Why is our school system failing? Our children lag far behind their international peers academically and it seems that morally, we are sinking further into the quagmire all the time. And now, even the most basic tenet is being threatened - our children's safety.

When things go wrong, the tendency is to try to assign blame. There are some groups that attribute this sad state of affairs to alleged anti-God attitudes, they say prevail in the government schools.

Historically, our schools were founded on religion. From the 1620s to the 1840s, most American schools were independent of colonial, local, state and national governments. The Separation of School and State Alliance reported that:

"Now, after 150 years of tax-financed schooling, we are seeing more and more children failing to grow into responsible, caring, competent adults. A movement is growing to reclaim the American tradition of family responsibility in education by returning to the separation of school and state."

Bibles used to be in the classrooms and the Ten Commandments were posted in many a school hall. In 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court declared a prayer constituted an unlawful expression of religion. In 1963, bibles were removed from the classrooms.

Before you use your backspace on your browser, let me share some rather provocative information. I came across some communications from a few groups trying to raise consciousness about this subject. Clearly, they are proposing that there is a link between lack of religion and the decline in moral behavior (and academic standards) and increase in violence among our children. Whether you agree with their premise or not, many of the facts they present are real and worth sharing.

The statistics presented in their "case" correlate with research I had done for previously published articles on this website (see: Education - The Trends are Not Encouraging, http://www.shesgotittogether.com/shes_ffd18.shtml).

For instance, in a test of 4th graders, the U.S. scored 19th in math - only Cypress and South Africa had lower scores. This would have been worse, incidentally, if Asian countries, which tend to score much higher, had participated in this study.

What about the gifted program - isn't that competitive?

It may be a step above the U.S. standard, but our gifted students are still not competing with their foreign peers. In comparing our gifted students with gifted students from other countries -- in advanced math, the U.S. ranked 15th of 16 countries and in advanced physics - we were at the bottom.

Reform efforts try to throw more money at the problem, but oddly enough, a higher expenditure per student does not correlate to better academic success. The most profound example is Washington DC, which at $8,290 per student, is the "biggest spender." Why then do they have the highest drop out rate and rank near the bottom for competency and efficiency?

From materials provided by Exodus 2000: "There is no biblical foundation. It is the "me" generation and anything goes. Tolerance is the supreme value now. Kids are lost and floundering. There is no restraint. They have turned away from God and are engaging in sex, violence and other amoral activities. Schools are morally and physically unsafe today."

Their opinion is that once God was suspended from school, religion did not really cease to exist, but changed to one of "humanism." Humanism refers to an individual's ability and right to discern good and evil for himself and make choices and decisions apart from God. Their opinion is that this is anti-God and therefore, "pagan."

These groups want to put the schools back into the hands of the parents - and God. They are worried that parents have less and less to say about the knowledge and values being imparted to their children, since the government is in control.

Interviews on this subject have been broadcast on 630 radio stations and 550 TV stations. E. Ray Moore, Jr., Director of Exodus 2000 called attention to recent reporting on his campaign in USA Today and in Christianity Today. He said: "This mainstream coverage shows the depth of parental concern over the abject failure of public schools."

In addition, there are concerns about the way sex education is taught, the editing of textbooks, and other self-serving agendas that are seeping into the public school system.

They have published information, that claims sex education in schools teaches children "it's okay to engage in sex at an early age." The information, they claim, is neither accurate nor age-appropriate. In addition, they have found "grievous omissions" from the text books being used today. They point to a committee, which was appointed to draft history guidelines for public schools. These guidelines exclude historical figures like Paul Revere, many war heroes and great inventors, yet include information on "feminist leaders"…

They also point to the double tragedy of children that "fall through the cracks" of the system. Children are promoted to the next grade even when they are not prepared for it - this is called "social promotion." This then results in the "dumbing down" of the curriculum, as these students drag the rest of the class down to a lower standard. [This is a well-known fact that has been reported by many reputable sources - not just this group. In fact, there is legislation being considered in some states that would eliminate, at least, the social promotions.]

There's more. They are also worried about what they call "the homosexual and lesbian agendas." In a videotape titled: "Let My Children Go," created by Exodus 2000, teachers marched down the streets of San Francisco shouting: "We are queer, we are gay, we are in the PTA…"

The tape reported another chilling example…

On Valentines Day in a New England elementary school, the Lesbian Avengers gained access to the school and distributed candy and valentines to six to 11 year-old girls. The cards read: "Some girls will grow up to love boys and some girls will grow up to love girls and that's okay. Happy Valentine's Day!"

