Bad Education

A Philadelphia elementary school recently forced fifth-grade students to celebrate “black communism” and simulate a Black Power rally in honor of political radical Angela Davis.

According to whistleblower documents and a source within the school, a fifth-grade teacher at the inner-city William D. Kelley School designed a social studies curriculum to celebrate Davis, praising the “black communist” for her fight against “injustice and inequality.” As part of the lesson, the teacher asked students to “describe Davis’ early life,” reflect on her vision of social change, and “define communist”—presumably in favorable terms.

At the conclusion of the unit, the teacher led the ten- and eleven-year-old students into the school auditorium to “simulate” a Black Power rally to “free Angela Davis” from prison, where she had once been held while awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder. The students marched on the stage, holding signs that read “Black Power,” “Jail Trump,” “Free Angela,” and “Black Power Matters.” They chanted about Africa and ancestral power, then shouted “Free Angela! Free Angela!” as they stood at the front of the stage. The William D. Kelley School has long been one of the most troubled in the district. The school’s student population is 94 percent black and 100 percent “economically disadvantaged.” Academically, it is one of the worst-performing schools in Pennsylvania. By sixth grade, only 3 percent of students are proficient in math, and 9 percent are proficient in reading. By graduation, only 13 percent of Kelley students will have achieved basic literacy.

Despite this abysmal academic performance, teachers and administrators at William Kelley have gradually abandoned traditional pedagogy in favor of political radicalism. Even the school’s newest public artworks illustrate this politicization. Administrators recently commissioned a mural of Davis and Huey P. Newton, who represent the Communist and Black Panther revolutionary movements of the 1960s; both figures stood trial for various crimes, including the murder of a police officer.

Unfortunately, the programs at William Kelley are no aberration. In recent years, the entire Philadelphia public school system has embraced the philosophy of “antiracism.” Last summer, the superintendent released an Antiracism Declaration promising to “[dismantle] systems of racial inequity” and circulated a memo recommending racially segregated training programs for white and black educators. The local teachers’ union produced a video denouncing the United States as a “settler colony built on white supremacy and capitalism” that has created a “system that lifts up white people over everyone else.” The solution, according to the union, is to overthrow the “racist structure of capitalism,” provide “reparations for Black and Indigenous people,” and “uproot white supremacy and plant the seeds for a new world.”

In practical terms, it is unclear how these “antiracist” programs will translate into academic outcomes. The gap between rhetoric and reality at schools such as William Kelley is almost beyond comprehension: the vast majority of the ten- and eleven-year-olds marching for the utopia of “black communism” can barely read and write. Rather than come to terms with the pedagogical failure of Philadelphia public schools, however, educators have shifted the blame to “systemic racism” and promises of “revolution.”

That students at schools such as William Kelley could depart virtually bereft of basic literacy is a tragedy for them and a shame for the teachers and adults promising to “plant the seeds for a new world.” They have condemned their students to join the ranks of the more than half of all adult Philadelphians who are “functionally illiterate.” One teacher at William Kelley, who requested anonymity out of fear of reprisals, expressed deep pessimism about the future of public education: “I’ve come to realize that no policy hurts African-Americans more than the public school system and the teachers’ union.” The teacher is right. In absolute terms, the numbers are demoralizing. The School District of Philadelphia has 18,000 employees and a $3.4 billion annual budget—and fails, year after year, to teach the basics of “reading, writing, and arithmetic.” As it turns out, education is hard; political fantasy is a useful diversion.

While recognizing that city government and the local schools are typically separate political entities, it is within my living memory of more than a couple of Philly mayors who would have been incensed by such educational malpractice. They would have used their “bully pulpit” to put pressure on school officials. How sad for these students that they will eventually find out the depths their elders sunk to while depriving them of their need for basic education & skills.

This school, and the district responsible for this are guilty of:

1. Being a racist institution. This ‘woke’ agenda is nothing more than reverse racism.

2. Child abuse. Indoctrinating them with a racist agenda, historically inaccurate teachings, and failing to give them a proper education.

3. Failing history, as communism has never produced the utopia they believe, it has in fact produced misery, poverty, mediocrity, oppression and large-scale death. To idea that communism is being taught in same city that so much of America’s great history was written... is disturbing.

If the author’s quote is accurate, a major US city being 50% illiterate is not cause for an exercise in being ‘woke’. If they G.A.S. they will reboot reading, writing and arithmetic. It will take these kids far further than any BLM march, any Black Power fist pumping, etc.

Parents, you need to pay close attention to this. No matter where you live, this is coming to your kids’ schools. Critical Race Theory, the 1619 Project, the celebration of communism as a GOOD thing and other twisted ideologies, along with teaching them to reject the values YOU have taught them and to hate you. They will destroy your kids intellect, destroy their curiosity and their ability to think critically.

KEEP the public schools closed- they are nothing but kid dumps. Institute school choice, open magnet schools, let the money follow the kid, even to private schools and home schoolers. More than anything these will keep teachers accountable.

Once that is done, turn all efforts outward- ABOLISH THE DOE! Stop all funding to “teachers’ colleges”, require teachers above the 2nd grade to hold a degree in what they teach. No more “degrees in education” ( I have one and know how useless it is). ALL control of schools be local with supervision no higher than the state government.
Make ALL public universities adhere to the Constitution or NO FUNDING, and stop all funding to useless programs like gender and race studies. ALL public funding should be held ONLY for those programs that benefit the population- medicine, law (ACTUAL law, that is...), the sciences, IT, etc. Let the corporations or other groups fund the stupid sh*t.

For those parents who have been forced to oversee their kids’ education at home, consider what YOU have learned- that you CAN teach your kids, that you CAN maintain some control over what they are learning. I was a working single mom for awhile, and worked a LOT of hours to keep my my kids in a private school. I had long before learned what they were teaching my kids and wanted NONE of it. I couldn’t be happier with the adults they grew up to be. I look at today’s college kids and I am GLAD I had the opportunity to work my ass off to keep them away from the public schools!

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