Teachers used to convey knowledge; now they instill attitudes.
How does one identify "responsible, involved citizens"? What are the specific characteristics of "healthy, continuously-developing individuals"? And what exactly, pray tell, are "concerned stewards of a global environment"? These are important questions, because the way that teachers answer them may determine whether or not your children graduate from high school. The criteria for graduation in an Outcome-Based Education program consist entirely of such nebulous phrases.
In an interview that appeared in a recent issue of School Reform News, published by the Heartland Institute, Peg Luksik of the National Parents Commission recommends "three questions parents should ask about OBE. The first question," she says, "is, 'What is the standard, and how much is enough? For example, if a student is expected to be a concerned steward of the global environment, how concerned is concerned enough to graduate? The second question to ask," Luksik continues, "is, 'How is the standard measured?' How does one measure whether a student is a 'healthy, continuously developing individual'? Is there a paper and pencil test, or is it by teacher observation? The third question parents need to ask," Luksik concludes, "is, 'How is a failure to meet the standard re-mediated?' What curriculum or program of activity will be used for students who don't meet the state-mandated outcome?"
The most important question of all is, What do any of these so-called outcomes have to do with academics? And the answer is obvious: not much! "Many of the outcomes in OBE programs are functions of a student's personality," Luksik explains. "Is it the business of the state to change a child's personality so that the child can graduate?" she asks. "If the state's standards don't agree with the parents' standards, who prevails: the family or the state? Unfortunately," Luksik observes, "the unequivocal and unanimous answer has been: the state."
Who's behind the Outcome-Based Education juggernaut? It certainly isn't parents. "The push for OBE comes from three groups," observes Luksik. "The first group, by far the largest, is driven by the school bureaucracies," she contends. "Their need is to 'do something,' and adopting OBE shows that they are responding to the outcry about a crisis in education. The second group," Luksik continues, "is the social engineers who want to remake society. They see OBE as an opportunity to decide what our culture should be like." The third group Luksik cites, "the smallest but probably the most powerful, is the business interests that see OBE as an opportunity to make education just an arm of business."
If you want your children to be educated for their own benefit and not according to the specifications of some human resources hack, you'd better speak up. To head off the el-hi highjacking, it will be necessary to bar Uncle Sam from the school system altogether and markedly minimize the state's role. "It's not just a matter of repealing Goals 2000 and School-To-Work," Luksik explains. "It's a matter of saying the federal government has no role in education."