This group felt very justified in doing this and said they wanted to go in and interrupt the day, get the word out and force them to look at the issue!

Beyond the academic decline and the spiritual and morality dilemma is the increasing fear all parents share concerning our children's safety. The string of recent tragedies has shaken us all. They are not limited to high schools and they are not confined to "rough neighborhoods." The violence could happen anywhere and to anyone. We are all vulnerable.

This is not to say that it will never happen at a private school, but generally, in smaller private schools, there is closer contact between the faculty and students (due to smaller numbers for one thing) and there is more discipline. In religious schools, there is also a higher moral code at work.

Isn't it sad that some schools have to resort to metal detectors and armed guards to maintain some level of safety for our children? What can we do?

This is not to say that public schools are evil. Many schools (my area included) are excellent. The teachers are experienced and caring and the community is very supportive. The parents are involved, which is always a major plus for any school.

I think what these groups are saying is that the system is just not working - there may be many wonderful people involved, but the system itself is failing. I don't think there would be too much argument with the conclusion that there are some serious problems that need to be rectified - and ASAP.

E.D. Hirsch, Jr., author of The Schools We Need and Why We Don't Have Them, wrote in his book: "American schools need to be transformed, and to accomplish that, many ideas need to be repudiated. The enemy is not the teachers; it is the controlling system of ideas that currently prevents needed changes from being made…A child's mind is hungry for knowledge, stimulation and the excitement of learning. A child's school should provide these things, but most American schools do not…"

The Exodus campaign points to a lack of spiritual values and biblical principals as the reason for the problems. I can accept this to a degree, but also understand that this becomes difficult - if not impossible -- to rectify with individual faiths and beliefs.

The Separation of School and State Alliance would like government to get out of education and put it in the hands of parents, teachers, churches and businesses. Parents would be able to pay for the school of their choice by using money saved from their reduced taxes… The results of a national survey showed one out of four parents would support this - but the number jumped to 57% when they were told that there would be enough private scholarships to assist the poor and disadvantaged students to also go to better schools.

Exodus 2000's goal is to mobilize families to either place their children in religious schools or homeschool them. Their research has shown that children are turning away from God in droves and say one hour of Sunday School cannot offset the 30 hours of "humanistic education" they receive during the week.

So what do you conclude? I think this information raises some good points and I agree that parents should have much more control over their children's education than they do now, but should we abandon the whole deal? What will that really achieve?

I think that if we had more control and could elect to have part of our tax dollars go to another school of choice (another public school, a charter school, or private school), we would have more flexibility, better options and more influence over our children's education. If such a program were provided, it would motivate the public schools to reform in order to be competitive and retain their students - and their budget dollars.

When forward-thinking political leaders have tried to pass such legislation, it is always met with extreme opposition, but certain governors are beginning to break through…

Personally, our family tried the public school system for the first time ever this year. The schools are "exemplary" here, unfortunately, my daughter was used to smaller classes and more individualized attention from being in private school. (Where we lived before, public schools were not an option) She was very stressed in the environment, so I was forced to move her to a private school, which happens to be a Christian school. The academics are a full grade level (at least) ahead of the public school, but even that pressure is not stressing her. She says she likes it that God is in her books and that she can pray when she wants to - and I like that too. What I don't like is having to pay high tax dollars for schools I'm not even using and pay for tuition for my children (my youngest is in Montessori school).

How I wish I could at least get a "tax break" to help reduce our tuition costs!

I have not turned my back on the public school here, but these are the choices I have had to make for my children this year, even though, financially, it is a big squeeze…

As a final note, let me say that I feel compelled to pass on relevant information with readers as I come across it - no matter what the subject matter. Sometimes, the opinions or philosophies may be ones that you (or I) agree with in part - or disagree with vehemently. If something catches my interest, I dig into it, examine it and then share it with you. It is up to every individual to consider it, research it, or discard it according to her own beliefs and opinions. My intention is never to offend or attack anyone, only to share information mom to mom.

What do you think? What schools are you using? Would you choose another one if you felt you had the flexibility to do so? Do you have any ideas on how we can improve the state of affairs? We certainly don't want our children to be unable to compete in the world, nor do we want them to be morally or spiritually bankrupt - or have to fear for their safety at school…let's share some ideas!

For more information about the material in this column:

www.frc.org/issues/educatemain.html (for information on legislation concerning education, etc.)
www.sepschool.org
www.exodus2000.org