Education

Federal File: Cultural revolution?; Another ‘no’

November 09, 1994 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Only a few weeks after its unveiling, the National Education Goals Panel’s “community action toolkit” is being denounced by critics.

Made available in late September, the toolkit is a primer for communities discussing school reform, trying to understand the eight national education goals, and considering the setting of academic standards.

In addition to booklets containing tips on community organizing, dealing with the media, and evaluating a community’s ability to reach the goals, the kit includes a cassette tape of four public-service announcements, a diskette version of its resources, and everything from sample community surveys to meeting sign-up sheets and speeches.

“People have to read it, and they’ll see the heart of it is the notion of a real democratic process,” said Ruth Chacon, the goals panel’s spokeswoman.

But opposition is mounting.

A former U.S. Education Department official, Charlotte T. Iserbyt, wrote a letter to Education Week that the toolkit’s intent is to “psychologically manipulate taxpayers into supporting Goals 2000,” the Clinton Administration’s standards-based school-reform strategy. (See Education Week, Nov. 2, 1994.)

Robert Holland, a columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper, wrote that the toolkit is “coming from Big Brother’s helpers” and “sounds like something out of one of Chairman Mao’s tool kits.”

Mr. Holland linked standards-based reforms to outcomes-based education, and said the goals panel is part of the “systemic-change gang” that is out of touch with parents.

Ms. Chacon countered, however, that numerous parents, teachers, and average citizens in 10 cities had input into the toolkit’s development. Numerous others, she said, were asked to read it and offer opinions on the final version.

Add Deputy Secretary of Education Madeleine M. Kunin to the list of opponents of California’s Proposition 187, a ballot initiative that would deny education, health, and other social services to illegal immigrants.

In a speech to the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco last month, Ms. Kunin said the measure would ask “teachers and administrators to become part-time employees of the border patrol” and “pit child against child and parent against parent.”

--Mark Pitsch

A version of this article appeared in the November 09, 1994 edition of Education Week as Federal File: Cultural revolution?; Another ‘no’

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 17, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read