Why would a Native American tribe in Wisconsin sponsor a MAGA charter school?
The Lake Country Classical Academy, an independent charter school authorized by the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College in northern Wisconsin, opened in September in the Milwaukee suburb of Oconomowoc, about a five-hour drive south on Interstate 94 from Hayward, where the college is located — about as far away from Ojibwe land and tribal members as you can get without leaving Wisconsin.
The academy advertises itself as a back-to-basics school that emphasizes Latin and phonics and takes a top-down, “teacher-led” approach to education, instilling “virtues of character” in its students. It is the first of its kind in Wisconsin, part of a nationwide network of charter schools that receive curriculum, teacher training, and mentoring from Hillsdale College, a small Christian college in Michigan with deep ties to the Trump administration. The “1776 curriculum” devised by Hillsdale and used by the Lake Country Classical Academy is “the latest push to continue former President Donald Trump’s mission to create a ‘patriotic education,’” according to a July 2021 article in Politico. Larry Arnn, Hillsdale’s president, led the Trump administration’s 1776 Commission, created to promote a positive vision of America, in what Politico calls “a direct challenge to The New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project, which explored how racism and inequality shaped the founding of the country.”
Wisconsin public school advocates see the new charter school as a backdoor way to divert tax dollars from public schools and into quasi-private academies. Republican legislators have featured the school at hearings as they push for an expansion of tribal colleges’ ability to grant charters. Heather DuBois Bourenane, director of the Wisconsin Public Education Network, particularly objects to what she sees as policymakers “politicking with some of the state’s most vulnerable kids in order to advance a political project or agenda.”
Others see something peculiar about the tribe’s sponsorship of a school curriculum that appears to whitewash history.
“It’s really surprising that a Native American group would be sponsoring a Hillsdale charter school,” says Gary Miron, a professor of evaluation, measurement and research at Western Michigan University and a fellow at the National Education Policy Center. In Michigan, where he lives, Miron says, Hillsdale is “well known as a kind of fortress for conservative, and often racist views.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
OMG, SICKENING. Another BAD thing done to Native American people.
Exactly, another “bad thing” done, after a few centuries of other very bad things. White Wash the curriculum, again, and we have yet another well-financed effort at cultural genocide 2022 version.
Here’s a YouTube documentary on how they did it on the first go-round.
Native American Boarding Schools
Check out the religious affiliation of the Hillsdale classical academies’
“curriculum schools” posted at the Hillsdale site. Then, read the Catholic News Agency’s article (5-26-2021) posted at Denver Catholic.org. “Native American Catholics focus of new Knights of Columbus documentary…It’s impossible to fully understand what it means to be a Catholic in North America without a sincere appreciation for the Catholic tradition among so many native tribes (the quote is from the Knights of Columbus site)…(one of the) documentary’s aim is a greater awareness of the wrongs inflicted by the policies of the British and American governments.” The documentary was scheduled to air on one of the 3 major T.V. networks.
In the Denver Catholic article, Carl Anderson, past Supreme Knight of the K of C and former legislative aide to Jesse Helms, described outreach to Native American Catholics in states like New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Hawaii
Ruth Conffit’s excellent reporting in the linked Wisconsin Examiner article shows us history repeating. In a follow-up article, Americans can hope that the role of politicized conservative religion is exposed.
In recent years, we’ve witnessed a new political, full court press by GOP religious operatives. The true American history, instead of the K of C’s documentary version is explained at Indian Country Today (6-29-2021), “Documentary about Indigenous Catholics Short on Accuracy, Long on Spin.” A New Mexico professor described the K of C documentary as a conscious decision to white wash history.
One important point made in the Indian Country Today article is that SCOTUS decided in 1823, American Indians do not own land. That decision reflected the Catholic Church’s Doctrine of Discovery which gave the explorers the right to claim land uninhabited by Christians for their Christian monarchs.
A second point made in the Indian Country Today article, follows, “To date, the Bureau of Black and Indian Missions, formerly called the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions…has been resistant to allowing public access to its extensive archives held at Marquette University, a Catholic school in Milwaukee Wisconsin.”
““It’s really surprising that a Native American group would be sponsoring a Hillsdale charter school,””
No, not at all. Can you say $$$$$$?
Cha-ching!!! Casinos built on Native American tribal land comes to mind. The wealthy never miss a beat to exploit a tax break or loophole to take advantage of the already disadvantaged.
