The Trail Still Being Blazed

 

The Trail Still Being Blazed

Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven.  All rights reserved.

California’s courageous and hard-working character is not simply a natural byproduct of the landscape nor soil.  These characteristics and traits were carried there.  To understand where the cultural DNA of the West truly began, we must look to Jedediah Smith.  

No Ordinary Mountain Man.  In the early 19th century (1800s), the American frontier was a place of lawless reputation, yet one of its most influential figures was a study in disciplined contradiction.  Jedediah Smith (January 6, 1799—May 27, 1831) was born in New York of English Puritan descent.  He brought a specific, disciplined work ethic to the fur trade, demonstrating that the roots of Western fortitude were actually nourished by the traditions of his Eastern origins.

Crossing the Continental Great Divide.  In the tidy illustrations of modern geography, the Continental Divide is often reduced to a simple, crisp line tracing the highest peaks. The reality for the early traveler was far more disorienting.  The Divide is a complex, 100-mile-wide labyrinth of overlapping ranges and vast, treeless sagebrush steppe.

Visit Amazon to purchase insightful books about Jedediah Smith, Mountain Men, and California.

Nothing illustrates Smith’s iron will quite like the events near the Cheyenne River in present-day southwestern South Dakota.  The brush exploded as a massive grizzly lunged at Smith expedition party.  Before Smith could even level his rifle, the animal was upon him.  The bear’s jaws clamped onto his head, gashed his forehead, and tore his scalp.  Several ribs snapped under the bear’s weight.

When the grizzly finally bolted back into the thicket, Smith’s men found their leader in a state of carnage.  His left ear was dangling from his head by a thin flap of skin.  Yet, in a display of mental fortitude that borders on the legendary, Smith remained conscious and calm.  He did not succumb to shock; instead, he became the director of his own surgery, "He ordered his companions to get water, clean his wounds, and sew up the cuts on his head.  The trappers also bound up his broken ribs and repaired his ear as well as they could sew."  

Remarkably, Smith was back at his traps just ten days later.  He would carry the jagged scars and a mangled ear for the rest of his life.

Smith helped to stitch the American East to the West when he conquered the Continental Divide.  His brave trek to California was a pivotal moment in the nation’s history, representing far more than a simple feat of navigation.  By surmounting the spine of the continent, Smith did not just find a path; he acted as a catalyst for the state’s very creation.  This journey bridged two worlds and established the precedent that California was accessible to those with the fortitude to seek it.

Smith and his fellow trailblazers did more than chart rivers and mountains; they established the temperament of a civilization.  These trailblazers did not simply stumble upon the land.  Their specific traits of bravery, hard work, and courage served as foundations to create a new state.

The bravery required to cross the Divide and the hard work of the early trappers and traders established inspirational stories, role models, and key stories about humanity.  The courageous spirit of the frontier is the same spirit that continues to define the state’s collective character today.

Jedediah Smith’s legacy is written into the maps and the mindset of the West.  He was a frontiersman who traded the comforts of his New York roots for the uncertainty of the wild, leaving behind a legacy of courage.  While the wilderness he navigated has changed, the stories of his life and other trailblazers continue to make us curious to learn more, inspire us to do more, and encourage us to contribute in our communities today.  

Bibliography

Barbour, Barton H.  Jedediah Smith: No Ordinary Mountain Man.  Univ Of Oklahoma Press.

Biography of Jed for Students – the Jedediah Smith Society, jedediahsmithsociety.org/home/research-information/biography-of-jed-smith-for-students/.

Gateway to the West: National Historic Trails across the Continental Divide (U.S. National Park Service), www.nps.gov/articles/000/gateway-to-the-west-national-historic-trails-across-the-continental-divide.htm.

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Abraham Lincoln and Abraham Jonas: How Friendship Cultivates a Culture

 

Abraham Lincoln and Abraham Jonas: 

How Friendship Cultivates a Culture 

Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven.  All rights reserved.

When we think of Abraham Lincoln, we often envision the solitary figure in the marble chair.  Yet, the man behind the monument was far more complex than we remember.  Amidst the carnage of the Civil War, a period defined by bitter national division and rising xenophobia, Lincoln forged deep, unprecedented ties with the American Jewish community.  At a time when this community was a small minority of 150,000, Lincoln’s presidency became a transformative era for Jewish individuals.  He led the public to value equal citizenship, proving that the "Great Emancipator" was also a Great Integrator.

