Steve Nelson is a retired educator. In this post, he contrasts the demands of the fake “parental rights” folk with a genuine agenda for the rights of parents and children:
As is true in many aspects of current American politics, the right wing conservatives dominate the discourse on education. As is also true in other aspects of current American politics, it seems not to matter that they are wrong – terribly wrong – and are gradually unraveling the critically important institution of public education.
The assault is on two broad fronts:
*The persistent efforts to privatize education through charter and voucher schemes, accompanied by defunding traditional public schools and diverting support to all manner of incompetent opportunists.
*An overlapping campaign to bring more Christianity into publicly-funded education and remove any and all references to race, gender, sexuality and normal functions of the human body.
In service of these goals they have successfully captured the PR realm, with groups like the attractively named Moms for Liberty. Who wouldn’t love moms or liberty?
The most damage is being done with legislation at the local and state level. Right-wingers have taken control of school boards and many gerrymandered state legislatures. Once again, these zealots have seized the PR reins by using the inarguably appealing mantra of “parental rights.” What parents want their rights taken away? So, the significant body of laws and policies that already protect the rights of parents is being absurdly enhanced with laws and policies that give parents the “right” to dictate what books children can read, what bathrooms children can use, and what public health measures can be exercised. They also claim the right to micromanage curricula, thereby ensuring that a white, Eurocentric, Christian, heteronormative experience is enjoyed by all. Ozzie and Harriet are applauding from the grave.
We liberals and progressives have done a piss poor job of responding in kind. Lots of folks (like me!) opine passionately to minuscule effect, given that our readers are in the hundreds or, rarely, thousands. There are politicians and pundits who argue against the nefarious work of this loud, conservative minority, but we are seldom, if ever, on the offensive.
We too need slogans and initiatives with catchy names that capture the imagination.
Perhaps:
*Moms for Keeping Crazy Moms Out of Our Schools and Libraries.
*Parents for the Rights of Teachers to Teach Without Nut-bag Interference
*Citizens for Keeping God Safe in Our Churches and Out of Our Politics
*Parents of Black and LGBTQ Students Who Won’t Take This Shit Anymore
Nelson then lists an educational bill of rights that the overwhelming majority of parents and teachers would likely endorse:
Then, if and when we can get the crazies under control, the parents in the majority can address the actual needs of children. What might happen if a grassroots effort gathered momentum and demanded that schools and school systems adopt this Bill of Rights?
Bill of Educational Rights
The undersigned insist that our school(s) and all teachers:
Open the link to read Steve Nelson’s Bill of Educational Rights.
Would you endorse these principles?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Thanks, Diane! Always honored to be in your neighborhood.
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AGREE with Steve Nelson.
GREAT PIECE. Thanks for publishing this one.
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I would not endorse them. As on point as all of them are, they are just recycled talking points that haven’t gotten us anywhere. Well, not really, we’ve been backpedaling steadily for 20 years. We need new ideas, a new vocabulary, and most importantly, broad political coalitions to make other issue advocates understand how important public education is to their interests. Education advocates have failed at this because they’ve never tried.
Public education is essential to the nation’s infrastructure, so that seems to be the most natural fit. A national infrastructure coalitions made up of education, transportation, hospitals, and so on. One that transcends education as a policy issue that would be as unthinkable to remove from the national fabric as the military. NPE could act as a convener. And the first organizational meeting could be held in October in DC.
Public education advocates think too small, are too timid. The slogans suggested above seem whiney to me, not assertive about value to the nation and each individual. Again, it’s a nice essay and I see noting wrong with it. But it is in no way a serious call to arms. It’s just another nice piece that will be forgotten until it is rewritten sometime soon in even worse circumstances.
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My opinion- what is required is a call to arms that identifies the enemy. While Greg did not specifically say that the amorphous “Christianity” as threat is whiny, it seems non-assertive and whiny to me.
The Catholic sect has almost 50 state Catholic Conferences that politick, some hiring lobbyists. Many of the state Catholic Conferences publicly take credit for the initiation and passage of school choice legislation. The exec. director of the Colorado Catholic Conference was formerly with EdChoice and the Koch network. As long as there is no advocate for public schools who is willing to call out the alliance of right wing Catholics and Koch, I don’t see how a win is possible. Some state Catholic Conferences co-hosted school choice rallies with Koch’s AFP. Politicized right wing Catholics like Leonard Leo (9 kids) are similar to all enemies. They are emboldened when they are not called out.
Commenter HannahJM provided a link to Project 2025 in a thread to the earlier “Trump…” post. EPPC (heavily Catholic) and Teneo (a group of Leonard Leo) are two supporters of Project 2025. Pro Publica investigated Teneo (3-2023) and identified members. They included GOP Sen. JDVance who converted to Catholicism in 2019, Josh Hawley, who attended a Catholic high school, Nebraska’s attorney general, Mike Hilger, who attended a Jesuit high school, Elise Stefanik, a right wing Catholic and DeSantis who was raised Catholic.