Somebody needs to do a deep dive into public records in order to follow the money. Then, it will be possible to discover who the puppet masters are. DeVos is known to have ties to this college as well as Pat Sajak of “Wheel of Fortune.” He is a wealthy conservative with libertarian leanings. Public records may provide details on what group is behind the charter school. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/05/12/hillsdale-college-trump-pence-218362/
In Michigan, Bay Mills Community College (a public tribal land-grant community college in Brimley, Michigan), authorizes the 3rd most charter schools of any university in the state.
nearly all of the charters that BMCC authorizers are then managed by charter management corporations, with most of them managed by National Heritage Academies. Betsy DeVos’ husband, Dick, is the founder of one of BMCC’s charters, the West Michigan Aviation Academy.
FYI: 74% of the students at Dick DeVos’ charter school, which is located in Grand Rapids, are white, while only 10% of the students at Union HS in Grand Rapids are white…
Thanks for your info. At the Hillsdale site, the pages about K-12 include the religious affiliations of 13 of the 32 “curriculum schools.” The schools are defined as being on a path to become “member” schools.
School of the West which provides homeschooling materials has recently been the focus of a few media articles including Raw Story (12-27-2021).
The School of the West reportedly has curriculum related to “White well being.”
Journalists assert content includes anti-semitism and white nationalism.
Seven years ago, a wealthy libertarian selected “Well Being” for the title of inaugural initiatives of his institute. Likely, the similar naming was happenstance and there is no connection.
I assume the school will “whitewash” America’s treatment of Native Americans?
Gary Miron, a professor of evaluation, measurement and research at Western Michigan University and a fellow at the National Education Policy Center. In Michigan, where he lives, Miron says, Hillsdale is “well known as a kind of fortress for conservative, and often racist views.”
Gary Miron’s comment leads to a most curious question. He points out that Hillsdale charter school is “well known as a kind of fortress for conservative, and often racist views” — In fact, step into almost any charter school in our nation and you will hear the conservative gospel being preached, carefully woven into the fabric of every lesson. So, the question is: Why does the Democratic Party and Democratic Establishment promote charter schools when doing so only spreads right wing ideology that demonizes Democrats and costs them elections?
It’s self-destructive…but then, Democrats have always been self-destructive.
The answer to the question is: MONEY.
The hedge fund billionaires behind the charter school scam skim hundreds of millions of dollars from public schools and turn around and toss a few scrap tens of millions to the Democratic Party and to select members of Congress and state legislatures, and those self-serving politicians grovel for the money, betraying America’s public schools, public school teachers, and — most tragic of all — the children of America.
Good question to ask Charles Booker, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator from Ky. (Rand Paul’s seat). Booker’s wife is listed as a “member” of Education Trust, which is funded by Bloomberg, Gates, Walton heirs, Z-uck.
Regarding “Gary Miron, a professor of evaluation, measurement and research at Western Michigan University….[who]….says Hillsdale is well known as a kind of fortress for conservative…views.” —–
Is it possible that Miron is an advocate for high-stakes testing and boring teach-to-the-test curricula, and WMU is “known as a kind of fortress for” the test-and-punish philosophy of ed?
I’m asking this as a serious question, because the phrase “professor of evaluation, measurement and research” surely raises red flag to me. In fact, this could be a topic for a separate thread here on the blog: How do you enact useful and legitimate “evaluation, measurement and research” on school children WITHOUT causing the disruptions to learning and the reduction of the curriculum that are so common today with so many schools practicing teach-to-the-test giving up two weeks twice a year to tests and makeups?
And—- What does Gary Miron actually profess is good practice in the field of “evaluation, measurement and research”?
I think Hillsdale College is an extremist conservative college with a curriculum designed to program its students to think like obedient drones without any critical thinking or problem-solving skills, who will spend the rest of their lives dedicated to creating a dystopian world led by theo-kleptocrats, where the working class is miserable and victimized at all times.
The 2019 dedication of Hillsdale’s Christ Chapel was covered by Crisis Magazine, A Voice for the Faithful Catholic Laity.” Justice Clarence Thomas spoke at its dedication. The article author described the chapel as “newly designed by the distinguished ecclesiastical architect, Duncan, a professor of architecture at Notre Dame.” The article author included his view about some of the positions of those on the left, “radical environmentalism, racial grievance- mongering and sex-in-the-head gender mania.”
