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Education Elites as Imperialists

The triumphant arrival of imperialists in the New World
The triumphant arrival of imperialists in the New World
--(Getty Images)

Gold, glory and gospel provide a quick way to understand why the Spanish sailed across a dangerous ocean to the New World.

Gold, glory and gospel also provide a way to understand the motivations of our Education Establishment. Consider this: the top educators make more money than they probably otherwise would; they gain the glory of reshaping the world; and they are able to serve John Dewey’s socialist gospel.

There is often a smug presumption that the Spanish, in their pursuit of gold, glory and gospel, exhibited a blatant and ugly imperialism.

But what about our Education Establishment? Are these aggressive social engineers not guilty of imperialism? They stride into every community, giving orders, trying to dictate standards for everything, and imposing unwanted doctrine on unsuspecting children and parents. Common Core is nothing if not imperialism stacked high and wide. The so-called “standards” are elaborate rules and recipes for making a new kind of American child. At the end of the day, these rules seem more concerned with a child’s psychology than with a child’s acquisition of knowledge.

Keep in mind that there is no mention in the Constitution of education. It was supposed to be a local function, handled by cities and states. The federal government is not supposed to meddle in education. Not only do government bureaucrats now meddle in education, they try to take over and manage every detail. That's the essence of imperialism.

Look at Columbus and his cohorts coming ashore in the New World. Look at how pompous they are. Admittedly, they have done something brave and dangerous. But now they’re going to steal mineral resources. They will enslave many natives. They’ll break a few heads. Why? Because they are in charge and stronger; and they can get away with it.

Too much of the same thing has happened in education. The Department of Education, the National Education Association, the National Council of Teachers of Math and more than a dozen other groups with fancy names and squadrons of professors have seized more and more power over local schools.

There is a pretty irony here. These people in education are typically far to the left and probably routinely make fun of Columbus Day and everything the pilgrims, settlers, pioneers, conquistadors, American business executives, etc. have managed to do. Too much imperialism. But they themselves are the next reiteration of the same sort of people.

For example, a big shot professor from Harvard came down to Virginia Beach to tell the school’s teachers they must not teach. Instead they must be passive and call themselves facilitators. What they are facilitating is not clear but it certainly is not education as traditionally understood. That professor is too much like Christopher Columbus coming ashore and telling the natives what to do.


For an update on Common Core's declining momentum, see article on this site:


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