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agreed public schools are super important. Why do we pay teachers dirt cheap? Why are other countries killing us on education, is it because they do not focus on pronouns, crt, gender? Public education has turned into such a joke it is hard to even say kids got educated more like indoctrinated
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Hate to tell you, Chris. Public schools in other countries also teach about gender and other things, and public schools do NOT teach about CRT. Take your right wing craziness elsewhere.
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Chris
Workers who have public school educations are responsible for GDP growth in the US. Wall Street is a 2% drag on the economy. The drag must first be overcome before workers
can achieve growth for the nation. Too many in NYC and Silicon Valley are eating the bread for which others toiled just as Lincoln warned would happen. Men like Charles Koch are responsible for destroying the climate and opportunity.
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Two, max!
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Here’s another far R extremist who thinks he is standing up for children’s and parent’s rights. Rokita’s happy about the Indiana ban on abortions. In his own way he ‘glorifies violence’ by supporting the 2nd Amendment.
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Attorney General Todd Rokita [R-IN] leads 7 states concerned about Target’s anti-child, anti-parent campaign for ‘LGBTQIA+ Pride’
Attorney General Todd Rokita is leading 7 states expressing legal concern that Target Corp.’s extremist “LGBTQIA+ Pride” campaign is damaging states’ efforts to safeguard citizens.
“We work daily to protect children and uphold parental rights,” Attorney General Rokita said. “In my role, I defend Indiana laws focused on these very priorities. Further, we look out for our individual states’ economic interests as Target shareholders.”
In a letter, Attorney General Rokita and the other states advise Target to stop promoting and selling potentially harmful products to minors.
Target has marketed girls’ swimsuits with “tuck-friendly construction” and “extra crotch coverage” for male genitalia.
It also has sold merchandise produced by the self-declared “Satanist-Inspired” brand Abprallen, which is known for designs that glorify violence.
Target has sold items featuring the phrase “We Bash Back” with a heart-shaped mace — a heavy club typically having a metal head and spikes — in the trans-flag colors. Another design includes the phrase “Transphobe Collector” alongside a skull. Yet another product features skulls beside a pastel guillotine labeled as a “Homophobe Headrest.”
Following publicity over its decision to market such items, Target suffered a drop in sales and stock price.
“Transanity doesn’t sell,” Attorney General Rokita said. “Let’s all unite around pride in America instead of falling into the trap of dividing along lines of identity politics.”
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Another win for Hoosier life. Indiana Supreme Court rules the state’s near-total abortion ban does NOT violate the Indiana Constitution
Attorney General Todd Rokita’s Office recently released the following statement on the ruling in the Medical Licensing Board v. Planned Parenthood case:
“The Indiana Supreme Court has just upheld the abortion laws passed by the Indiana General Assembly. We celebrate this day – one long in coming, but morally justified. Thank you to all the warriors who have fought for this day that upholds LIFE.”
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Indiana Attorney General finds Indianapolis gun ordinance unconstitutional
…In the conclusion of his opinion, Rokita took a political swipe at Hogsett and the Council.
“Simply put, Proposal 156 is a meaningless and futile gesture put forth by the Indianapolis City-County Council in an effort to distract the public from the realization that the Council is taking no substantive action to reduce the violence plaguing Indianapolis and Marion County,” the opinion read.
“Indianapolis residents have made clear their support for common-sense gun safety measures, and Mayor Hogsett won’t back down from making their voices heard.”…
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Todd Rokita is a member of the Knights of Columbus. IMO, there is compelling evidence that politicized right wing Catholics care about neither man’s law nor compassion. An Indiana Judge found, in 2022, that Rokita clearly violated Indiana law.
Rokita sent a complaint to the licensing board about a doctor who aided a 10-year-old Ohio rape victim obtain the abortion that she and her doctor felt was medically in her best interest.
If Rokita was raped and it was possible for him to be impregnated as a 10-year old boy,
there’s no way it would be compassionate for him to have a forced pregnancy and, there’s no proof that even God would want a child like him to suffer.
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“There are politicians and pundits who argue against the nefarious work of this loud, conservative minority, but we are seldom, if ever, on the offensive.”
Where I live, a majority of voters think, and this is due to their overconsumption of the raw meat of Fox Screws, that the progressive wing of the national politics I’d ever on the offensive. Suggest that the lines between church and state are being erased (if you do not believe this after watching the recent court decisions, I cannot understand you) and you will be thought of as attacking the freedom of religion. In any case suggestions of this nature mean you are an atheist, communist, fa……. on and on. The majority of voters in rural areas respond with hostility to any reasonable argument which opposes their own view.
Do what group will respond positively to an offensive? Is anybody on the sidelines? How to go on offense? Stating obvious truth is met with labels Chris Rufo has taught. Wonder about the needs of poor children aloud and you are met with mouths that lip move CRT. Express wonder at the geology of our earth and someone is whispering “evolution “
Progressives may have an argument that is logical, but it lacks an audience that thinks logically.
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John Eastman has raised about 1/2 a million for his legal defense. His supporters invoke the language of a holy war.
