The Republican Education Agenda for the Twenty-First

Century The Culture Wars

Celebration of American Values: McCain, Obama,

and the 2008 Election

The Republican Platform:

¡ Plea for improved education for global competitiveness

¡ Stressed protecting traditional American values

¡ Supported the English First approach

¡ Promoted patriotism & a unified American culture

The Republican Education Agenda & the Culture Wars ¡ William Bennett- objected Multiculturalism and

the undermining of traditional American values

¡  Lynn Cheney- American values vs the threat of multiculturalism

¡  1996 Republican platform- attacked Clinton for not limiting bilingual education

¡  Bob Dole- English is a force for unity

¡  2008 Platform- English Empowers

Standards and Tests: The Politics of Culture ¡  1990’s- development of national standards &

tests

¡ Controversy over CA framework for teaching history

¡  Stress on “Common Culture”

¡  Politics of knowledge

¡ Attack on affirmative action & multiculturalism

Republicans: Pro-Life, Abstinence, and Creationism

¡  Religiously oriented Republicans

¡ Moderate Republicans

¡  The Moral Majority

¡  Reagan- doubts plausibility of Darwinian ideas

¡  1996 convention: Christian Coalition & abortion opposition

Compassionate Conservatism and George W. Bush ¡  Every public school should be

the path to upward mobility

¡  Values determine the economic & social systems

¡  Belief that government welfare programs result in perpetuating poverty

¡  Federal programs operated by faith-based groups to ensure the teaching of traditional moral values

¡  Crisis in education: Second great policy hoax

Compassionate Conservatives & No Child Left Behind ¡  Public funding of faith-based organizations

¡  Links character education to democracy and free market economy

¡ Character education is included in drug & violence prevention programs

¡ Character education consistent with state academic core standards

¡  42 million invested in character education by 2003

No Child Left Behind & School Prayer ¡  Compassionate Conservatives ¡  Public funding of Faith-based organizations

¡  Federal legislation identified elements of character important for American society ¡  caring, civic virtue & citizenship, justice & fairness,

respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, and giving

¡  Secular Humanism ¡  Human reason instead of God as a guide for

ethical decisions

¡  Right to Voluntary pray in schools ¡  Tried to change the first amendment to include this protection

Pornography, Family Planning, & Traditional

Marriage ¡  NCLB includes conservative religious values

¡  promotes abstinence education ¡  bans teaching about birth control by prohibiting funds

for sex education or HIV prevention education

¡  Preserving Traditional Marriage ¡  2008 Republican Platform devoted a whole section ¡  The ‘Boy Scouts of America equal protection Act’ is

part of NCLB and allows club to use public school facilities – w/o allowing gays in club

¡  1995 Telecommunications Act ¡  concerned about pornography on www ¡  allowed censorship of cyberporn & vchips ¡  schools required to have policy on internet safety

for minors

Evolution vs Creationism

¡  Teaching of evolution – ongoing issue for some religious-oriented Republicans ¡ Contradicts the Word of God ¡  evolution cannot be observed or replicated in a lab so there is

no evidence it actually occurred ¡ Alabama - “a controversial theory some scientists present as a

scientific explanation for the origin of living things”. ¡ Alabama - since nobody was present, any statement of life’s

origins should be considered a theory not fact ¡  Kansas - teachers should not ridicule or embarrass a student for

expressing an alternative view or belief, just explain why it is outside the domain of science, and tell them to discuss with your family

Sarah Palin, the 2008 Election, & Pentecostalism ¡ McCain – traditional American values

and patriotism

¡  Palin – conservative religious values ¡ A symbol of hope for religious-

based Republicans ¡ Pentecostal church member ¡ Pentecostals believe in biblical

inerrancy or literal interpretation of the Bible

¡ Pentecostals believe in American exceptionalism, so very patriotic

Conclusion: The Cross & the Flag ¡ Grand Republican Narrative ¡  Patriotism in schools

¡  English only

¡  Unity around traditional American Values

¡  Positive-oriented American History

¡  America’s exceptionalism – leader of free world

¡  Republican Education Agenda ¡  Protection of school prayer

¡  Choice of religious schools at public expense

¡  Teach creationism and evolutionary theory