Lincoln judged individuals on their own merit rather than through the lens of group prejudice.  This was most evident in his bond with Abraham Jonas, a Quincy, Illinois, attorney whom Lincoln described as "one of his most valued friends".  Their relationship was built on a shared Whig history and mutual trust; Jonas even warned Lincoln of an assassination plot before his inauguration.  Lincoln, in turn, appointed Jonas as postmaster and later secured a parole for Jonas’s Confederate son to visit his dying father.  This act demonstrated  personal loyalty that transcended the battle lines of the war.

Equally striking was Lincoln’s association with Issachar Zacharie.  What began as a professional relationship with a chiropodist who "operated on my feet with great success, and considerable addition to my comfort," evolved into a role as an unlikely "spymaster".  Zacharie became a trusted agent who traveled to Richmond to meet with Confederate leaders like Judah P. Benjamin to explore peace negotiations.  These relationships signaled that in Lincoln’s White House, religious background was no barrier to trust.

Visit Amazon to purchase books about Abraham Lincoln for yourself, as gifts, or for your classroom.

Lincoln’s commitment to fairness was tested most severely in December 1862, when General Ulysses S. Grant issued "General Order No. 11".  Frustrated by black-market cotton trading, Grant ordered the expulsion of "the Jews, as a class" from his military department.  Historical analysis suggests a messy motive: Grant was lashing out at the corruption of his own father who had been using his son’s influence to secure trading permits for Jewish associates.  Grant effectively expelled an entire people rather than confront his own father’s greed.

A wave of protest flooded Washington from B'nai B'rith lodges, a collective cry for the "humblest constituents" that reached the President's desk just days after he issued the Emancipation Proclamation.  Lincoln’s response was swift and decisive.  He rescinded the order only three days after learning of it, demonstrating that even the tactical needs of his top general could not override constitutional principles.  Lincoln famously articulated his stance to a Jewish delegation:  "[I knew] of no distinction between Jew and Gentile [and would not allow any American citizen to be] wronged on account of his...religious confession."

This intervention was a moment of profound moral clarity.  By refusing to allow a segment of the population to be targeted "as a class", Lincoln established that the executive branch would serve as a bulwark against discrimination.

Early in the war, a congressional act restricted military chaplains to "regularly ordained minister[s] of some Christian denomination".  This effectively barred rabbis from providing spiritual care to the thousands of Jewish soldiers serving in the Union ranks.

Following petitions from leaders like Rabbi Isaac Leeser, Lincoln supported a legislative amendment that changed the requirement from "Christian denomination" to "religious denomination".  This shift was more than a clerical update; it was a fundamental redefinition of American religious liberty.  It recognized the United States as a multi-faith republic rather than a specifically Christian one.  This victory led to the appointment of the first official Jewish chaplain in September 1862, marking a pivotal moment where the law finally caught up to the reality of America.

Scholars have observed that Lincoln’s engagement with the Jewish community likely influenced his evolving public theology.  There is a noticeable transition from the explicitly "Christian" terminology found in his first inaugural address to a broader, "Hebrew frame of reference" in his later works.

In the Second Inaugural, Lincoln’s rhetoric shifted toward a focus on "The Almighty" and the concept of divine justice, echoing the prophetic traditions his Jewish friends valued.  By utilizing this broader theological vocabulary, Lincoln created a linguistic bridge that allowed Jewish citizens to see themselves reflected in the national narrative.  This shift helped synthesize a shared national identity, ensuring that the "nation’s promise" was articulated in a way that resonated across religious lines, anchoring the Union's struggle in a universal, monotheistic struggle for righteousness.

By the end of his life, Lincoln had earned a unique title within the Jewish community: "Father Abraham".  Figures like lawyer and political activist Lewis Naphtali Dembitz viewed him as a "true descendant of Abraham," reflecting the deep gratitude of a community that felt protected by his leadership.

As Eileen Mackevich of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library noted, Lincoln's refusal to allow persecution "as a class" set a vital national precedent.  This principle of individual rights over discrimination served as the seed for the modern American civil rights logic.  Perhaps most tellingly, Lincoln's standard influenced the very men who had once failed it.  Ulysses S. Grant spent his own presidency atoning for his earlier prejudice, appointing record numbers of Jewish officials and even attending a three-hour synagogue dedication in 1876.  This decision was a full arc of transformation sparked by the moral example Lincoln set during the war.  Lincoln did more than win the Civil War; he established a moral standard for the presidency.  His leadership during a time of national crisis established the framework for the republic of respect for others, friendship, neighborliness, the common good, civic virtue, and religious liberty. 

