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| Global studies curriculum is dictated by UN agency |
Karen Johnson
Arizona Republic
Jun. 26, 2007 |
 The
education world has fads, just as there are fads in art, music,
social science, and even hard sciences. "New math,"
for example, was a huge, disastrous education fad that began in
the 1960s. "Whole language" was likewise a disastrous
fad that sounded good at the time, but failed to teach children
how to read.
The latest fad is "international education." International
education supposedly teaches children the skills needed to succeed
in a global society with a global economy and includes foreign
languages, world history, and international business. I happen
to support the teaching of foreign languages, world history, and
international business. Nothing is stopping any school in this
state from teaching these things already. My only request has
been that "international education" be taught from a
U.S. perspective and NOT from an "international governance"
perspective. Bear in mind that these educators want several million
dollars in order to set up "programs" of "international
education" for a handful of schools. When I asked for details
about these programs, I got circular logic.
|
"What's the money for?" |
"An international education program." |
"What's an "international education"
program?" |
"Oh, it's the same as the current programs." |
"Then why do you need millions of dollars?" |
"To set up an international education
program." |
| The current fad of "international education"
seems to be much more than teaching facts about international historical
events, figures, cultures or even how to handle international business.
I'm in favor of teaching students how to be successful businessmen
in the global economy, and I support adding additional foreign language
electives to the curriculum as well as providing business courses
at the high school and college level that teach economics, international
culture, and whatever a person needs to know to succeed in the global
economy. But "international education" seems to be much
broader than that. The "international education program"
that is being promoted today comes from UNESCO (United Nations Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization), and includes integrated
math, postmodernism, sustainable development, pantheism, new Marxism,
and world government. This is transformational education designed
to indoctrinate our kids in ideology, politics and religion. It
is not academically rigorous. Those who claim it is are repeating
the slogans of its promoters. International education is a critical
step in UNESCO's overall goal of international government. |
Good education programs need to be knowledge-based,
but "international education programs" focus on attitudes,
values, and behaviors rather than facts. International education
is based on radical multiculturalism - that is, the idea that ALL
cultures are equal. International education downplays American history
and teaches that third-world systems of government are morally and
historically equal to the U.S. Constitution, rather than the scholarly
truth that the U.S. Constitution established the best form of government
in the world. International education would like to ignore American
history altogether. |
We also need to keep in mind that the state
general fund is not a honey pot for buzzing businessmen. We don't
need Corporate America telling the schools what to teach. I plan
to visit several schools this summer to learn more about their concept
of "international education." If the advocates can calm
their hysteria for a few months, perhaps we can come to some agreement.
I am committed to high standards of excellence in Arizona schools,
the teaching of the U.S. Constitution and the American free enterprise
system. This system is what made the United States of American the
best form of government in the world. |
