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With the end of the school year in view, plans for next year are well underway in most families.
The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reveals deeply rooted educational fraud in our nation's government-run schools, while the US Education Dept. for Civil Rights reports 1,049,200 "serious offenses"---many of them violent, happened during the school year.
Neither report is good, but parents, students, and families must be informed.
Dr. Walter E. Williams, professor of economics at George Mason University, says, "It is not a pretty story."
Educational fraud is alarming and rampant.
Williams says the National Assessment of Educational Progress, aka known as "The Nation's Report Card," shows "only 37% of 12th graders tested proficient or better in reading, and only 25% did so in math. Among black students, only 7% reached at least a proficient level in math."
But, he says, "The atrocious NAEP performance is only a fraction of the bad news. Nationally our high school graduation rate is over 80%. That means high school diplomas, which attest that these students can read and compute at a 12th-grade level, are conferred when 63% are not proficient in reading and 75% are not proficient in math. For blacks, the news is worse. Roughly 75% of black students received high school diplomas attesting that they can read at that level. However, 83% could not read at that level and 93% could not do math at that level."
Dr. Williams says, "It's grossly dishonest for the education establishment and politicians to boast about unprecedented graduation rates when high school diplomas, for the most part, do not represent academic achievement. At best, they certify attendance."
And he says fraudulent high school diplomas aren't the worst part of the fraud---"some of the greatest fraud occurs at the higher education levels---colleges and universities.
He says here's the proof. "The Bureau of Labor Statics shows 70% of white high school graduates in 2016 enrolled in college, and 58% of black high school graduates enrolled in college."
Here's his question: "If only 37% of white high school graduates test as college ready, how come colleges are admitting 70% of them? And if roughly 17% of black high school graduates test as college ready, how come colleges are admitting 58% of them?"
During a recent University of North Carolina scandal regarding college readiness of athletes, specialists found that 60% of football and basketball team members read between 4th and 8th-grade levels, and about 10% read below a 3rd-grade level.
Williams says, "I'm not sure what can be done about education. But the first step toward any solution is for the American people to be aware of academic fraud at every level of education."
Public classrooms are not "safe places"--and it isn't about guns.
The US Education Department's Office for Civil Rights issued their most recent report yesterday.
It includes 17,337 school districts, 96,360 schools and 50.6 million students.
A total of 1,049,200 "serious offenses" were reported in this most recent report.
Clearly, we're not going to go through all of them here, but you can familiarize yourself with the scope of violence and wrongdoing in the schools and in doing so, be informed. And prayerful for the 50.6 million kids incarcerated in the classrooms.
In review, you should note that 94% of those "serious offenses" (990,600) involved physical attacks or threats of physical attack without a weapon.
Only 2% (22,000) involved physical attacks or threats with some type of weapon.
The survey says about 240 schools (0.2% of all schools) reported at least one incident involving a school-related shooting; and around 100 schools (0.1% of all schools) reported a school-related homicide involving a student, faculty member, or staff member.
About 1 of every 100,000 students was enrolled in a school-related shooting or school-related homicide.
CNS News compiled this list from the report:
- Physical attack or fight without a weapon: 789,800
- Threats of physical attack without a weapon: 200,800
- Robbery without a weapon: 22,900
- Physical attack or fight with a weapon: 11,900
- Threats of physical attack with a weapon; 10,100
- Sexual assault (other than rape): 10,100
- Possession of a firearm or explosive device: 5,700
- Threats of physical attack with a firearm or explosive device: 3,500
- Physical attack or fight with a firearm or explosive device: 2,200
- Rape or attempted rape: 1,100
- Robbery with a weapon: 640
- Robbery with a firearm or explosive device: 560
For the most part, confiscating guns would have little effect on these statistics.
Concern regarding public education is not new to our times, but it is escalating in our times.
Martin Luther is considered the "inventor" of public education in Europe---particularly Protestant Germany.
He preached and taught the importance of everyone---boys and girls and adults---being educated so they could "read, understand, and discuss the Bible."
He said, "When schools flourish, all flourishes." And Lutheran Germany did flourish and prosper, in great part to people reading, understanding, and discussing biblical principles.
However, in less than 2 decades Martin Luther became concerned about what he had "invented" and said this:
I am much afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labour in explaining the Holy Scriptures, and engraving them in the hearts of the youth. I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which means are not unceasingly occupied with the Word of God must be corrupt.
Noah Webster, considered by most to be the Father of American public education, agreed with Luther. He said, "Education is useless without the Bible."
He also said, "In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government, ought to be instructed...No truth is more evident in my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people."
I have a great deal of respect for Dr. Williams and read much of what he writes, however, there is a solution to the modern day disaster of public education.
It would be a return to what both Luther and Webster knew to be true.
But in order to do that, we would need to nail our theses of Freedom under God on the cathedral door of secularism.
And declare our independence from the King of progressivism, humanism, relativism, cultural Marxism and the mythical secular application of separation of church and state.
And ask God to forgive us our trespasses and heal our land.
Are there those among us willing to take such a stand? I believe there are.
Be Informed. Be Vigilant. Be Diligent. Be Discerning. Be Bold. Be Prayerful.