In February 2010 parents in a quiet, generally conservative suburban community discovered the following:
- A 20-foot sign at school district offices, proclaiming the district’s primary purpose: “Enculturating the Young into a Social and Political Democracy.”
- A link on the school district website leading to an anti-founding fathers, anti-capitalism essay: America: Democracy or Republic?
- A prominent section of the school district website dedicated to the ideas of progressive educator and self-described social engineer John Goodlad.
Over the spring and summer, and due to parent outcry, these public displays were removed. Unfortunately, when asked, the district repeatedly and vigorously affirmed that the (less public) philosophical foundation for the district, including teacher education, would continue to be based on John Goodlad and his “Agenda for Education in a Democracy,” as put forward by the National Network for Educational Renewal (NNER).
This insistence on keeping teachers and students rooted to Progressive educators Goodlad, Dewey, and the NNER remain a concern to many families. While three of the seven school board members were voted from office in the November 2010 election, a pro-Progressive, pro-Goodlad, pro-Dewey majority remains on the board, and many families are just now starting to learn about what has been going on. Others are aware, but need resources and documentation.
The purpose of Fortifying Our Families.org is to assist parents, families, teachers, administrators, and school board members to:
- Learn about the open agenda of Progressive Education, with its focus on social and political change, and identify some of its main proponents, including John Goodlad, Bill Ayers, Nel Noddings, Kevin Jennings, and John Dewey.
- Distinguish the meaning behind Progressive Education “buzzwords.”
- Rediscover Classical Education, with its focus on academics and support for strong families as the fundamental unit of society.
- Affirm the natural right of parents to take primary responsibility for the education and upbringing of their children, whether they attend public-district, public-charter, or private schools.
- Find Resources to strengthen faith, family, and freedom, in the home.
Content and blog posts on this site come directly from local parents and teachers. Please take a moment now to read the Blog Archives on this site. For occasional updates, please subscribe to the blog (upper right side of this page).
