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Following up on our coverage from a month ago, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) recently created a new voucher system in his state, using taxpayer money to subsidize private-school tuition. Among the many problems with the new state law is that the schools receiving the vouchers, most of which are religious institutions, will get the money with no strings attached.
In other words, the state will have no role in ensuring accountability, approving curricula, making certain that these state-subsidized private schools are doing right by their students.
Deanna Pan reports today on the wacky "facts" that Louisiana's kids will be taught at taxpayer expense.
For one, of the 119 (mostly Christian) participating schools, Zack Kopplin, a gutsy college sophomore who's taken to Change.org to stonewall the program, has identified at least 19that teach or champion creationist non-science, and will rake in nearly $4 million in public funding from the initial round of voucher designations.
Many of these schools, Kopplin notes, rely on Pensecola-based A Beka Book curriculum or Bob Jones University Press textbooks to teach their pupils Bible-based "facts," such as the existence of Nessie the Loch Ness Monster and all sorts of pseudoscience that researcher Rachel Tabachnick and writer Thomas Vinciguerra have thankfully pored over so the rest of world doesn't have to.
Click the link for the full list -- there are some real doozies in there -- but I was especially amazed to learn that some schools, relying on "Bob Jones University Press," will tell unsuspecting students that humans and dinosaurs coexisted at the same time, dragons were real, the Trail of Tears helped "bring many Indians to Christ," and the KKK and slave owners weren't so bad.
It's taxpayer-financed education like this, Bobby Jindal believes, that will help Louisiana and make the state more competitive in the future.
Kenneth R. Miller recently made the compelling case that Jindal has a "science problem." That's absolutely true, but in the larger context, that's not the governor's only problem.
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This will further cement the destiny of all of those students who will attend those schools. They will have no skills to enter college, and thus be forced to work at Wal-Mart and McDonalds.
Wait a minute. Isn't this just like all of those Righties who claimed that if you let Muslims set up schools here they will be maddrassas?(sp?) Seems to me that is just what is happening in Louisiana. Makes you wonder eh? (not really)
Our educational achievement may not be all that we wish it were. But if these morons get control of education across the country, we'll sink to the bottom of the international standings.
The reason the Left hates this is because the money will no longer be feeding the Unions. As for Public vs. Private going to college:
Public schools are broken, we should help everyone we can to escape it.
I think they will probably have the skills, such as good reading and writing skills and elementary algebra. They will probably have superior skills in spelling and geography.
What they will lack is the cultural background and ideas about the world and their place in it characteristic of the educated middle class. This cultural shock will defeat many in a 4-year college, not to mention graduate school.
Don't worry. Colleges and Universities will stoop to the righties idiocies so EVERYONE can go to private schools and have the same skills in mythology.
Jindal is backed by the Koch Brothers and ALEC - Koch brothers do not support segregation, they were against busing. Who will be attending these schools white protestants? If the Public Schools are broken than put the money into them and fix them. It is not about Unions - it is about providing equal education to all our children and to teach a curriculum that embraces all subjects and leaves religion to be taught by our religious leaders and they have private religious schools that you can send you child to if you wish.
What about special ed students - who will teach them? These private schools have one purpose and that is to make money.
Lorr, we keep pouring more and more tax payer dollars into the broken system. It is about Unions when we have to pay more and more money that our tax dollars can't afford, less money for education, more money for High Union salaries and benefits.
Sure Private schools need to make money, but like any private company, if you don't like your results or service, you stop using them. Public schools aren't accountable like that, we are constantly seeing budget shortfalls and curriculum being cut. Drop out rates too high, and those that go onto higher education too low. Needs to change.
"The reason the Left hates this is because the money will no longer be feeding the Unions. As for Public vs. Private going to college . . ."
No, Eric. The reason those of us on "the left" (or in the center) hate this is because we believe that facts are superior to myths. That a citizenry with no appreciation of science-based knowledge is one doomed to fail in a world that will only become more technologically oriented.
