AND YOU THOUGHT YOUR TAXES WERE GOING TOWARDS ACADEMIC EDUCATION?
HUMAN CAPITAL AND AMERICA’S FUTURE: AN ECONOMIC STRATEGY FOR THE NINETIES (Hopkins Press: Baltimore, Md., 1991) edited by David W. Hornbeck and Lester M. Salamon, was published. The following quotes confirm the worst fears of parents related to education reform and dumbed down outcomes which are referenced by the change agents as “world class.” Human Capital explains that:
[E]mployer beliefs about the superior capabilities of educated people turned out NOT to be confirmed in practice [emphasis in original]; educated employees have higher turn-over rates, lower job satisfaction, and poorer promotion records than less educated employees. (p. 7)
Education researcher Judith McLemore of Alabama excerpted and commented upon David Hornbeck’s statements in “New Paradigms for Action,” chapter 13 of Human Capital:
Programs proposed to “cope with human capital problems” include “Initiatives to alleviate poverty” (p. 360) which include “income transfers.”... The gap between “the haves and the have-nots is growing.” Economic prosperity of the nation is “heavily dependent” upon stability. (p. 362)
Fastest growing “segment of the work force” is “women, blacks and hispanics, whom we have historically served poorly,” and not “white males” whom we have historically served relatively well.... At present, “schools and other human capital related institutions contribute to the growing gap between the rich and the poor.” (p. 363)
The alteration of our human capital development institutions must be as fundamental as the changes in our economic institutions and other parts of our social fabric.... It is imperative to “improve the school success of young people with whom we have failed historically.” (p. 364) “What are the basic tools we have available to initiate and sustain real change?” ...1.Demonstration projects... 2. Charismatic leaders... 3. Money (p. 365)... 4. Lawsuits (p. 366)... 5. Labor contracts... 6. Legislation. (p. 367)
“It is not possible to achieve the kind of outcomes we envision without being specific as to what those outcomes are. Moreover, it is necessary to define the quality and scope of the desired outcomes. Using the Job Training Partnership Act as an example... one of the frequent criticisms of its outcome definition is that it encourages ‘creaming.’ If, however, the outcome sought and rewarded was not just job placement, but job placement for the most difficult to serve and job placements of a certain quality in terms of pay and future prospects, one would quickly eliminate that charge.... Crafting outcomes can be a very tricky process ... to achieve the high graduation rates reflecting higher achievement levels will require success with the same young people with whom we have failed even with lower standards.” (pp. 369–370)
“What we teach should basically be the same for ALL students.” (p. 375) [all emphases in original]
“New Paradigms for Action” makes it clear that in the future the “system” (not the student) will be responsible for student success… and the students will be followed (data collection system from birth until death?). The “system” will be rewarded or penalized for the success/failure of those “difficult to serve” including whether or not they get high paying jobs after schooling ends. [bold added]
In order to drive home her point that our children, as human capital, are nothing but
pawns in the hands of the state/business community, McLemore refers to the foreword to Alexander Frazier’s book Adventuring, Mastering, Associating: New Strategies for Teaching Children (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development: Washington, D.C., 1976), written by Delmo Della-Dora, president of ASCD (1975–1976), which said, “This work represents Alexander Frazier’s attempt to describe what he calls an equal rights curriculum for all children.” On page 83 Frazier said, “Our goal is the removal of inequality among children who have been undertaught, overtaught, mistaught, or not taught some things at all.” On page 15 he said, “Jefferson saw the public school as an agency for finding talent to serve the state. In the same way, the school could recruit for the business and industrial establishment.”
Excerpt from my book
the deliberate dumbing down of america, pages 287-288:
