Re: Diversity Issues & Resistant Students

Ken Goodman (kgoodman who-is-at U.Arizona.EDU)
Sat, 4 Oct 1997 11:18:54 -0700 (MST)

Some of you may be aware that after great success in California in using
legislation to control what teachers are permitted to teach in reading
and other language arts and what teacher educators and staf developers may
teach teachers the same forces have moved to the national scene.

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce headed by Rep Goodling
of PA has a bill which is now schedulaed to be "marked up" on 10/8 and
sent to the floor of the House where they believe it will be passed by
Columbus day. This bill is outlined in an ED Week commentary(9/3) by
Douglas Carnine (a Distar author) and Hans Meeder former committee staff
member. It would essentially establish a national reading curriculum by
eatablishing research based reading programs(distar and Open Court by
their criteria) as the national curriculum. It would bypass all standards
of peer review for research and dissemination funding, and as California
is doing, establish a list of universities and individuals could be funded
Reid Lyno of NICHD would become reading czar with authority to order the
Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Education to mandate
"research
based" phonics programs on Title 1, head start and even start.

While final details are still being neogiated no opportunity for
dissenting views to be heard is being afforded.

The International Reading Association has asked that everyone call yor
congressman to express your concern for this attempt to establish a
national reading paradigm in reading.

I'd be happy to provide further information or documentation if anyone
wants it.

The role of the far-right and of opportunistic disinformers is quite
visible in all this. But there are unseen hands of people in right wing
think tanks who are very skilled at manipulating the legislative process,

Ken Goodman
Phone: 520
6217868
Fax: 520 7455285---------------------- Kenneth S Goodman, Professor
Language, Reading & Culture, University of Arizona, Tucson
kgoodman who-is-at U.Arizona.EDU