(What) Is Our Children Learning?

According to a letter to high school principals from Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Obama’s speech, set for September 8 — the first day of school in many parts of the country — will focus on “challeng[ing] students to work hard, set[ting] educational goals, and tak[ing] responsibility for their learning.”

The president “will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens.”

But some Republicans don’t believe that the speech will be devoid of partisan political content. Florida GOP press secretary Katie Gordon told Eric Kleefeld of Talking Points Memo that the GOP is concerned that the White House hasn’t released an advance copy of the president’s address.

“I think that’s certainly the concern, is that we don’t know what this speech is about,” said Gordon.

But the center of the controversy is a lesson plan (PDF) distributed by the Department of Education to aid teachers in building classroom activities around the president’s speech.

“The Education Department’s decision to distribute lesson plans to accompany the address and essentially require students to watch the speech is sparking an outcry from commentators and officials on the political right, who accuse the president of staging a political rally disguised as a civics lesson,” CQ Politics reports.

[...]

“I am absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama’s socialist ideology,” Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer said in a press release.

  Raw Story

Obama really should have presented an advanced copy if he’s expecting lesson plans to accompany his speech. That’s only good planning. And heaven knows those of us in the 50s were indoctrinated in school regarding the perils of Communism often enough. But that’s what public school is. It’s the machinery the State uses to turn out Willing Workers who don’t think too much for themselves.

As I recall, the Reich-wing didn’t mind so much when the previous president sat with a bunch of school children for a photo op after learning the twin towers had just been hit. What was he there to tell sell them?

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.