George F. Will @ The WaPo:
The real vocation of some people entrusted with delivering primary and secondary education is to validate this proposition: The three R’s — formerly reading, ’riting and ’rithmetic — now are racism, reproduction and recycling. Especially racism. Consider Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction. It evidently considers “instruction” synonymous with “propaganda,” which in the patois of progressivism is called “consciousness-raising.”
Wisconsin’s DPI, in collaboration with the Orwellian-named federal program VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America; the “volunteers” are paid), urged white students to wear white wristbands “as a reminder about your privilege, and as a personal commitment to explain why you wear the wristband.” A flyer that was on the DPI Web site and distributed at a DPI-VISTA training class urged whites to “put a note on your mirror or computer screen as a reminder to think about privilege,” to “make a daily list of the ways privilege played out” and to conduct an “internal dialogue” asking questions such as “How do I make myself comfortable with privilege?” and “What am I doing today to undo my privilege?”
After criticism erupted, the DPI removed the flyer from its Web site and posted a dishonest statement claiming that the wristbands were a hoax perpetrated by conservatives. But, again, the flyer DPI posted explicitly advocated the wristbands. And Wisconsin’s taxpayer-funded indoctrination continues, funded by more than Wisconsin taxpayers.
In Delavan-Darien High School’s “American Diversity” curriculum, students were urged to verify white privilege by visiting a Wal-Mart toy section and counting the white and black dolls. After objections, the school district is reconsidering this curriculum.
Such distractions from the study of calculus and literature are encouraged by CREATE Wisconsin (the acronym stands for Culturally Responsive Education for All: Training and Enhancement), which is funded with federal tax dollars from IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The disability being rectified here is, presumably, the handicap of insufficient guilt — arising from false consciousness — about white privilege.
Today, the school systems in 20 states employ more non-teachers than teachers. The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice reports that between 1950 and 2009, while the number of K-12 students increased 96 percent, full-time-equivalent school employees increased 386 percent. The number of teachers increased 252 percent, but the number of bureaucrats — including consciousness-raising sensitivity enforcers and other non-teachers — increased 702 percent. The report says states could have saved more than $24 billion annually if non-teaching staff had grown only as fast as student enrollment. And Americans wonder why their generous K-12 financing (higher per pupil than all but three of the 34 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development nations) has done so little to improve reading, math and science scores.
Kyle Olson’s commentary cites the findings of the Education Action Group Foundation. The EAG was founded by Kyle Olson, who also publishes the EAG News that presented said findings. It’s almost comical that George Will would treat a story from such a source as true—especially when he’s fully aware that the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has stated it’s totally bogus.
It gets even stranger. Will suggests Volunteers In Service To America somehow sounds “Orwellian.”
The VISTA program has been around since it was founded during the JFK administration. AmericaCorps VISTA is essentially like a domestic version of the Peace Corps. Normally you’ll need at least an Associates Degree to be accepted as a volunteer. You’ll have to commit to a year of public service work, helping disadvantaged people in your own country. During that year you’ll get a stipend of $800 per month to help cover your living expenses. You’ll also get health benefits. That’s fortunate, because you certainly couldn’t afford health insurance on VISTA pay. Unless you have independent means, you’ll probably need food stamps along with your VISTA stipend just to keep from starving.
What is it about such a volunteer program that any American would find objectionable? Or Orwellian? Maybe George Will was having an off day. Maybe the story was intended to run on April Fool’s Day, but somehow missed its intended time slot. Or maybe Will is another formerly rational conservative who has totally lost his mind.
@Greg So the DPI states they didn’t require wristbands to be worn, even though it was posted on the website. Who’s lying?
They got caught and now are backtracking. Remember, coverups are usually more damaging than the original malfeasance.
The Author left out 3 others: Radicalism, revisionism, revulsion (of religion, conservatism and traditional values).