Relations, statedthat
Russiaispointingthewaytogreatandsweepingworldchanges.ItisnotinRussiaalone
thattheoldorderispassing.ThereisalotoftheoldorderinAmerica,andthatisgoing,too....Imgladitisso.WhenIsatandwatchedthosedemocraticconclavesinRussia,IfeltIwouldwelcomeasimilarsceneintheUnitedStates.
[Ed.Note:M.MaxineTremaineofMassachusetts,recognizedforhercarefulresearchrelatedtointernationalaffairs,madethefollowingstatementsregardingWillianBoyceThompsonbefore the National Convention of Women for Constitutional Government in a July 1983speechentitled Russia Is the Model Country of International Bankers and IndustrialistsAdministeredbytheUnitedNationsHeadquartersinGeneva,Switzerland:WilliamBoyce
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Thompsonpersonallycontributed$1milliontotheRussianRevolution.Healsoarrangedfor
thetransferofmoneyfromtheUnitedStatesto(theCommunistrevolutionaries).]
CARNEGIE AND ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATIONS PLANNED THE DEMISE OF TRADITIONAL ACADEMICeducation in 1918. Rockefellers focus would be national education; Carnegie would beinchargeofinternationaleducation.
1919
THE INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION(IIE)WAS FOUNDED IN1919THROUGH AgrantfromtheCarnegieEndowmentforInternationalPeace.TheInstitutespurposewastooperateastudentexchangeprogram.ThisprocessofexchangesgrewinconceptandpracticewiththeIIEadministeringvisitorexchangeprogramsfortheU.S.InformationAgency(USIA)inthe1990s.TheU.S.-SovietEducationAgreementswerenegotiatedbytheCarnegieEndowmentsparentorganization,theCarnegieCorporation,fosteringexchangesofcurriculum,pedagogyandmaterialsaswellasstudents.
THEPROGRESSIVEEDUCATIONASSOCIATION(P.E.A.)WASFOUNDEDIN1919ANDORGAnizedbyJohnDewey,eventhoughhewouldnotbecomeamemberinitsearlyyears.P.E.A.sgoalsandaimswereprojectedforthelasthalfofthiscenturyataboardmeetingheldNovember1517,1943inChicago,Illinois.Attendeesincluded:HaroldRugg,MarionCarswell,ArthurGould,TheodoreBrameld,PrudenceBosterick,andCarsonRyan.SpeakingoftheirplansfortheperiodfollowingWorldWarII,theboardpublishedastatementinitsjournalProgressiveEducation(December1943,Vol.XX,No.8)whichincludedthefollowingexcerpt:
Thisisaglobalwar,andthepeacenowinthemakingwilldeterminewhatournationallifewillbeforthenextcentury.Itwilldemonstratethedegreeofournationalmorality.Wearewritingnowthecredobywhichourchildrenmustlive.
Your Board unanimously proposes a broadening of the interests and program ofthis Association to include the communities in which our children live. To this end,they propose additions to the governing body to include representatives of welfareservices, health, industry, labor and the professions. In short, a cross-sectionbodytogivescopetoourprogram.
Yes,somethinghappenedaroundatableinChicago.Anorganizationwhichmighthavebecomemellowedwiththeyearstofutility,inthreeshortdaysagaindrewablueprint
forchildrenoftheworld.
[Ed.Note:Forwhatournationallifewillbefortherestofthiscenturyandperhapsonintothenext,seethe1946MongomeryCountyBlueprintand1999GwinnettDailyentries.]
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1921
IN1921THELEAGUEFORINDUSTRIALDEMOCRACYCHANGEDITSNAMEFROMTHEINTERCOLlegiateSocialistSociety(ISS)andstateditspurposeas:Educationforanewsocialorderbasedonproductionandnotforprot(AChronologyofEducation,DorothyDawson,1978).
HAROLDRUGG,WRITEROFSOCIALSTUDIESTEXTBOOKSERIESENTITLEDTHEFRONTIERThinkerswhichwaspublishedbytheProgressiveEducationAssociation,in1921becamepresidentoftheNationalAssociationofDirectorsofEducationResearchwhichwouldlaterbecome
knownastheAmericanEducationalResearchAssociation.
