UNDERSTANDING OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION   PART I   BY MARY MCGARR:

 

UNDERSTANDING OUTCOME BASED EDUCATION:  PART I 

Understanding Outcome Based Education and how it is used in the School to Work agenda is not an easy task.  The perpetrators of this agenda have deliberately made it difficult for parents and taxpayers to get their heads around this devious plan to manipulate the minds of children and make them compliant workers.  One must realize that the plan is to not make jobs for the people we have, but instead to make people for the jobs we have.  That is a sea change from what Americans have always known.  The American dream is to pick one's path in life without government interference and to pursue that path without government interference.

In an effort to help with understanding, a friend and I wrote the piece that appears below in June of 1997 (Understanding the Idea of Outcome Based Education and School to Work).  That's a long time ago, and yet the subject matter is still current. The only difference between then and now is that our government is further along in the process of creating compliant workers.  It will never be too late to turn back, but as time passes, turning the tide is much more difficult.

As C. S. Lewis once said,  "We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive."

Count me among those who would like to "turn back."

I realize that some would say I cling too much to the past, but let's look at the past.  Our educational system, which began in Massachusetts with the Boston Latin School established on April 23, 1635  has followed a similar path of acquisition of knowledge in a liberal arts format for centuries. I mention this fact because it's important to realize just how long Americans have had "public" schools and what the intent of them has always been. 

Of interest also is the basis for the curriculum in our "public" schools.  Beginning in the 1680's and continuing well into the 20th century, the main text for students was the New England Primer  One may still buy a copy of this little book.  If one attended a Texas public school, the main entry of the book appeared in the 11th grade English textbook up until the end of the 20th Century. My point is that our country used the same text for hundreds of years as it worked for teachers trying to "educate" students! Think of all the advances in science and mathematics that resulted from this classical academic education that we all used to receive.

Now we get new textbooks every seven years whether we need them or not, and mostly they are full of pretty pictures with no substance. Before long there won't be any textbooks as they will be replaced by software with no substance.  Basic knowledge and information hasn't changed.  It's the add-ons that keep changing. But if one doesn't know and understand the basics, one has no base upon which to build, and information that is not tied to a base is worthless.

The argument is made  (ad nauseam) that students need to "learn how to learn."  That phrase, if one looks at it with a critical eye, is stupid.  If one is learning knowledge, which we all used to do, then we are at the same time "learning how to learn."  The only difference is that one process produces literate human beings and the other produces aimless souls who can't do anything!

The emphasis on "learning" HOW to use the library, or a textbook, or a computer is wasted effort if it's not learned in the context of academic studies.  Any simpleton can figure out how to "use" a computer.  And what one "learns" about a computer today will be of no use in three years because everything one learned will be outdated.  How much better it is to spend time with students teaching them typing, (a necessary and definitive basic skill)  so they can use ANY computer down the road, and teaching them how to read properly so they can use the information they find with that computer.

Outcome Based Education was placed in our school district by Superintendent Hugh Hayes in the early 1990's.  He deliberately prevaricated about whether or not we had it. The board asked him directly if he was putting it in place.  His answer was "No!"  I can also tell you that the board was adamantly against it's being put in place at that time. [Joe Adams was a member of THAT board too!]

When the Board was looking for a replacement for Dr. Hayes in 1995, we asked every candidate if they had OBE in their present school district.  All of their words and writings indicated, at least to me, that they DID have it in place, but if one listened it was obvious, at least to me, that they had  been coached to say what they said and wrote about it. (Remember that the part-time head hunter who brought us our last two superintendents, Bob Thompson, was the Chairman of Commissioner of Education Skip Meno's committee to implement School to Work and Outcome Based Education in the State of Texas!)

Of interest to me is the fact that in 2005, I asked through an open records request, to see the resume for Leonard Merrell. I had saved what I had received initially in 1995, but I needed to know what I could talk about publicly. When I received the documents, there was one sheet that had not been given to me as a board member that was very interesting.  It was a transcript listing of a course credit received  by Dr. Merrell at St. Thomas University in 1992-93 for three hours of "Quality Management of OBE."  I rest my case.