Good Schools, Darwin and Evolution

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"...every group that wishes to see conflicting interests resolved reasonably, or is wise about the conditions under which it enjoys its own freedom, must be profoundly concerned with the state of freedom of speech and assembly, freedom of inquiry and teaching, freedom of press and other forms of communication, freedom of cultural opportunity and development. For in large measure intelligent moral choice depends upon them."
--Sidney Hook (1902-1988), disciple of John Dewey, and champion of pragmatism and democracy

More school choice for D.C.

House Editorial, Washington Times
First published 12/21/99

     If things go as planned, there will be nearly three dozen charter schools in the District next school year. The majority of them offer specialized programs, such as strenuous mathematics, science and technology curricula. D.C. Public Schools already had similarly successful schools, including Banneker High, which focuses on math and science, and Ellington High, which stresses the arts. Yet, in the District, the argument revolving around school choice is no longer about academics. Sadly, the latest battleground is over facilities.
     Paul Junior High School in Northwest has, after three years, been granted approval to become a charter school after two-thirds of parents and 70 percent of faculty signed on to the proposal. Like two other charter schools set to open next year, Paul Junior High is breaking new ground: It will be the first public school to convert to a charter school —and that is indeed a welcome rallying point. But Paul’s chartering officials and public school overseers appear to be butting heads.
     Paul officials want to lease the building they currently occupy in the 5800 block of Eighth St. NW off Georgia Avenue, and Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, after speaking with Paul’s parents and other parents in the neighborhood, wants to establish a new technology and arts program in the same building. Both institutions could potentially become citywide “magnets.” At this juncture, though, if Paul’s chartering officials don’t secure a site by January the charter school just might not open next September. On the other hand, if Paul stays put Mrs. Ackerman just might have to look elsewhere for her proposed school. Surely, for the benefit of current and future students, a compromise can be reached.
     At first, as always, heavy-handed politics got in the way when D.C. Council member Charlene Drew Jarvis, who represents Paul’s neighborhood, drafted emergency legislation that would have permitted Paul to stay put and forced Mrs. Ackerman to back off. The legislation was withdrawn after Mrs. Ackerman promised to compromise — and compromise both sides must.
     Mrs. Ackerman proposes to let both schools share the same building, a practice commonly known as a school-within-a-school charter, and there are several successful precedents for it. One excellent example is the Business and Finance Academy at Woodson High School in Northeast. Since the 1980s, both the Academy and the regular, or comprehensive, Woodson High School have cohabited the school facility at 55th and Eads streets NE. The academy has its money, which includes tens of thousands of dollars in scholarship funds from Fannie Mae, and the regular school has its. The academy has its principal and parents group and the regular school has theirs. They have two different sets of academic agendas, but collegially share some resources, including library facilities and the like, and Academy students participate in sports and other extra curricular activities alongside their counterparts in the regular school. The Local School Restructuring Team, which coordinates all aspects of school-based management, represents both institutions. There are other examples as well, such as the Health and Human Services Academy at Eastern High near RFK Stadium and the Pre-Engineering School at Dunbar High off New York Avenue NW.
     To be sure, it is hoped school officials will recognize that the more options the better, and that public school buildings belong to the entire community — not just the students who attend them. Also, it is hoped that such competition does not spawn similar turf battles in the future. Let neither side forget, as well, that smack in the middle are children who deserve the best education their parents can afford and parents who deserve as many options as they can imagine.

Reprinted from

www.washtimes.com

This site features a frank presentation of issues facing parents, taxpayers and schools in reforming schools in the twenty-first century. Good Schools promotes good schools, and explains what is necessary to achieve good schools. We are convinced that good schools can be obtained only with sound curriculum, which does not include the teaching of Darwin's theory of origin, or Darwin's theory of evolution. We believe that local school boards need to be empowered, and the influence of teachers' unions ought to be limited to labor-related issues. Teachers' unions should have no say in curriculum.

We are convinced that the teachings of Darwin, particularly Darwin's teachings on evolution, and Darwin's theories on origins, ought not be taught as fact. Darwin and Darwin's theories are not generally accepted by contemporary physicists and cosmologists, and, therefore, Darwin and Darwin's theories ought not be accepted whole-cloth by our schools of education, and ought not be presented as fact in public schools.

Because Richard Dawkins has set himself up as the number one defender of Darwin and Darwin's theory of evolution, we will go to some length explaining Dawkins' Darwin defenses, and we will do our best to explode Dawkins' Darwin defenses.

We seek to show from Darwin's own hand that Darwin, and Darwin's theory of evolution, are racist at the core. Darwin was a racist, Darwin's theory of evolution is racist, and Darwin's theory of origins is racist.

We further seek to show that Darwin's theory of evolution is not scientific. We show that racism, more than science, was behind Darwin and Darwin's theory of evolution, and Darwin's theory of origins.

Some of the terms commonly used on this site are: Darwin, Dawkins, schools, public schools, education, gun control, teachers, John Dewey, Littleton, racist, racism , school choice, African American, Sidney Hook, evolution, and Mike Carrier.

Bottom line--good schools require work. Good schools do not just happen. We need good schools, if we are to have a good nation.