Dr. Russell Swagger, the President of Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College, graduated from Capella. He’s listed as a 2021-2022 Aspen New President Fellow. Aspen Institute is a self-appointed ed reform organization funded by billionaires. Aspen’s Pahara Institute was financed by Bill Gates. Pahara was founded by the same person who co-founded TFA and New Schools Venture Fund.
A picture is worth a thousand words- the photo on the home page of Augustine Academy, Waukesha County, Wis. One of the people who founded the school is conservative religious Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice, Brian Hagedorn.
Reportedly, Hagedorn wrote that Planned Parenthood was wicked.
He also reportedly said, “If you’ve been Catholic or Christian of various stripes, you’re going to get attacked for your religion.” He’s a false victim.
The attack on the religion of native Americans, by “Christians” is America’s shame. The politicized conservative religious are anathema to empathy and democracy.
As a Native American myself, with tribal membership, you have to remember a Native American Indian tribe is a sovereign government, and with that comes all the issues any government may have, including corruption.
Do you think the College’s Board of Regents knows about the controversy?
I disagree with the first two posts (and others) in this thread, which say that this charter school and its affiliation with Hillsdale College is necessarily “another bad thing done to them.” [the Ojibwe people]
First: Was this somehow forced on them? Are any children or families required to attend? It’s apparently 5 hrs from the Reservation. Is the fear that these schools will spread to the Reservation and eliminate non-charter non-Hillsdale schools THERE?
Second: Money? Yes, probably, but what are the FACTS of this sponsorship? What exactly was the financial arrangement? Was it a bribe to tribal leaders? Were ordinary tribal members consulted first? Did they get a share of the money? On what terms? Were there other NON-monetary arrangements made to the advantage of the Ojibwes?
Third: Why would the Ojibwe NOT consider and favor an educational and financial arrangement like this after the outrageous and tragic past history of Indian boarding schools run by the Government of the White Oppressors?? I doubt that they are unaware of their past mistakes in dealing with the US and state governments. Perhaps they see an advantage in working with a smaller, closer organization
Fourth: Does anyone know if the Ojibwe made any conditions in this agreement, related to THEIR oversight and THEIR history and culture being included in the curriculum, either at this school or if another one of these schools is opened on THEIR Reservation?
“Run by”?
In Canada, the boarding schools for the first nation children were turned over to the conservative religious Church for administration.
Reportedly, it’s the Knights of Columbus version of history (their recent documentary) that downplays the role of the Church in colonialism.
Read Indian Country Today 6-29-2021, “Documentary about Indigenous Catholics Short on Accuracy, Long on Spin.”
Christopher Columbus described “natives as natural Christians because they had no other ‘sect’ or false faith and could easily become Christians.”
The Catholic News Agency reported about the reasons a Catholic high school in the midwest was unwilling to change its name (Christopher Columbus). Part of the defense was that the name honored the school’s funder, the K of C. In a 2nd part of the defense, the executive director of a state Catholic Conference provided justification, “We cannot allow…activists of politically favored groups to destroy property…simply because an object or building causes offense.”
As an early American president said, in all countries, in all ages, the priest aligns with the despot.
And, speaking of “white oppressors”, where do the billionaire tyrants who back school privatization fit in to your questions? Why are they living in states with the most regressive tax systems in the country?
I presume that most of us are alike i.e. those of us who are not the richest 0.1% authoritarians. We don’t want to lose our community’s authority and assets to conservative Churches/their universities nor, do we want to have local democratic control of our schools turned over to out-of-staters.
Regarding your last paragraph: Of course not, and that is a serious threat. BUT, where are the facts that this has or might happen in this instance? What are the facts about the Ojibwe being ignorant or knowledgeable about this risk? In the original story above, I find no specific information about the terms of this arrangement, nor of the negotiations..
“might happen”
The barbarians are within the gates when we rely on having to experience the harm that they inflict instead of anticipating consequences from patterns and deduction.
The Board of Regents of the Lac Courte…College should be informed rather it is through reading the Wisconsin Examiner article or through being made aware of comment threads like this one.
I speculate that Dr. Russell Swagger, based on his connection to Aspen, has had knowledge of the significance of his agreement.
Hillsdale, a private college is not required to produce the document you want to see. It’s one of the serious ramifications to democracy when educational institutions are not public. The problem is magnified when local tax dollars are channeled away from the community by outside forces including private institutions.
Mark-
I hope you are not making a defense that people who are harmed by oppressors should facilitate oppressors, and take a cut of, what they legally steal from other communities through a rigged system.