Bibliography

"Abraham Jonas," House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, 

https://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/node/40570. 

Chris Dettro, Staff Writer.  “‘Lincoln and the Jews’ Exhibit Opens Aug. 3.”  The State Journal-Register, State Journal-Register, 

www.sj-r.com/story/news/2015/07/16/lincoln-jews-exhibit-opens/33867701007/. 

Einhorn, David, et al. “From Haven to Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America Confronting Challenges.”  Library of Congress, 

www.loc.gov/exhibits/haventohome/haven-challenges.html.

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Peter Alexander Healy, George.  Abraham Lincoln.  1860. 

https://www.nga.gov/artworks/166453-abraham-lincoln. 

“The Gettysburg Address (1863).”  National Constitution Center – Constitutioncenter.Org, constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/historic-document-library/detail/abraham-lincoln-the-gettysburg-address-1863. 

“Ulysses S. Grant and General Orders No. 11 (U.S. National Park Service).”  National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 

www.nps.gov/articles/000/ulysses-s-grant-and-general-orders-no-11.htm. 

We Called Him Father Abraham: Lincoln and American Jewry, a Documentary History, by Gary Phillip Zola; Lincoln and the Jews: A History, by Jonathan D. Sarna and Benjamin Shapell, quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jala/2629860.0037.206/--we-called-him-father-abraham-lincoln-and-american-jewry?rgn=main;view=fulltext. 

Highlights from the California in the New Millennium Panel Discussion

 

Highlights from the California in the New Millennium Panel Discussion

Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven. All rights reserved.

True civic work is about discovering others who share curiosity about the world and a desire to be of service.  These serendipitous moments allow you to work out old problems and view community challenges through entirely new perspectives.  It was a pleasure to present at the Western Political Science Association Conference at the Long Beach Hilton Hotel, in Long Beach California.  As a panel discussant, I analyzed Professor Mark Baldassare’s book California in the New Millennium: The Changing Social and Political Landscape.

Visit Amazon to purchase your copy of California in the New Millennium: The Changing Social and Political Landscape.

The Western Political Science Association (WPSA), headquartered at Portland State University, does more than study abstract ideas; it weaves the worlds together.  Since its inception, the WPSA has grown from a localized gathering into a powerhouse of civic scholarship, proving that when we cultivate curiosity and evidence-based discussion, the primary beneficiaries are professors, students, citizens, and communities.

The WPSA treats this vast expanse as a cohesive intellectual conference.  By gathering experts from fourteen states and three provinces, the association views the West as a shared region rather than a divided map.  This geographic mix is essential for the association’s research.  Scholars collaborate on regional challenges from water rights and migration to cross-border trade.

The Long Beach Conference was a great experience for myself, the other graduate students selected for the panel, our professor, Dr. Donald Mattewson, and the author, Professor Mark Baldasarre.  My presentation looked closely at Professor Baldasare’s claims and evidence through the lens of John Locke. 

The basis of Lockean philosophy is the social contract.  The will of the majority must prevail.  Although, power is not an absolute license to dominate.  In a true state, the validity of the majority’s command is tethered to a single, unyielding standard: equality.  Laws must apply to everyone, everywhere, at all times.  If the executive power fails to provide the conditions under which the people can enjoy these natural rights, the contract is voided.

In the landscape of American political theater, the seat of power can be the local electorate that provides the mandate or a distant executive acting as a strategic arbiter.  For decades, Orange County, California has projected a dual identity.  To the world, it is the "Magic Kingdom", a curated land of artifice and suburban prosperity.  Yet, beneath this polished veneer is political history defined by the 1994 bankruptcy, and the protracted, bitter regional warfare over the El Toro airport.  This friction culminated in a masterclass of political communication.  By framing a partisan vacancy battle as a crusade for voter rights, local leaders transformed a dry procedural update into a defensive shield and a rebellion designed to insulate local power from the reach of the state capital.

As Professor Baldassare noted, the local appetite for autonomy was a direct byproduct of a crisis of trust.  This was a compounding series of leadership failures ranging from the national trauma of Watergate to the immediate local wounds of the county bankruptcy and the El Toro airport dispute.  When paired with the state’s energy crisis and a ballooning deficit, these events created a climate that mirrored the warnings of 17th-century (1600s) philosopher John Locke.  Locke posited that when government actions become "contrary to the trust" of the people, the social contract is breached.