Eastman was/is President of Robert P. George’s National Organization for Marriage. Both men are right wing Catholic. Crickets from media about their sect which is also the sect of Steve Bannon, Leonard Leo and the majority on SCOTUS.
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The Wikipedia entry for National Organization for Marriage is worth reading. It describes Robert P George as an editorial advisor to Deseret News, a parer owned by LDS.
A quote about NOM follows, “They’ve raised a tremendous amount of money that they’ve been funneling into the states.” In one NOM campaign, three state Supreme Court judges were targeted. NOM’s campaign achieved its goal against the judges.
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Slogans and catchy names
won’t undo the insulated
elites, veneered with
slogans and catchy names.
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More parents support decent public education than want to destroy it. However, they are a silent majority, but, of course, they are not backed by oodles of dark money as M4L are. To Nelson’s list I would add that students must not be saturated by cyber instruction which is infiltrating many school districts. Too much screen time is harmful, both physically and mentally, to developing brains and eyes.
My grandson who is in a public middle school in Texas is visiting. He said he spends about 80% of his day online responding to canned instruction. The teachers are used as hosts to introduce and summarize, and nothing more. How long will it take to entirely erase humans from the process since it would be a huge cost cutter? This is not sound education that can prepare young people to become informed voters or critical thinkers. We can and must do better.
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I would and do endorse all of these principles. I do not sense that we are always on the defensive, however. I go on offense in my classroom every day. I went on offense twice in the last few years on strike. Red 4 Ed was a powerful offensive. We are keeping our heads up every day during which Arne Duncan doesn’t have billions of dollars at his disposal to bribe/blackmail states and districts. We are keeping our heads up every day W. Bush isn’t signing bills into law. We are educators, powerful in every community because we command the respect of our neighbors above the shouting of the gullible fringe and the marketing campaigns of distrusted tech and testing companies. We have numbers. We stay strong. School lives long. Carry on!
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Each “Right” is based on developmental psychology, cognitive science and abundant research. I concur. It should be intrinsic, but please not another list. For more than 30 years, I had to sit through “the next best thing.” Data driven testing; Common Core (posting standards every day so my black board was completely covered and so convoluted), black board configuration, walk-throughs where admin were not evaluating, but completely halted learning (and they were not to talk or leave notes or thank you or WTF — nuts!) workshops on “how to hug” — don’t hug, how to teach reading, phonics, whole language, Litt Conn, High Point, more math and science in art (from people who are ignorant to what art is all about), and more and more. The things I thought made sense and worked THEY got rid of within months or the year. I do agree whole-heartedly with what Mr. Nelson states. It does make a difference with students. I don’t know how many meetings I sat through listening to parents explain to me how I was wrong and were not cognizant of what I was trying to explain to them. But, in all reality, most of my kids had completely dysfunctional families, i.e., “He’s 18, I can throw him out, right? I am not responsible for him.” I remember when my son’s elementary school took away recess, PE, art and science to make more time to study for tests (until they were audited and had to give it back). All I know, is when I “moved” my brain worked better in solving problems. Nowadays, it’s all about passive seat time. In my mainstreaming courses, the instructor had us read many case studies. And one focused on people having children. In this scenario the parents said, “They are just a baby, I didn’t know you had to talk to them.” I met a social worker and she said, “I kid you not, we talked about contraception and you are pregnant again. Did you do what I told you?” The person’s reply, “I used the foam. I ate it every day.” And, when I was coaching basketball. I studied for hours, days, year-round. At the middle school I had 64 kids for 15 spots (they only wanted me to keep 12, but I had 15 uniforms). I wracked my brain with a way to analyze selecting the kids for the team, so instead of (like in my day, you were cut right then and there in the two-hour tryout) I gave the kids a mini-camp and staggered the tryout times so I could REALLY see potential, skill sets, and narrow down my choices. In the first two days, I saw kids who didn’t need to try out anymore. That way I could focus on the others and, if anything, give those kids a chance to learn even if they didn’t make the team. Cutting kids is the worst and I agonized over it. After not just “cutting kids” on the first day, I gave them all a shot. At the end of the week, a parent of a student (her child had zero skills) told me how awful I was and blah, blah, blah. I thought to myself, “And tomorrow I will come to your place of employment and tell you how to do your job.” In sum, I had to suck it up many times to listening to ignorant rants. And you’re right, another list really? It’s a good list, but just like all the things “all teachers were supposed to do” many won’t or will view it as “just another list” because teachers continue to get “lists.” The Dunning-Kreuger Effect is in full force with these “Moms of Liberty” people. They remind me of “surface level thinking” and rinse, repeat their ideologies without ever opening the book. They look at the cover and say, “I don’t like the picture; get rid of it.” You think education is expensive, try ignorance. One must be educated on what one dislikes to make one’s argument about what they support. I continue to hear a lot of “yelling.” It shouldn’t have to be spelled out, but if common sense were so common, everyone would have it, eh? Let’s get back to doing what is best for children — like new ideas, skill sets — so they can sustain their lives in whatever they choose to do. As always, just my take. Peace out.
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