Some of us have spent our careers working to make young people smarter and more capable, and we don't much appreciate political hucksters and opportunists undoing our efforts. I realize that right-wingers can't grasp the concept, but teachers spend almost no time thinking about how things will affect teachers' unions. About the only people who DO are those who work for the unions and those on the far right wing.
We also dislike the merging of church and state. When politics is mixed with religion, it's bad for both politics AND religion.
Thank you mpguy -
I'm surprised RomneyDon hasn't shown up yet to whine about how the poor, pitiful "Christians" are being mistreated by all us heinous "leftists".
MP- Where is it that student's are being FORCED into these schools? It seems like if you do not WANT to have your kids go to a Private school you don't HAVE to. If you want to send them to the failing Public school you are still welcome to do that. If you take a Gov't job your are forced to join Union, if you breath you are forced to purchase health care, is choice only ok as long as it's killing an unborn child?
Eric ... Once again, you didn't read my post very thoroughly, did you? I never said that they were being "forced" into private schools. That's not the point. I said that you can't compare private and public schools when one has the option to terminate students at will and the other doesn't.
I also object to publicly funded schools teaching religious dogma, especially when "anti-knowledge" is at the core of it. It doesn't matter whether people have that choice or not. The fact that public tax dollars are going toward funding private religious schools is enough.
And don't give me this baloney about national heath care, abortion funding, etc. Not relevant here. As far as abortions go, if you don't believe in them, then don't have one. Otherwise, let people choose. After all, YOU'RE the one who's so in favor of allowing people to have "choice," aren't you?
mpguy,
Only as long as they make the right choice (pun intended).
Eric, I have never read such uninformed poop. Citing data from the Council for American Private Education supporting private education is like citing date from the Alcoholic Beverage Council supporting drunk driving.
I teach in a public high school recently ranked among the nation's top 15 percent by U.S. News and World Report. To say that, "Public schools are broken, we should help everyone we can to escape it," is entirely uninformed (at best). Many times private-school students, whose written expression and creative thinking skills lagged behind those of their classmates, have transferred into my class.
And for the record, the team of talented American scientists, physicists and engineers who successfully sat the Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars were all educated in public schools and universities.
And one more thing for the record: You wrote: "Public schools are broken, we should help everyone we can to escape it.:
Horrible subject-verb agreement. Your clause should read:
Public schools are broken, we should help everyone we can to escape them.
Perhaps you attended one of those broken public schools to which you alluded.
Also, Jesus and Moses used guns to defeat the Romans.
And scientists have determined that the universe was created by... GAHHHHHHHHHHD.
And it will. All of those Vietnamese refugees will soon be able to compete with their relatives who stayed behind for dollar-a-day jobs making Nike shoes.
im an obama supporter but the more of the rm shows i watch the more i feel uncomfortable> any broadcast that is biased or unbalanced is propaganda. make an effort to report fairly
This exact same comment, word for word, is showing up on all of the threads today.
I'm curious as to what in this article you find unfair or biased? Perhaps you see it as an attack on religious institutes? What I read is, Jindal has made a voucher program where mostly religious institutes are using the taxpayer money to teach kids mythology in place of actual historical facts and provable science. I'm okay with religion being taught, but in the proper context. Making stuff up and presenting it as fact is wrong. Religions have been indoctrinating children for hundreds of years, but I don't want have to pay for it or support it. To flip it, what if these schools were mosques teaching hatred of america (which they don't do) and how best to be a terrorist. Would you want to fund that?
I think the only thing being said in this article is that there should be some oversight on the educational material being paid for with taxpayer money to be in the parameters of what we consider educational facts and principles. If an organization doesn't meet that basic criteria, then they shouldn't get the funding.
edit: DC, thanks for troll alert.
Surprise surprise, the RepubliTrolls have figured out that they can cut and paste and do multiple posts, and that way the fact they can't write the same word twice in succession won't be so obvious.