THECOUNCILONFOREIGNRELATIONSWASESTABLISHEDIN1921THROUGHTHEEFFORTSOFCol.Edwin Mandell House, condant extraordinaire to President Woodrow Wilson and aboutwhomWilsonsaid,Mr.HouseismysecondpersonalityHisthoughtsandmineareone.HousewastheinitiatoroftheefforttoestablishthisAmericanbranchoftheEnglishRoyalInstituteofInternationalAffairs.Priorto1921,Housesgroup,theInquiry,calledtheCFRtheInstituteofInternationalAffairs.In1912HousehadauthoredPhilipDru:AdministratorwhichpromotedsocialismasdreamedofbyKarlMarxaboutwhichbookWilsonsSecretaryoftheInteriorFranklinLanewrotetoa personalfriend:Allthatbookhassaidshouldbe,comesabout.ThePresidentcomestoPhilipDruintheend.
WalterLippmann,memberoftheFabianSocietyandIntercollegiateSocialistSociety,wasafoundingmemberoftheCFR.WhitneyShepardsonwasadirectoroftheCFRfrom1921until1966.ShepardsonhadbeenanassistanttoCol.Houseinthe1918peaceconferencefollowingWorldWarIandservedassecretaryoftheLeagueofNationscommittee.ShepardsonlaterbecameadirectoroftheCarnegieCorporationBritishandColoniesfund.OtherearlyCFRmembers included: Charles E. (Chip) Bohlen, rst secretary to the American embassy inMoscowduringWorldWarIIandPresidentFranklinRooseveltsinterpreterforhismeetingwith Josef Stalin at the Teheran conference; Frank Aydelotte, a trustee of the CarnegieFoundation, president of Swarthmore College, American secretary to the (Cecil) RhodesTrustees(oftheRhodesScholarshipFund),anddirectoroftheInstituteforAdvancedStudyatPrinceton;SecretaryofWarHenryStimson,whoinitiatedGeorgeBushintoSkullandBonesand whosespecial consultant BernadotteSchmitt had also been a special advisorto AlgerHiss when hehad servedassecretary-generalof the United Nations ConferenceonInternationalOrganizationinSanFranciscoin1945;andWilliamPaley,founderoftheColumbiaBroadcastingSystem(CBS)whosechiefadvisorwasEdwardBernays,SigmundFreudsnephewwhowrotePropaganda,inwhichBernaysreveals:
Those who manipulate theorganized habits andopinions of the masses constitute aninvisiblegovernmentwhichisthetruerulingpowerofthecountry.Itremainsafactinalmost every act ofourdailylives, whetherinthesphereofpolitics orbusiness,inoursocialconductorourethicalthinking,wearedominatedbythisrelativelysmallnumberof persons. As civilization has become more complex, and as the need for invisiblegovernmenthasbeenincreasinglydemonstrated,thetechnicalmeanshavebeeninventedanddevelopedbywhichopinionmayberegimented.
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ThelateProfessorCarrollQuigleyofGeorgetownUniversitydescribedtheCFRasa
frontforJ.PMorganandCompanyinassociationwiththeverysmallAmericanRoundTableGroup.Quigleyfurthercommented:
TheboardoftheCFRhavecarriedeversincethemarksoftheirorigin.Theregrewupinthe20thcenturyapowerstructurebetweenLondonandNewYorkwhichpenetrateddeeplyintouniversitylife,thepress,andthepracticeofforeignpolicy.TheAmericanbranchofthisEnglishEstablishmentexertedmuchofitsinuencethroughveAmericannewspapers (New YorkTimes,NewYorkHerald Tribune, Christian ScienceMonitor,WashingtonPost,andthelatelamentedBostonEveningTranscript).2
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., penned a tome entitledAThousandDaysin1965inwhichhewrotethat
theNewYorknancialandlegalcommunitywastheheartoftheAmericanestablishment.Its front organizations [were] the Rockefeller, Ford and Carnegie foundations and theCouncilonForeignRelations.
1922
ONDECEMBER15,1922THECOUNCILONFOREIGNRELATIONSENDORSEDWORLDGOVERNment.
1925
THEINTERNATIONALBUREAUOFEDUCATION,FORMERLYKNOWNASTHEINSTITUTEJEAN-JacquesRousseau, was established in 1925 with a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. TheBureaubecamepartoftheUnitedNationsEducational,ScienticandCulturalOrganization(UNESCO).
