By Linda Murphy

Across the nation and the state, parents have become increasingly aware of the need for their involvement in what is being taught and planned for future implementation in public schools. Highly controversial ideology has been found in particular programs, curriculum and teacher training, and at times, only in a single classroom. Shining the light on the issues involved often brings public awareness. Exposing the problems is necessary before they can be cleaned up and replaced with more productive and widely acceptable programs and plans for education.

Today with our very quick and efficient communications, parents, teachers and all citizens who are involved in working to improve public education are becoming more and more aware of the details surrounding these controversial issues. This is a very positive development. Is it sticky? Is it difficult? Is it sometimes very uncomfortable? Yes, it is all of these things…. but it is necessary.

Every citizen has a “stake” in public education because we pay the taxes that fund our public school system and we are all affected by the success or failure of our schools. An uneducated public will lead to destruction and doom for any society. Our nation’s founders knew that. If you read what Madison, Jefferson and Adams had to say about public education, their wisdom is quite clear and still relevant today. President John Adams wrote the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, where he placed education prominently in the state government. Their Constitution says “wisdom and knowledge . . . diffused generally among the body of the people [are] necessary for the preservation of their rights and liberties. . . it shall be the duty of legislatures and magistrates, in all future periods of this commonwealth, to cherish the . . . public schools.”

It’s in everyone’s best interest to become educated about the issues and become involved in bringing better solutions to their local school district as needed. It is vital to know what is being implemented in your own school. It is not beneficial to make assumptions that radical changes in another district are also happening in yours. It is just as important that we not assume that radical changes “won’t happen in my school.” The best way to help improve education is to find out what is actually being taught in your own local school and join with other citizens who work together to improve education and bring solutions that are widely agreed upon within your community.

Oklahoma has 552 school districts statewide (including Charters), so needless to say they are not all exactly alike. The schools all fall somewhere along the line of three levels of implantation of education plans. The levels are – Traditional, Transitional, and Transformational education. Radical transformation in education is aggressively supported and driven by the Federal government, State government agencies, outside organizations, elected officials, global corporations, billionaire philanthropists, social engineers, community organizers and other influencers, who with money and power are determined to force the radical changes they deem necessary. This powerful alliance is exactly why great numbers of citizens must work together in a strong “grassroots” network to retain and/or regain our proper role in representative government, including local schools where we elect school boards.

The Agenda for Equal Outcomes

My own experience in becoming aware of the radical political education agenda began several years ago with the federal government’s plan to move all public education into what is called the “Transformational” level of Outcomes Based Education (OBE). OBE requires all students to achieve “equal outcomes” thus everything in the school focuses on that goal including the “accountability” system. Outcomes are measured by a narrow set of benchmarked performance standards, with the resulting student and teacher data entered into computer bases for future planning of education and the economy. OBE philosophy is a “paradigm shift” because it flips the mission of schools from “Traditional” education goals, which provide an “equal opportunity” for an academic education for all student to a “Transformational” mission requiring teachers to obtain “equal outcomes” for ALL students. Many people today recognize this same socialist redistribution ideology in Common Core and other education programs.

Oklahoma State Department of Education’s spokesman told citizens in a townhall meeting in 1993 that OBE is “What students will Know... Do…. And Be Like.” That was a frightening statement and it proved to be true. OBE encompasses the “whole child,” including their future work “what they will do” and their attitudes, values and beliefs “what they will be like.”

Dr. William Spady, a sociologist, was the Director of the Federal Government’s Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development, where he became known as “the Father of Outcomes Based Education.” In the early 90s, Spady came to Oklahoma and several other states to implement OBE. The education changes he incorporated into OBE included radical transformational ideology, which has been carried forward and repackaged today, as noted by education scholars. Spady wrote in “Outcome-Based Education: Critical Issues and Answers.” That the OBE opponents objected to “New Age” philosophical influences and practices in public schools and to “diluting the traditional emphasis on individual excellence for the purpose of an unjustified emphasis on egalitarianism” (now called equity). Yes…. that’s right…. MOST Oklahomans STILL object to those radical “Transformational” changes. Here are some of the current programs creating opposition and controversy in schools.

DEI – Diversity Equity Inclusion

Today a radical transformation program is being pushed through the “nice sounding” labels of diversity, equity and inclusion – DEI. But…… this Transformational level DEI is not what we would think of traditionally. Some school administrators have intentional determined to push this DEI transformation. Others have used the words diversity, equity or inclusion in their policy, mission statement or vision statement. This DEI language is used by some without knowing they are planting the seeds for something to grow, which is not at all what they envision.

Transformational DEI policy is enforced with activist style training for teachers who are directed to “confront” others when they see or hear what they believe is “racist” actions or language. This is putting radical activism developed by Marxists into practice or praxis within the school. I have seen a video of teacher training for Transformational DEI in Norman Public Schools. The Norman School director instructed the staff on how to change themselves to continually strive to meet the radical goals for “growth” in complying with the DEI policy. She used the extreme ideology of CRT – Critical Race Theory and the corresponding race work of Ibram X Kendi, author of “How to be an Antiracist” and “Antiracist Baby.” Of course, NO ONE wants to be a racist, so opposing this training automatically puts the teacher in a very hard position.

DEI is used to radically transform what backers call the “rights” of the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Queer) community. This includes their choice of Gender Identity, pronouns and restrooms regardless of biological sex. DEI is used to push services for transgender students and nonbinary training, which removes gender identity to leave the students “free” to decide. University’s have encouraged critical studies which have produced about 12 years of work to back-up what they call “evidence based” research for “Queer Theory.” Queer Theory is centered on a belief that babies are not born with set sexuality and gender but those “identities” are “constructed” by society.

The Oppressed and the Oppressor

If you are following along, you can see where this all fits into the mentality or belief system of identifying as either an oppressed person or being an oppressor. Anything that fits into the “norms” or “values” of the predominate culture we all grew up in needs to be overthrown in order to liberate the oppressed. This “mindset” goes on and on extending to every facet of our lives. The radicals pushing the agenda and those ignorantly helping it along sometimes say they are viewing education through an “equity lens.”

DEI ideology is integrated into the Transformational level Social Emotional Learning – SEL. This transformational SEL is led largely by CASEL – Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. CASEL’s board member, Linda Darling Hammond has written that “America’s Commitment to Equity will Determine our Future.” In 2006, she was named one of the nation’s ten most influential people affecting educational policy. She led the Obama education policy transition team in 2008 and the Biden education transition team in 2020.

These extreme ideas have been integrated into library books and other curriculum. This has even extended down to birth where books deemed appropriate to meet DEI transformational goals are read to babies in Early Childhood settings. The Oklahoma Department of Human Services oversees Early Childhood Centers, which are required to be accredited. Some of those on the list accrediting agencies are requiring that DEI books be displayed for the young children.

Remember… don’t assume what your school is doing... find out… learn what is being taught. Then thank, praise and reward those teachers and administrators who do not override parental rights and community norms. They need our support while we expose the problems where they do exist.

Linda Murphy was Oklahoma Governor Keating’s Education Advisor, Deputy Commissioner of Labor for Workforce Education and Training, Administrator of the Eastern Oklahoma Department of Labor, Member of the State Job Training Coordinating Council, and the Governor’s School-to-Work Council. She was a candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1994, 1998 and 2018. Murphy was appointed by Governor Keating as Secretary of Education, but was denied confirmation by the majority Democrat Education Committee, following her 49.5% statewide vote in 1994. She also served on the Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women. She is Chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party’s Committee on Education . You may contact Linda at: lindalearn1@yahoo.com