This story has nothing to do with Obama and all to do with what's being taught, right now, in Louisiana schools. Humans and dinosaurs existed together, Nessie is real, science is evil, electricity is magic. So what are you uncomfortable with? That Obama hasn't been shown laughing his you-know-what off at this garbage? That Obama and company haven't invited this guv for some one-on-one tutoring with a certified actual science-person?
And it went through the capital removal software to make it look quaint...so of the people -just like Willard
i just be a poor everyday people who don't know how to use a shift key
my goodness, lies told by a good Christian on a blog? Nice to see you hold your very own god in comtempt.
Lucinda, the only people who think the Maddow show is biased are those who do not want to live in a fact based world. Rachel is a republican's worst nightmare: a Democrat with the facts. Facts are not biased, theories are. And thanks to the Rachel Maddow's of the world, this election cycle a majority of us became the republicans worst nightmare. But now the election is over and it is time to wake up and shake it off.
And for your future knowledge: anytime someone begins a post with "I'm an Obama supporter BUT . . . ' we all know your true positions. Just FYI.
Do the people of Louisiana know this is going on? A lot of students can't afford to attend private schools?
And which planet have you been visiting recently? Did you not see the part in this report about THE STATE PAYS FOR THE STUDENTS TO GO TO THESE SCHOOLS?
Exhibit A tea-potty know nothings! Don't WE have enough incredibly stupid people personified in public NOW (Jindal, Bachmann, Palin, Hannity, Bill'O, et.al)?!? Using public money to finance "religuluous nonsensical" education (?) is a fraud against the taxpayers, period! See, I kinda get that the "religuluous" don't appreciate knowledge or learning - but to sacrifice an entire generation to perpetuate ignorance should be a crime! Have WE gone so far backwards in time that WE'RE coming up on the "dark ages" again? The US is already so far behind most other nations (17th) in education that it's not even funny. How much farther must we slip backward so that we don't have to offend the sensibilities of the religuluous among US? And if there is a separation between Church and State - why is it that WE must have "Church" shoved down our collective throats by those who whine and complain about their "religuluous freedoms" being taken away?!?
Is this constitutional?
Under existing Supreme Court precedents, no.
However, we have yet to see what the Roberts Court has to say on the matter.
This reminds me of the tactics used to keep slaves “in their place”. If you can keep people ignorant, the more likely you are to maintain control over them. Public officials in Louisiana, Mississippi, and other states in the Deep South have a long history of trying to keep their constituents docile. In the past, violence and the threat of violence were the preferred methods to subdue the masses. Now they’re trying to use the schools to achieve their ends. How long before they just stop teaching kids how to read?!?
Exactly. The last thing republicans want is a well-educated electorate asking questions and calling them on their BS.
More proof of this--Just read an article on a charter school in La that forces girls to get pregnancy tests, if they are suspected of being pregnant. If it's positive the girl is forced out of the school.
One of the more disturbing parts of the rule is the girl must use a doctor of the school's choosing.
Is Louisiana a state with a "Moral Objection" law? I mean, I know they intended those things for abortion & contraception, but if I was a doctor or pharmacist in LA, I would have a moral objection to providing or prescribing non-biblical medical treatment to people who do not believe in scientific theory (including evolution.) Those who do not think they should teach their children science should not get to reap the benefits from science.
I'm so glad I left LA while my kids were still young and could get a good education here in WA
I still live in LA with my children and they will still receive a good education because of me and good public schools in our community. What Jindal and his cohorts propose is unacceptable in this day and age. We will do what we can to fight against this garbage.
If we do not stop the Republican Party this November all our children will subject to this kind of schooling. Remember Romney wants to do away with the Department of Education and is a strong supporter of this type of educational system.