IN1925TENNESSEEVS.JOHNTHOMASSCOPES,ORTHESCOPESMONKEYTRIAL,TOOKplaceinDayton,Tennessee.Thistrialwasanimportanteducationalmilestoneregardingtheteachingof the theory of evolution in public schools. Scopes pitted two famous barristers of thedayWilliamJenningsBryanandClarenceDarrowagainsteachother.ThebasicargumentoftheAmericanCivilLibertiesUnion(ACLU)andtheevolutionistswasthatevolutionarytheory should not be censored from the public schools. After this trial, Fabian Socialist
andrstheadofUNESCOSirJulianHuxleyclaimedthathumanismskeynote,thecentralconcepttowhichallitsdetailsarerelated,isevolution.
[Ed.Note:Huxleycouldhavecontinuedbypredictingthateducationalandtrainingmethodsin the future would be based on the theory of evolutionthat man is an animal to betrainedasPavlov,ThorndikeandSkinnertrainedanimals,aswithoutcome-basededucation,masterylearninganddirectinstruction.]
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1927
THECHRISTIANSCIENCEMONITOROFAUGUST8,1927QUOTEDFROMANADDRESSTOTHEWorldFederationofEducationAssociations(WFEA)attheirToronto,CanadaconferencedeliveredbyDr.AugustusThomas,commissionerofeducationforthestateof Maine.ExcerptsfromDr.Thomassrevealingaddressfollow:
Iftherearethosewhothinkwearetojumpimmediatelyintoanewworldorder,actuatedbycompleteunderstandingandbrotherlylove,theyaredoomedtodisappointment.Ifweareevertoapproachthattime,itwillbeafterpatientandpersistenteffortoflongduration.Thepresentinternationalsituationofmistrustandfearcanonlybecorrectedby
aformulaofequalstatus,continuouslyapplied,toeveryphaseofinternationalcontacts,untilthecobwebsoftheoldorderarebrushedoutofthemindsofthepeopleofalllands.Thismeansthattheworldmustawaitalongprocessofeducationandabuildingupof publicconscience and an international morality, or, in other words, until thereis aworld-widesentimentwhichwillbackupthemodernconceptionofaworldcommunity.Thisbringsustotheinternationalmind,whichisnothingmoreorlessthanthehabitofthinkingofforeignrelationsandbusinessaffectingtheseveralcountriesofthecivilizedworldasfreeco-operatingequals.
1928
A DELIBERATE MATH DUMB DOWN WAS SERIOUSLY DISCUSSED IN1928.A TEACHER NAMEDO.A.Nelson,JohnDewey,EdwardThorndike(whoconductedearlybehavioralpsychologyexperiments with chickens), and other Council on Foreign Relations members attendedaProgressiveEducationAssociationmeetingin1928atwhichO.A.Nelsonwasinformedthatthepurposeofnewmathwastodumbdownstudents.NelsonrevealedinalaterinterviewwithYoungParentsAlertthattheProgressiveEducationAssociationwasacommunistfront.AccordingtotheNationalEducator(July,1979):
Mr. O.A. Nelson, retired educator, has supplied the vitally important documentationneededtosupportthelink-upbetweenthetextbooksandtheCouncilonForeignRelations.Hisletter was rst printed in Young Parents Alert (Lake Elmo, Minnesota). His storyisself-explanatory.
I know from personal experiencewhat I am talking about. In December 1928,IwasaskedtotalktotheAmericanAssociationfortheAdvancementofScience.OnDecember27th,naveandinexperienced,Iagreed.Ihaddonesomespecialworkin
teachingfunctionalphysicsinhighschool.Thatwastobemytopic.Thenextday,the28th,aDr.ZiegleraskedmeifIwouldattendaspecialeducationalmeetinginhisroomaftertheAAASmeeting.Wemetfrom10oclock[p.m.]untilafter2:30a.m.
Wewere13atthemeeting.TwothingscausedDr.Ziegler,whowasChairmanoftheEducationalCommitteeoftheCouncilonForeignRelations,toaskmetoattend...mytalkontheteachingoffunctionalphysicsinhighschool,andthefactthatIwasamemberofagroupknownastheProgressiveEducatorsofAmerica,whichwasnothingbut a Communist front. I thought the word progressive meant progress for betterschools. Eleven of those attending themeeting were leadersin education. Drs. JohnDewey and Edward Thorndike, fromColumbia University, were there,and the others
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wereofequalrank.IcheckedlaterandfoundthatALLwerepaidmembersoftheCommunistPartyofRussia.IwasclassiedasamemberoftheParty,butIdidnot
knowitatthetime.Thesoleworkofthegroupwastodestroyourschools!Wespentonehourand
forty-ve minutes discussing the so-called Modern Math. Atone point I objectedbecausethere was too much memory work, andmath isreasoning; not memory. Dr.Zieglerturnedtomeandsaid,Nelson,wakeup!Thatiswhatwewant...amaththatthepupilscannotapplytolifesituationswhentheygetoutofschool!Thatmathwasnotintroduceduntilmuchlater,asthosepresentthoughtitwastooradicalachange.AmildercoursebyDr.Brecknerwassubstitutedbutitwasalsoworthless,asfarasunderstandingmathwasconcerned.Theradicalchangewasintroducedin1952.Itwastheoneweareusingnow.So,ifpupilscomeoutofhighschoolnow,notknowinganymath,dontblamethem.Theresultsaresupposedtobeworthless.
[Ed.Note:Mr.NelsonwasformerlyassistantprincipalatWilsonHighSchool,Minneapolis,Minnesota,aswellasJohnsonHighSchoolinSt.Paul.Thiswriterwasfortunateenoughto verify the above story by calling a teacher colleague of the late Mr. Nelson. Also,membersoftheYoungParentsAlertinLakeElmo,Minnesotaprovidedthewriterwithan audiocasette of the speech he gave at a Young Parents Alert education conferenceonApril28,1979.]
Endnotes:1ThereferencedNorthAmericanAssociationforMontessoriTeachersAssociationJournalispublishedbytheNorthAmerican
AssociationforMontessoriTeachersAssociation(ClevelandHeights,Ohio,1988,4thquarter).2MuchoftheinformationintheentryconcerningtheformationoftheCouncilonForeignRelations,includingProf.Quigleys
quote,istakenfromtherecentlyupdatededitionofDr.DennisLaurenceCuddysSecretRecordsRevealed:TheMen,theMoney,andtheMethodsBehindtheNewWorldOrder(HearthstonePublishing,Ltd.:OklahomaCity,1999).
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THETROUBLINGTHIRTIES
Andthebuilderofthisnewworldmustbeeducation....Plainly,therststepinthecaseofeachcountryistotrainanelitetothink,feel,andactinternationally.Thepreceding
wordsofPaulMantouxofParis,FrancearetakenfromtheforewordtoInternationalUnderstanding
byJohnEugeneHarley,publishedbytheStanfordUniversityPressin1931.
AockofindividualsofcollectivistpersuasionjumpedonMonsieurMantouxsbandwagon
inTheTroublingThirties.AldousHuxleybroughtalonghisBraveNewWorld;ProfessorGeorge
Counts contributed hisDare theSchool BuildaNew Social Order?; William Z. Foster (national
chairman of the Communist Party of the United States of America) wrote hisToward a Soviet
America;JohnDeweyco-authoredTheHumanistManifestoI;theCarnegieCorporationaddedits
Conclusions andRecommendationsfor theSocialStudiesand itsEight-Year Study (which was in
the1990sreferredtobytheEducationCommissionoftheStatesasthemodelforOutcome-Based
Education); and surprisingly, Herbert Hoover proposed a Research Committee on Recent Social
TrendstoImplementthePlannedSociety.
Thethirtieswereindeedtroubling.Unfortunately,theaverageAmericanwasunawareofthe
importantstepsbeingtakentocollectivize(socialize)thisnation,particularlythatofutilizingthe
schoolsasthevehiclethroughwhichMantouxsnewworldcouldbebroughtintobeing.
1931
INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING BY JOHN EUGENE HARLEY (STANFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS:
17
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Stanford, Calif., 1931) was published. Excerpts from the foreword by Paul Mantoux of
Paris,Francefollows:
Andthebuilderofthisnewworldmustbeeducation.Educationalonecanlaythefoundationonwhichthebuildingistorest.Onthispointakindofconsensushasbeenreachedbythosewhotrustthefutureof internationalcooperationandthosewhorefusetobelieveinit.Whenthelattergoaboutrepeatingthattosucceedinsuchataskonewouldhavetochangehumannature,theydobutexaggeratetheacknowledgedneedforagradualandpatientreshapingofthepublicmind....Howcanawell-preparedeliteberaisedthroughouttheworldtospreaditsinuenceoverthemasses,whocanthensupportthemintheirturn?...Hereweencountertherealproblem,anditisessentiallyaproblem
ofeducation....Duringthelastdecadeofthenineteenthcentury,inEngland,agroupofmendevotedtothestudyofeconomicproblemsendeavoredtopreparethepublicmindforbroadchangeswhich,intheirview,mustbeeffectedifsocialpeaceistobepreserved.TothisendtheyfoundedtheLondonSchoolofEconomicsandPoliticalScience,whichtoday ranks among the most famous institutions ofeducation. Inour day, the problemhasbecomemorefar-reachingstill.Brutaleventshavesuppliedevidenceofatruththathadbeenslowlygainingground,namely,theinterdependenceofnationsandtheneedforestablishingintheworldanorderandharmonyhithertolacking.
Some[undertakings]havespecializedinonebranchofknowledge,liketheInstituteofPacicRelations;otherscoverthewholeeldofpoliticalscience,liketheEcoledes
SciencesPolitiques,theLondonSchoolofEconomics,andtheDeutscheHochschulefurPolitik. Someare debating or research centers, widely differing in character from oneanotheraccordingastheirtendencyisscienticratherthanpolitical;sucharetheRoyalInstitute of International Affairs, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Social ScienceResearchCouncil,andtheAmericanAcademyofPoliticalandSocialScience....theWorldEducation Association and the International Bureau of Education are endeavoring tocompareeducationincivilizedcountriesandtobridgedifferencesbyaprocessofmutualborrowingofmethods....Plainly,therststepinthecaseofeachcountryistotrainanelitetothink,feel,andactinternationally.
1932
BRAVE NEWWORLD (DOUBLEDAY, DOTAN: GARDEN CITY,N.Y.,1932) BY ALDOUS HUXLEY,the renowned English novelist and essayist, was published. In this famous work Huxleysatirized the mechanical world of the future in which technology replaced much of theeverydayactivitiesofhumans.
PROFESSOR GEORGE COUNTS OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHERS COLLEGE WROTEDARE theSchoolBuildaNewSocialOrder?(JohnDayCompany:NewYork,1932).HeandmanyotherAmericaneducatorstravelingbackandforthtoRussiabecamecompletelyconvincedthattheSovietCommunistsystemwastheultimatesystem.Countswasdeeplyinvolvedin,andamemberof,theCarnegieFoundation-nancedCommissionontheSocialStudieswhichproducedtheAmericanHistoricalAssociationsConclusionsandRecommendations:ReportoftheCommissionontheSocialStudies in1934.HewasalsotheauthorofTheAmerican
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RoadtoCultureseries (Quinn and Broden,Co., Inc.:Rahway, N.J., 19301934) and The
SovietChallengetoAmerica(JohnDayCo.:NewYork,1931).Excerptsfromthisentrysmajorfocus,CountssDaretheSchoolBuildaNewSocialOrder?,follow:
Ifproperty rights are tobediffusedinindustrial society, naturalresourcesand allimportantformsofcapitalwillhavetobecollectivelyowned....Thisclearlymeansthat,ifdemocracyistosurviveintheUnitedStates,itmustabandonitsindividualisticafliationsinthesphereofeconomics....Withintheselimits,asIseeit,ourdemocratictraditionmustofnecessityevolveandgraduallyassumeanessentiallycollectivisticpattern.
The important point is that fundamental changes in the economic system areimperative.Whateverserviceshistoriccapitalismmayhaverenderedinthepast,andthey
havebeenmany,itsdaysarenumbered.Withitsdedication[to]theprincipleofselshness,itsexaltationoftheprotmotive,itsrelianceupontheforcesofcompetition,anditsplacingofpropertyabovehumanrights,itwilleitherhavetobedisplacedaltogetherorchangedsoradicallyinformandspiritthatitsidentitywillbecompletelylost.
TOWARDASOVIETAMERICA(ELGINENTERPRISES,INC.:LOSANGELES,1932)BYWILLIAMZ.Foster,nationalchairmanoftheCommunistPartyoftheUnitedStates,waspublished.Fosterdiedin1961inMoscowandwasgivenasta