What does Diversity mean to you? Same-sex marriage? Building a giant mosque on the 9/11 spot in New York? Elena Kagan on the Supreme Court?
To the largest teachers union, the National Education Association (NEA), diversity means celebrating the anniversary of the Communist takeover of China by Mao Zedong. The NEA posted this on its websitecalendar as a Diversity Event for October 1.
Thankfully, we live in a wonderful era when parents, Tea Partiers, conservatives, and students can rapidly spread the news ignored by the mainstream media. After this activity suggestion for teachers was reported on WorldNetDaily, the Mao calendar item disappeared (without comment) from the NEA’s website.
It’s hard to make sense out of the fascination that liberals have with Mao, who is known to history as the champion murderer of all time. Barack Obama’s Communications Czar, Anita Dunn, called him one of her two “favorite political philosophers.”
We thought Anita was thrown under the bus after that embarrassment became public, but now she’s back with an assignment from the Obama Administration to convince the American people that we really like Obamacare after all. The celebrity heads of this taxpayer-funded propaganda project are former Senator Tom Daschle and Ted Kennedy’s widow Victoria.
Anita is unlikely to succeed in this effort, but the NEA will still be working and spending political money to force national health care onus. That’s just one of scores of leftwing policies approved at the NEA’s annual convention in New Orleans this summer so that the NEA’s highly-paid staff can lobby for legislation the NEA wants and shovel out money to candidates who support NEA policies.
The NEA was the number one big spender in federal and state political campaigns and ballot measures in the 2007-2008 election cycle, according to a comprehensive analysis compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics and the National Institute on Money in State Politics. The NEA spent $56.3 million, more than any other big-bucks donor.
The NEA’s political contributions go 95 percent to Democratic candidates or to promote leftist ballot issues. Teachers, who pay hundreds of dollars in annual dues to national, state and local affiliates, have no control over the NEA’s political advocacy or endorsement of candidates.
Teachers in 28 states risk losing their jobs if they refuse to join a union. Some employees are forced to pay dues even if they don’t join a union.
The NEA’s Legislative Program that was adopted at the 2010 Convention in New Orleans sets forth the marching orders for NEA lobbyists and the authority for political donations. Here are some of the NEA’s major objectives:
- Mandatory full-day kindergarten attendance for all children, with federal money if the state can’t afford it
- Substantial increases in federal education funding
- Repeal of the right-to-work provision of federal labor law
- A tax-supported, single-payer health care plan for all residents of the U.S., its territories, and Puerto Rico
- Federal funding for the education of illegal aliens
- Federal programs to teach schoolchildren about different sexual orientations
- Legislation to prohibit religious organizations that accept federalfunding from basing hiring decisions on religion, sexual orientation,gender identity and expression, or HIV/AIDS status
- Affirmative action to redress historical patterns of discrimination
- Legislation to study possible reparations to African Americans to address residual effects of slavery
- Statehood for the District of Columbia
- Opposition to tuition tax credits, vouchers, and parental option or “choice” in education programs
- Opposition to denying student aid to illegal alien college students
- Opposition to using draft registration as an eligibility criterion for financial aid
- Opposition to the testing of teachers as a criterion for job retention, promotion, tenure, or salary increases
- Opposition to legislation that denies illegal aliens’ access to public schools
- Opposition to designating English as the official language of the United States
- Opposition to the use of voter ID cards for voting in local, state, and national elections
- Opposition to privatization of Social Security
- Opposition to any constitutional amendment limiting taxes or the federal budget
These legislative goals are only a small part of the mischief endorsed at the NEA’s annual convention. The NEA convention passed many pro-homosexual, pro-feminist, pro-abortion, and anti-parent resolutions.
The NEA’s leftwing bias is also obvious in its resolutions calling forpublic school curricula to include multiculturalism, globalism, environmentalism, diversity, AIDS, sexual orientation, self-esteem, racism, school-to-work, immigration, gun control, suicide, peace, and the United Nations. And the NEA is also seeking funding for programs for children “from birth through age eight.”
When will parents wake up to who is running the public schools?
Some NEA Resolutions Passed at the 2010 Convention in New Orleans
A-14. Financial Support of Public Education. The Association believes that:
- Funds must be provided for programs to alleviate race, gender, and sexual orientation discrimination and to eliminate portrayal of race, gender, sexual orientation and gender identification stereotypes in the public schools.
- Full-day, every day kindergarten programs should be fully funded.
- Federal, state, and, as appropriate, local governments should provide funds sufficient to make pre-kindergarten available for all three- and four-year-old children.
A-25. Voucher Plans and Tuition Tax Credits. The Association opposes voucher plans, tuition tax credits, or other such funding arrangements that pay for students to attend sectarian schools. The Association also believes that any private school or agency that receives public funding through voucher plans, tax credits, or other funding/financial arrangements must be subject to all accountability measures and regulations required of public schools.