"[Government actions that are] contrary to the trust [placed in government officials and] destructive to the peace of the county [justify a reclamation of power by the people]."  In this context, Orange County voters sought to reclaim the ultimate control over their government, viewing the ballot box as the only reliable arbiter of peace and order.

This victory successfully relocated the power of appointment from the Governor’s office in Sacramento to the local primary ballot.  However, as we look back, we are forced to confront persistent questions: Does the pursuit of autonomy solve the underlying crisis of trust in our elected officials, public administrators, and corporate elites?  Does it merely move the battlefield closer to home, replacing state-level interference with localized partisan gatekeeping?

Under the guidance of Dr. Matthewson, our cohort of graduate students from California State University Fullerton, didn't simply summarize Baldassare’s thesis and evidence.  We analyzed his claims through our background knowledge, experience, political philosophy, and other contemporary authors.  The synthesis was striking.  By bridging these topics, we found the tools to understand present issues and steps to address them.  

The work of the Western Political Science Association represents the vital link between academics and the health of our communities.  Since 1948, the WPSA has evolved from a traditional regional gathering into a digital-first leader.  Through virtual workshops and its biannual newsletter, The Western, the association facilitates a year-round, global conversation that transcends the limitations of an annual meeting.

This evolution is not just about convenience; it is about the integrity of information.  The peer-review process facilitated by these digital and in-person networks serves as a critical bulwark against the rising tide of misinformation.  By subjecting new findings to the scrutiny of experts and publishers, the WPSA ensures that the political understanding reaching the public is built on a foundation of verified evidence.

The inquiry sparked at a WPSA conference has a powerful ripple effect.  It flows from the panel discussion into the college classroom, and finally, into the public discourse of our towns and cities.  When an educator returns from a workshop with fresh insights on electoral reform or community organizing, they aren't just teaching a syllabus; they are training the next generation of problem-solvers.

This network serves as a reminder that civic scholarship is an active, collaborative pursuit.  It is the practice of leveraging geographic perspectives to understand the places we live with greater clarity.  By prioritizing evidence and curiosity, we gain a clearer, more holistic view of our future.

The WPSA proves that when curiosity is cultivated through evidence-based discussion, it "weaves the worlds together"—specifically, the world of academic theory and the world of practical community life.  It represents a vital pipeline of mentorship for scholars to engage directly with graduate students, who in turn bring fresh, rigorous analysis to the public square.  The beneficiaries of this synergy are the communities who receive the benefits of policies informed by deep evidence rather than political whim.

Participation in conferences cultivated our research skills as graduate students and the knowledge of others in attendance.  The ultimate byproduct of this academic networking is a citizenry that is better equipped to navigate the complexities of public life.  When specialized research is translated into actionable knowledge, it empowers the community to move from being passive spectators of civics life to active, informed participants.

Bibliography 

About Us, www.wpsanet.org/about-us.

Baldassare, Mark.  California in the New Millennium: The Changing Social and Political Landscape.  University of California Press.

Bluma, Jesse.  “Baldassare, Locke, and the 2002 California Primary: Distrust in the Commonwealth.”

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“Minutes Western Political Science Association Annual Membership Business Meeting.”  Western Political Science Association.

Participation in Conferences Advances Civics, Scholarship, and Community

 

Participation in Conferences Advances Civics, Scholarship, and Community 

Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven. All rights reserved.

Scholarly communities evolve and serve as a vital connection between modern research and civic participation.  The Western Political Science Association (WPSA) serves as a primary example of how to cultivate curiosity, discussion, and the problem-solving of issues in our communities for the benefit of everyone.  Headquartered at Portland State University, the WPSA has grown from a localized gathering into one of the largest and most influential political science associations in the United States.  Its mission is to promote the study of government, foster research, and facilitate public affairs discussion. 

Cultivating a Massive Network of Experts.  WPSA conferences provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of the discipline.  Participants share new findings and subject them to critical peer review, a process that is essential for the evolution of political understanding.  Beyond formal panels, the event allows colleagues to reconnect, coordinate collaborative projects, and guide the next generation of scholars.  Attendees have the opportunity to meet directly with publishers and academic organizations, staying at the forefront of new literature.  

For instance, at the WPSA meeting at the Alexis Park Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada a Dissertation Award was presented to Elisabeth Hilbink for “Legalism Against  Democracy.”  Hilbink investigated the judiciary as a neutral arbiter of law and as a political actor.  The dissertation examined how judicial decisions of the Chilean court system impacted the country's political trajectory.  Attending conferences such as this provides students, professors, and the general public with a deeper and more accurate understanding of the world around them.