If Romney is elected he has already said he would do away with the Department of Education and he is in supports a voucher Privatized Educational Program. Will this be the only form of Education in each State? Will they still provide a Public Education System for those who do not share the same religious believes or teachings of the private voucher schools? Will the State fund the same money to the Public School systems? If there are no Universal approved curricula, what would happen when you move from one state to another? New York teaches evolution, African American Studies, Civil War, Multicultural existence and you move to Mississippi they teach creation, no science and that the KKK and slavery weren't so bad?
So the Republicans want to take away our Freedom of Religion by forcing their religion on all Americans. Republicans will dictate everyone's morality and again take away our
Freedom to form our own sense of Morality. What happen to supporting the Constitution? Where is our Democracy? Will they have our military attack countries
because they follow a different religion or do not conform to the Republican
sense of morality? Are they going to attack a country because they enslave members of their culture while teaching here that the KKK and slavery wasn't so bad?
This type of educational system will make us less competitive on the world stage. How will we ever compete in Science if our children are not taught science? How can they compete if they are not taught history as it was rather than how Republicans rewrite it?
Who Profits from these Voucher Private Schools? Not the students and not our country.
Poor kids. Nothing like making your children laughing stocks of the rest of the world because you've lied to them intentionally. How nice of these good Christian to try to remove any choice from anyone. Theocracy, ho!
Time to add more things to LA's education:
the ludicrous aliens nonsense that the idiots at the history channel run
what a win-win, prop up the religious right and at the same time defund to a degree their arch enemy, UNIONS!! Education has nothing to do with this, those are the objectives.
This retired Union guy is fed up with the 35 years of trickle down abuse. It's not "trickle", they just call it that, check out my avatar.
Kevin Drum thinks Romney will pick Jindal as his running mate. I'd be delighted - which is exactly why I think it won't happen. His nomination would likely turn this into a national issue, and that's not exactly the value added that Romney's looking for in a running mate.
Enter the enlightened Valorie Hodges, a Louisiana lawmaker who thought that "religious" meant only "Christian" and is horrified it could mean "Islamic".
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/06/valarie-hodges-lawmaker-retracts-support-for-bill_n_1655249.html
Yeah, that woman is a real piece of work.
On a more positive note, I'm thrilled that at least a few non-christian religions are taking advantage of the voucher system, if for no other reason than to make idiots like her have to actually THINK before they vote. There is at least one Muslim school, which I'm sure makes Valarie apoplectic.
You can read my post below if you want to find out my thoughts on the voucher system.
Vouchers are a slippery slope.
I started going to a private 'christian' school when I was in elementary school, a school founded by my father and some of his friends to avoid busing (horrible, I know, but back then all they wanted for their children was a good education, which the local public school system (at least from Jr High up) could not provide.)
Although the word "Christian" was in our charter, we never said a prayer in homeroom. We pledged allegiance to the flag. There wasn't ONE bible based class. There was this thing called FYC (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) that happened a couple of times a month. Students who chose would go the gym and sit around for an hour. There would be a speaker for about 15 minutes, then everyone broke into groups (their own cliques basically) and talk bs for the rest of the time. No one was forced to go. In fact I never went. I just stayed in my classroom and read or talked to others that didn't go. Most did, however, and the few times I went over those years it was ok because it was basically a gab fest with your best friends after the speaker.
Over 80% of graduates went on to higher education. We would have been one of those Eric! talks about. I got an excellent education there, and so many other kids in my town could have gotten great benefit from going there, except for the cost, so vouchers would have been a great way to get more diverse kids in the school (for example, I was the only member of the drama dept for years, hehe.)
The line of church/state separation should be drawn not in the school's charter, but in the curriculum. How that could possibly be done in a practical fashion is above my pay grade, but any school that teaches religiosity on any level should not receive tax dollars. Mine, thankfully, did not.
I thought the line of church/state separation was drawn in Amendment #1 of the U.S. Constitution.
Putting it anywhere else (charter, curriculum, teacher's discretion) is a dangerously slippery slope.