A-34. Federally or State-Mandated Choice/Parental Option Plans. The Association believes that federally or state-mandated parental option or choice plans compromise free, equitable, universal, and quality public education for every student. Therefore, the Association opposes such federally or state-mandated choice or parental option plans.
B-1. Early Childhood Education. The National Education Association supports early childhood education programs in the public schools for children from birth through age eight. The Association also supports a high-quality program of transition from home and/or preschool to the public kindergarten or first grade. The Association also believes that early childhood education programs should include a full continuum of services for parents/guardians and children, including child-care, child development, developmentally appropriate and diversity-based curricula, special education, and appropriate bias-free screening devices. The Association believes that federal legislation should be enacted to assist in organizing the implementation of fully funded early childhood education programs offered through the public schools. These programs must be available to all children on an equal basis and should include mandatory kindergarten with compulsory attendance.
B-12. Diversity. The National Education Association believes that similarities and differences among race, ethnicity, color, national origin, language, geographic location, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, age, physical ability, size, occupation, and marital, parental, or economic status form the fabric of a society. The Association also believes that education should foster the values of appreciation and acceptance of the various qualities that pertain to people as individuals and as members of diverse populations.
B-13. Racial Diversity Within Student Populations. The Association believes that to achieve or maintain racial diversity, it may be necessary for elementary/secondary schools, colleges, and universities to take race into account in making decisions as to student admissions, assignments, and/or transfers.
B-14. Racism, Sexism, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identification Discrimination. Discrimination and stereotyping based on such factors as race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, disability, ethnicity, immigration status, occupation, and religion must be eliminated. The Association also believes that these factors should not affect the legal rights and obligations of the partners in a legally recognized domestic partnership, civil union, or marriage in regard to matters involving the other partner, such as medical decisions, taxes, inheritance, adoption, and immigration.
B-24. Education of Refugee and Undocumented Children and Children of Undocumented Immigrants. The Association supports access for undocumented students to financial aid and in-state tuition to state colleges and universities. The Association further believes that students who have resided in the United States for at least five years at the time of high school graduation should be granted legal residency status, and allowed to apply for U.S. citizenship.
B-30. Educational Programs for English Language Learners. The Association believes that ELL students should be placed in bilingual education programs to receive instruction in their native language from qualified teachers until such time as English proficiency is achieved.
B-39. Multicultural Education. The National Education Association believes that multiculturalism is the process of valuing differences and incorporating the values identified into behavior for the goal of achieving the common good. Multicultural education should promote the recognition of individual and group differences and similarities in order to reduce racism, homophobia, ethnic and all other forms of prejudice, and discrimination and to develop self-esteem as well as respect for others.
B-40. Global Education. The National Education Association believes that global education imparts an appreciation of our interdependency in sharing the world’s resources to meet mutual human needs.
B-48. Family Life Education. The Association believes that programs should be established for both students and parents/guardians and supported at all educational levels to promote –
- The development of self-esteem
- An understanding of societal issues and problems related to children, spouses, parents/guardians, domestic partners, older generation family members, and other family members.
The Association also believes that education in these areas must be presented as part of an antibiased, culturally sensitive program.
B-49. Environmental Education. The Association supports educational programs that promote –
- An awareness of the effects of past, present, and future population growth patterns on world civilization, human survival, and the environment
- Solutions to environmental problems such as nonrenewable resource depletion, pollution, global warming, ozone depletion, and acid precipitation and deposition
- The recognition of and participation in such activities as Earth Day.
B-51. Sex Education. The Association recognizes that the public school must assume an increasingly important role in providing the instruction. Teachers and health professionals must be qualified to teach in this area and must be legally protected from censorship and lawsuits. The Association also believes that to facilitate the realization of human potential, it is the right of every individual to live in an environment of freely available information and knowledge about sexuality and encourages affiliates and members to support appropriately established sex education programs. Such programs should include information on sexual abstinence, birth control, family planning, diversity of culture and diversity of sexual orientation and gender identification, sexually transmitted diseases, incest, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and homophobia.
B-60. Education on Peace and International Understanding. The National Education Association believes that educational strategies for teaching peace and justice issues should include the role of individuals, social movements, international and nongovernmental organizations. The Association also believes that educational materials should include activities dealing with the effects of nuclear weaponry and other weapons of mass destruction, strategies for disarmament, and methods to achieve peace. Such curricular materials should also cover major contributing factors to conflict, such as economic disparity, demographic variables, unequal political power and resource distribution, and the indebtedness of the developing world.
B-82. Home Schooling. The National Education Association believes that home schooling programs based on parental choice cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience. When home schooling occurs, students enrolled must meet all state curricular requirements, including the taking and passing of assessments to ensure adequate academic progress. Home schooling should be limited to the children of the immediate family, with all expenses being borne by the parents/guardians. Instruction should be by persons who are licensed by the appropriate state education licensure agency, and a curriculum approved by the state department of education should be used.