The work of the Western Political Science Association represents the vital link between academics and the health of our communities.  Whether through the vibrant exchange of an in-person panel, the year-round collaboration of a virtual workshop, or the deep study of scholarly journals, participation in conferences cultivates the modern researcher, student, educator, and citizen.

WPSA members live in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, alongside Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan in Canada.  This composition creates a unique cross-border intellectual culture.  Strategically, this structure allows scholars to examine regional issues, policies, administration  through a collaborative lens that views the West as a shared region rather than a divided map.

Furthermore, the WPSA exerts significant influence through its association with two highly respected journals.  Politics, Groups, and Identities is owned and published directly by the WPSA.  Meanwhile, Political Research Quarterly is an official journal of the association, though it is owned and published by the University of Utah.  Managing the direction of two major journals under one organizational umbrella allows the WPSA to shape the future of political research.  Combined with its biannual newsletter, The Western, the association maintains a consistent, high-impact presence in the global academic conversation.

The evolution of the WPSA from a small 1948 regional gathering into a multi-national, digital-first leader illustrates the changing role of professional associations.  By expanding its geographic reach, embracing digital connectivity, the WPSA has created a model for strong academic community-building.

Ultimately, the inquiry promoted by the WPSA does not stay within the halls of academia; it flows into our classrooms, into our communities, and creates the foundation for a more informed and engaged citizenry.  By attending political science conferences or by joining a political science association, individuals have the opportunity to advance in their careers, participate in public discourse, and make connections with leading scholars.  

Bibliography 

About Us, www.wpsanet.org/about-us.

Google  NotebookLM

Hilbink, Elisabeth.  “Legalism against Democracy: The Political Role of the Judiciary in Chile, 1964-1994.”  University of California, San Diego.

“Minutes Western Political Science Association Annual Membership Business Meeting.”  Western Political Science Association.

The People Overcome the Privateers

The People Overcome the Privateers

Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven. All rights reserved.

Professor Cowen has substantiated the negative impact of school privateers on our communities.  Cowen's book, The Privateers, unearthed the manufactured crisis in education.  As exemplified by careful study, thoughtful analysis, and study of special interests, Cowen breaks the spell of hysteria.

Visit Amazon to purchase your copy of The Privateers by Josh Cowen.

Learning takes teamwork.  Student, parent, guardian, teacher, staff, classmates, and community.  As Dr. Brad Johnson explained, "Teachers, you will be the reason some students will want to become teachers...

...you will also be the reason many others will become successful in different fields, because you cared for them, believed in them and helped them...

...Culture is the sum of our everyday actions, both deliberate and incidental, that shape the environment, relationships, and outcomes within the school."

Visit Amazon to purchase your copy of Empowering Students: Transitioning from Management to Accountability by Brad Johnson.

Anglican cleric John Donne noted, “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main”.  (Meditation XVII, Devotions upon Emergent Occasions)

In other words, living in, supporting, and participating in community strengthens ourselves as well as the religious, business, judicial, educational, and political spheres within our world and much more.  Successful communities, healthy communities, are dependent on a conscious and well-intentioned public.  

"In The Privateers, Josh Cowen lays bare the surprising history of tax-funded school choice programs in the United States and warns of the dangers of education privatization.  A former evaluator of state and local school voucher programs, Cowen demonstrates how, as such programs have expanded in the United States, so too has the evidence-informed case against them. 

 

...Through deliberate policymaking, legislation, and litigation, Cowen reveals, an insular advocacy network has enacted a flawed system for education finance driven largely by dogma" (Harvard Education Press). 

Cowen advocates for transparency in student learning, such as a legal requirement for school entities funded by tax dollars to post their lessons, "admissions criteria, rejection reasons, and annual performance" (Cowen). 

Professor Peter Rowe, in Civic Realism, analyzed the significance of civic engagement and the sustainability of cities.  Rowe exalted a particular city in Italy as a model of strength that stood the test of time through conflicts and emergencies, “Siena and the Piazza del Campo stand out as a place where civic life, civic aspirations, and civic responsibilities have been inscribed indelibly” (Rowe).

In regard to our neighborhood schools, most people are appreciative and kind to their teachers and teachers of their children.  The vast majority of parents support their public schools (Gallup).  Our schools and neighborhoods are characterized by teamwork, yet some individuals insist on school privatization.  Some elites in our society desire a bailout of subprime private and charter schools, despite the will of the people.