The white Canadian government, the white Canadian churches, the white Knights of Columbus, Columbus himself, the white billionaire education reformers, the white whatever: they’re mostly all–present or past–white oppressors.
I’m only looking for the full story and all the facts here, not the regular echo chamber conclusions. My only preliminary assumptions are that most tribal members: 1) Know their past history under colonization. 2) Know to be wary of whites bearing gifts. 3) Would be likely to accept such gifts as overdue payment for past (and current) wrongs, while resolving to remain in control while accepting them.
And I’m more interested in learning the views of the Ojibwe themselves, than the assumptions of commenters here, unless someone has factual knowledge of the former.
This speaks to everything that is wrong with charters.
A college should not be “authorizing” a school five hours away whose philosophy and teachings exclude the very content that the college stands behind. Charters aren’t supposed to be income-producing boons for non-profits, they are supposed to be serving a community. This begs the question of why the community itself isn’t interested in authorizing this.
Why isn’t this college authorizing charters in their own community? Because it isn’t as lucrative?
“There is also money involved. The tribal college received an implementation grant for the school from the state in June of $750,625. In addition, under the contract between the tribal college and the charter school, the tribal college receives 3% of all the per-pupil revenue the state directs to the school to cover the costs of providing oversight.”
It’s the same approach Michigan uses- it’s so they can authorize a charter school anywhere in the state.
It’s led to Michigan having one of the least-regulated and worst charter sectors in the country.
Shame that Wisconsin is following Michigan in establishing a privatized sector of unregulated publicly funded schools.
There won’t be any “oversight” by the college. There never is.
Democrats must be so proud of what they’ve created with their blind cheerleading of charter schools and school privatization.
They’re destroying public education. It will be gone in 20 years.
Will we blame the high profile (and well compensated) ed reform echo chamber when the US no longer has public K-12 schools? Will they take responsibility for what they’ve destroyed?
“One parent on the tour was conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Brian Hagedorn, who introduced himself, smiling broadly and shaking hands with other parents. (Hagedorn helped found the K-8 Augustine Academy in Waukesha County in 2016. The school’s policy banning LGBTQ teachers, students and parents stirred controversy and became a campaign issue during his Supreme Court race.) ”
This is what Arne Duncan and the rest of the lockstep charter promoters in the Obama Administration funded, promoted and marketed for 8 years.
They did absolutely nothing for public schools and public school students- we paid hundreds of federal employees to push school privatization.
Duncan is STILL invited on media and think tank panels to opine on public schools. Why? Why are public schools even discussed by ed reformers? They do absolutely nothing for our schools.
This “movement” hasn’t contributed anything positive to any public school in the country for the last twenty years, yet for some reason they’re the only people invited or permitted to speak on public schools. How is that fair to public school students?
They fund, market and promote charters and vouchers. Why are they in charge of public school policy?
Take a look at the photo on the home page of Augustine Academy (Wis.), a school that Hagedorn helped form.
Fighting back against privatization and against weaponized religion – a person in good conscience can do no less.
Amusing to browse through the ed reform echo chamber’s “top” lists of education topics.
Here’s a sample from one of their university outlets:
“Perhaps the conflicts over pandemic policies and Critical Race Theory helped provide a push for school choice. Choice—whether in the form of vouchers, scholarships, or charter schools—was the subject of several other articles that made the top 20 list, including “School Choice Advances in the States,” “School Choice and the ‘Truly Disadvantaged,’” “What’s Next in New Orleans,” and “Betsy DeVos and the Future of Education Reform.”
They simply perform no productive work of any kind that benefits or is even relevant to public schools, yet they utterly dominate education policy.
If you’re promoting, funding or marketing charters and vouchers you should absolutely hire and pay any member of the ed reform echo chamber- anyone will do, they all share identical views- but if you’re genuinely seeking better or stronger public schools look elsewhere when hiring- these folks aren’t working on behalf of public schools. They work to market and promote privatized systems, and that’s ALL they do.
Team “Public Schools Suck”. That’s ed reform. Lockstep.
Would the following be a partial list of a colonialist’s specifications for those they want to aid them in the achievement of their goals?
Affiliates selected for their abilities to (1) take strategic risks (2) cultivate partnerships (3) focus on results-oriented improvements
Aspen Institute College President Fellows should contrast lofty university mission statements adopted with the goal of advancing American ideals against the preceding Aspen specifications.