The Association also believes that home-schooled students should not participate in any extracurricular activities in the public schools.
C-15. Extremist Groups. The National Education Association condemns the philosophy and practices of extremist groups and urges active opposition to all such movements that are inimical to the ideals of the Association.
C-24. Comprehensive School Health, Social, and Psychological Programs and Services. The National Education Association believes that every child should have direct and confidential access to comprehensive health, social, and psychological programs and services. The Association believes that schools should provide —
- A planned, sequential health education curriculum for pre-K through adult education that integrates various health topics (such as drug abuse, the dangers of performance-enhancing dietary herbal supplements, violence, safety issues, universal precautions, and HIV education)
- Counseling programs that provide developmental guidance and broad-based interventions and referrals
- Comprehensive school-based, community-funded student health care clinics that provide basic physical and mental health, and health care services (which may include diagnosis and treatment)
- If deemed appropriate by local choice, family-planning counseling and access to birth control methods with instruction in their use.
C-25. School Guidance and Counseling Programs. The National Education Association believes that guidance and counseling programs should be integrated into the entire education system, pre-K through higher education.
C-30. Student Sexual Orientation and Gender Identification. The National Education Association believes that all persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identification, should be afforded equal opportunity and guaranteed a safe and inclusive environment within the public education system. The Association also believes that, for students who are struggling with their sexual orientation or gender identification, every school district and educational institution should provide counseling services and programs that deal with high suicide and dropout rates and the high incidence of teen prostitution.
C-31. Suicide Prevention Programs. The National Education Association believes that suicide prevention programs including prevention, intervention, and postvention must be developed and implemented. The Association urges its affiliates to ensure that these programs are an integral part of the school program.
E-3. Selection and Challenges of Materials and Teaching Techniques. The Association deplores prepublishing censorship, book-burning crusades, and attempts to ban books from school library media centers and school curricula.
F-2. Pay Equity/Comparable Worth. The “market value” means of establishing pay cannot be the final determinant of pay scales since it too frequently reflects the race and sex bias in our society.
H-1. The Education Employee as a Citizen. The Association urges its members to become politically involved and to support the political action committees of the Association and its affiliates.
H-7. National Health Care Policy. The National Education Association believes that affordable, comprehensive health care, including prescription drug coverage, is the right of every resident. The Association supports the adoption of a single-payer health care plan for all residents of the United States, its territories, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
H-11. Statehood for the District of Columbia. The Association supports efforts to achieve statehood for the District of Columbia.
I-1. Peace and International Relations. The Association urges all nations to develop treaties and disarmament agreements that reduce the possibility of war. The Association also believes that such treaties and agreements should prevent the placement of weapons in outer space. The Association believes that the United Nations furthers world peace and promotes the rights of all people by preventing war, racism, and genocide.
I-2. International Court of Justice. The Association urges participation by the United States in deliberations before the court.
I-3. International Criminal Court. The Association believes that the United States should ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and recognize and support its authority and jurisdiction.
I-9. Global Climate Change. The Association believes that humans must take steps to change activities that contribute to global climate change.
I-12. Human Rights. The National Education Association believes that the governments of all nations must respect and protect equal access to education as embodied in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
I-17. Family Planning. The National Education Association supports family planning, including the right to reproductive freedom. The Association also urges the implementation of community-operated, school-based family planning clinics that will provide intensive counseling by trained personnel.
I-22. Immigration. The Association opposes any immigration policy that denies educational opportunities to immigrants and their children regardless of their immigration status.
I-33. Freedom of Religion. The Association opposes any federal legislation or mandate that would require school districts to schedule a moment of silence.
I-34. Gun-free Schools and the Regulation of Deadly Weapons. The Association believes that strict prescriptive regulations are necessary for the manufacture, importation, distribution, sale and resale of handguns and ammunition magazines. A mandatory background check and a mandatory waiting period should occur prior to the sale of all firearms.
I-47. Elimination of Discrimination. The National Education Association is committed to the elimination of discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity, economic status, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification, age, and all other forms of discrimination. The Association encourages its members and all other members of the educational community to engage in courageous conversations in order to examine assumptions, prejudices, discriminatory practices, and their effects.
I-58. Linguistic Diversity. The Association believes that efforts to legislate English as the official language disregard cultural pluralism; deprive those in need of education, social services, and employment; and must be challenged.
I-61. Equal Opportunity for Women. The Association supports an amendment to the U.S. Constitution (such as the Equal Rights Amendment). The Association urges its affiliates to support ratification of such an amendment. The Association also supports the enactment and full funding of the Women’s Educational Equity Act. The Association endorses the use of nonsexist language.
The above text is excerpted from NEA resolutions adopted at the 2010 NEA Convention. Much language has been omitted, but no words have been changed, added, or put out of order.