 

Visit Amazon to purchase your copy of The Privateers by Josh Cowen.

Listening to understand other perspectives is a great way to have meaningful conversations, to find common ground, and sharpen sensibilities. 

"Josh Cowen, a professor at Michigan State University, has been a voucher researcher for two decades.  The more he studied vouchers, the more he realized that they harm children" (Cowen).  

For instance, Professor Josh Cowen observed the commodification of learning by elites and the donor class.  In spite of this fact, the majority of parents, teachers, and students work together and value teamwork within their public schools.  

Cowen, a former proponent of school vouchers, noted, "Betsy DeVos likes to say that schools shouldn’t be 'one size fits all.'  She’s conceding more than she knows with that analogy because unlike clothing, or a car you can test drive down at the Ford dealer, there’s a real cost to trying a school on and having it fail to fit...

Study after study has shown how harmful school mobility is for kids, both those who actually move between schools and those whose classrooms are full of peers coming in and out...

...The bottom-line: most kids using vouchers didn’t need them to go to private school, and the few kids who actually did use vouchers to transfer sectors schools suffer average test score drops on par with what a once-in-a-generation pandemic did to test scores too" (Cowen).

Visit Amazon to purchase your copy of The Privateers by Josh Cowen.

Most American parents support their public schools (Gallup).  As elections have proven, “[i]ncendiary rhetoric has fallen flat with voters" (Berkshire).  Many candidates have been defeated because of their disingenuous claims about test scores, exaggerations about curriculum, and spread of online urban legends.  Parents and voters know from their own experiences and the facts that school communities are working together, supporting student growth, and development, and there is great pride in our local schools as civic institutions.  

Many students in our neighborhood schools work hard every day.  Along with teachers and staff.  Data show students are doing well, "[c]ontrary to what you may have heard, average student achievement has been increasing for half a century" (Shakeel and Peterson).  Student learning and the experience of a neighborhood school is the result of teamwork, expertise, and hard work.  American students are progressing, growing, and achieving great things, "[i]f we can resist the narrowing of education around flawed statistics and 'smart' researchers, we might be able to (re)prioritize the experience of teachers on the ground" (Education International).

Teaching is an art and a science.  The path to teacher credentialing includes interdisciplinary education, studying the arts, humanities, sciences, child and human development, subject matter competency, pedagogy (study of how to teach), and (practice) student teaching.  Overall, teaching takes great mastery as well as lifelong learning, endurance, and great support.  

Student learning and progress is about teamwork in and outside the classroom.  Good teachers make it look easy.  Parents that volunteer in their local schools or that homeschool understand the challenges as well.  

Unfortunately, elites within school districts, counties, state, and federal government work with the elites in corporations.  The policies born from that political, bureaucratic, and commercial collaboration often divide citizens.  Exemplified by School Privatization, Race to the Top, and Common Core.

Glen Sacks, teacher, explained the desire for school vouchers is "evidence of a student’s and a family’s commitment to education.  Parents understand how important this is.  A recent study of New York City’s public high-school system found parents were more concerned about the quality of a school’s students than the quality of the school itself” (Sacks).

Professor Cowen further cautions against school privatization, "[v]oucher activists pushing an entrepreneurial approach to education don’t talk enough about the consequences of failure.  For example, in Milwaukee, 41% of private schools that ever took tax dollars eventually shut down" (Cowen). 

What works.  According to fact-based studies, parental aspirations for their children have a larger impact on student learning than feedback from teachers, study skills, homework, testing, and teacher education.  Other important factors in school: instructional quality has an impact of 1.00, testing 0.30, teacher education 0.11.  Student characteristics: prior cognitive ability 1.04 and disposition to learn 0.6.  Home influences: parental aspirations for children’s educational achievement .80, home factors .67, home environment (socio-psychological) .57, parent involvement .46, transiency/mobility -0.34 (that is a negative).  Social influences: peer .38 and television -.12 (that is a negative) (Hattie and Anderman, n.d.)  Thus, educational achievement is complex, layered, and much more intricate than simply providing more “choice”.

Visit Amazon to purchase your copy of Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn by John Hattie and Gregory Yates. 

Analyzing the credibility of claims is essential to decipher between policies designed by the elites and experts.  It is an essential citizenship skill to determine if an author provided facts, opinions, highly emotional claims, or propaganda (Purdue).  

Cowen's claims are supported by other experts.  According to Joshua Katz, math teacher in Orange County Public Schools and Assistant Director of Student Involvement at the University of Central Florida, "Our Toxic Culture began with a classic Super Villain Archetype.  Recall any Super Villain, I focus on Syndrome from The Incredibles.  The villain’s plan is to unleash a doom onto the world, and the villain is the only one that can stop it.  Thus gaining all the desired power.

We illogically attempt to compare education to business, we ignore the impact of poverty and hunger, we pay no attention to the non cognitive factors that are realistic predictors and measures of student success, and that way, we can place the blame on the teachers and schools.  And because we have a Toxic Culture of Education, policies, teachers, and schools have accepted accountability for students, including all THOSE students.  We take the blame for a student that has no moral compass.  We take the blame for a student that cannot focus because he hasn’t eaten since yesterday’s lunch.  We take the blame for a student that cannot stay awake in class because she spends her nights on a different couch, depending on which friend takes her in.  When those students don’t “score well”, we get blamed.  And we take it.  We accept it.  Because we love the kids.  We are the only ones protecting them from this Toxic Culture of Education."

Imagine the best learning environment.  Creating that environment is no easy task.  As sociologist Sean F. Reardon explained, “It may seem counterintuitive, but schools don’t seem to produce much of the disparity in test scores between high- and low-income students.  We know this because children from rich and poor families score very differently on school readiness tests when they enter kindergarten, and this gap grows by less than 10 percent between kindergarten and high school.  There is some evidence that achievement gaps between high- and low-income students actually narrow during the nine-month school year, but they widen again in the summer months....

High-income families are increasingly focusing their resources — their money, time and knowledge of what it takes to be successful in school — on their children’s cognitive development and educational success.  They are doing this because educational success is much more important than it used to be, even for the rich" (Reardon).  

Education and improving aspects of our neighborhood schools is challenging with so many stakeholders and various agendas.  Elites, the donor class, and politicians have their own agendas and preferences.  Politicians utilize their networking skills to stay in office, relying upon close relationships with union bosses and educational corporations.  These edu-corporations produce educational materials, textbooks, tests, and standards, and trainings.  School board members are often caught between state and federal mandates, funding changes, and regulations.  

Educator and speaker Harry Wong delineated, “The professional teacher recognizes that the classroom is a complex environment; the most successful teacher is one who is capable of making decisions and solving problems in that environment” (Wong).  

Visit Amazon to purchase your copy of The First Days of School by Harry Wong.

Among the challenges are pop culture, media, drugs, divorce, violence, abuse, neglect, changes in population, learning the language, socio-economics, lack of materials, devices, large class sizes, work load, ever changing standards, unsupportive administrators, unhealthy parents, student behavior and attitude.

School communities are shaped by teamwork.  As educator and speaker Stephen Covey promulgated, first listen to understand.  We must manage our human habits to communicate and be good citizens.  The topic of education is riddled with emotional complexities, such as who is responsible for student learning.  Listening to, reading about, and discussing topics related to education is key to building strong communities and healthy learning environments. 

Professor Cowen utilized his background as an evaluator of school voucher programs to demonstrate how school privateers negatively impact the teamwork of our public school communities.  In The Privateers, Cowen traces the efforts of elite donors, libertarians, high-pressure groups, astroturf organizations, and radical individuals to manufacture a crisis.  

Visit Amazon to purchase your copy of The Privateers by Josh Cowen.

  

As Thomas Friedman also observed, "In recent years, we’ve been treated to reams of op-ed articles about how we need better teachers in our public schools and, if only the teachers’ unions would go away, our kids would score like Singapore’s on the big international tests.  There’s no question that a great teacher can make a huge difference in a student’s achievement, and we need to recruit, train and reward more such teachers.  But here’s what some new studies are also showing: We need better parents.  Parents more focused on their children’s education can also make a huge difference in a student’s achievement" (Friedman).

Selection of students is at the heart of privatized education.  Private schools, voucher schools, charter schools choose students, choose parents, and choose who will stay enrolled.  The admissions and interview process for privatized education can involve the consideration of a student's intelligence quotient (IQ), a student's reading level, the belief system of a student and/or family, family makeup, the sexuality of a student and/or parent, parental engagement, and more.

Public schools are significant to neighborhoods, students, and families.  Although, the sanctity, harmony, and accountability of local schools is undermined by radical billionaires.  As Professor David DeMatthews asserted, "money is more important than evidence when it comes to vouchers...Vouchers are an old policy with a tainted past...Vouchers discriminate...Vouchers fail to raise student achievement...Voucher programs are expensive...No amount of money can change the truth about vouchers--even if that money can buy elections" (DeMatthews).

Specifically, dark money funds the privatization of our schools.  Some of the key players in the school privatization scheme are Eli Broad, Patrick Byrne, Jim Davis, Betsy DeVos, Dick DeVos, Ben Domenech, Robert W. Duggan, Trish Duggan, Bill Gates, David Harsanyi, Mark Hemingway, Mollie Ziegler Hemingway, Charles Koch, David Koch, Mitt Romney, Keith Rupert Murdoch, Elizabeth Uihlein, Richard Ellis Uihlein, the Walton Family Foundation, Curtis Yarvin, Bridget Ziegler, and Christian Ziegler (OpenSecrets).

Inclusion wins.  Our public schools are for all students.  "When it comes to students with disabilities, private schools have more leeway to turn students away.  This is partly because students who choose to attend a private school — including through a voucher program — forfeit their right to a 'free appropriate public education' that they are otherwise guaranteed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" (Donheiser).

Additionally, the dignity of students in our public schools are protected by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR).  The Department of Education "enforces civil rights laws to protect all students from unlawful discrimination and harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age" (U.S. Department of Education). 

Many individuals have had a change of heart.  As individuals listen to understand the issues, it is possible to climb to a mountain peak and see life with a fuller view.  It is possible to move from mere personal preference, support for school privatization, culture war, and disengagement from society to supporting our public schools, promoting cultural unity, active citizenship, healthy parenting, neighborliness, and volunteerism.  

For example, "When Courtney Gore ran for school board in a deep red Texas county, she pledged to root out indoctrination.  But once she got into office, Gore could find no evidence of indoctrination happening in the local schools" (Have You Heard).  Gore now advocates on a platform that consists of the following concepts and leadership beliefs: Partner with Parents, Community Involvement, Take Care of Teachers and Staff, Access to Quality Programs, Plan for Growth, and Transparency" (Gore).

To conserve American culture, nay to build American culture, there must be common ground to proceed as a unified nation.  The majority of voters and parents support their public schools.  Americans have a long tradition of placing a high value on their neighborhood schools.  As Noah Webster, Father of American Scholarship and Education, argued, "In our American republics, where [government] is in the hands of the people, knowlege should be universally diffused by means of public schools.  Of such consequence is it to society, that the people who make laws, should be well informed, that I conceive no Legislature can be justified in neglecting proper establishments for this purpose" (Webster).

Visit Amazon to purchase your copy of The Privateers by Josh Cowen.

Individual dedication and home-to-school partnership is a hallmark of a healthy community.  As evidenced by empirical research, news reports, and personal anecdotes, the vast majority of parents support the schools in their neighborhoods.  To boot, author Josh Cowen "reveals voucher programs as the faulty products of decades of work by wealthy patrons".  We must encourage and support students, teachers, staff, parents, and guardians to get the results that benefit all of us.  That includes being role models, reading with children, supervising media usage, having kitchen table dinner conversations, volunteering, and more.  Ultimately, active citizenship, warm leadership, and a healthy distrust of the donor class will preserve our nation.

Credits

Amazon

Berkshire, Jennifer C.  "Naught for Teacher."

Chenoweth, Karin. "Change of Heart."  Have You Heard. 

Cowen, Josh.  The Privateers.

DeMatthews, David.  "Commentary: Vouchers are the worst education policy money can buy."

Donheiser, Julia.  "Chalkbeat explains: When can private schools discriminate against students?"

Donne, J., Donne, J. and Coffin, C., n.d.  The Complete Poetry And Selected Prose Of John Donne.

Gore, Courtney.  Facebook.

Gallup

Harvard Education Press

Johnson, Brad.  X.

Komatsu, Hikaru and Rappleye, Jeremy.  "Teachers, 'Smart People' and Flawed Statistics: What I want to tell my Dad about PISA Scores and Economic Growth."

Pexels.com, Olia Danilevich.

Ravitch, Diane.  "What About the Kids Who Give Up Their Vouchers?"

Rowe, P., 1997.  Civic Realism.  Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

Shakeel, M. Danish and Peterson, Paul E.  "A Half Century of Student Progress Nationwide." 

U.S. Department of Education

Webster, Noah.  On the Education of Youth in America.