Organizations Undermining Pluralist
Modern Public EducationAmerican Center for Law and Justice
PO Box 64429, Virginia Beach, VA 23467,(757) 226-2489
Legal action in support of Christian principles. Founded by Pat Robertson in
1990 as a "public interest law firm dedicated to the promotion of pro-liberty,
pro-life and pro-family causes." Provides legal support for students or parents
challenging church/state separation in public schools.
Association of American Educators
26012 Marguerite Parkway, PO Box 333, Mission Viejo, CA 92692, (800) 704-7799
A conservative teachers association that bills itself as an alternative to
the NEA. Based on its own annual survey, the membership supports charter schools,
merit pay and national testing. Publishes a monthly newsletter Education
Matters.
Bradley Foundation
777 E. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 2345, Milwaukee, WI 53202, (414) 291-9915
Milwaukee-based foundation with assets of $461 million. Leading funder of conservative
and ultra-conservative causes. Has poured millions of dollars into voucher
initiatives. Since 1992 the foundation has awarded $5.8 million to Parents
Advancing Values in Education, a Milwaukee group that provides partial vouchers
to students at religious schools.
Center For Education Reform
1001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 920, Washington, DC 20036, (202)822-9000
President Jeanne Allen formerly with the Heritage Foundation. Advocates of
school "choice." Produces action papers and information packets. Monitors legislation.
In 1993, the Center held a town meeting in Detroit for public education around
charter schools. Published The School Reform Handbook in 1995.
Center for Creation Research
PO Box 2667, El Cajon, CA 92021-0667, (619) 448-0900
Distributes literature and videos to pastors and teachers who want to show
that "the real data of modern science agrees with the Bible and...the discoveries
of evolutionists point to God and creation."
Center For
Equal Opportunity/ Equal Opportunity Foundation
815 15th St., NW, Ste. 928, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 639-0803
President Linda Chavez has been a pivotal figure in the attacks on bilingual
education and immigrant rights, and affirmative action. Publications include: The
Failure of Bilingual Education and Strangers at the Gates: Immigration
in the 1990s and The American Experiment, a quarterly periodical.
Center For Rebuilding America's Schools
800 E. Northwest Highway, Suite 1080, Palatine, IL 60067, (847)202-3060
Think-tank focused on "school choice." Advocates vouchers for private/religious
schools. Formerly a project of the Heartland Institute, a right-wing think-tank,
but now incorporated separately.
Chalcedon
PO Box 158, Vallecito, CA 95251,(770)396-0965
Leading think tank of the Christian Right, run by R.J. Rushdoony, the
father of Christian Reconstructionism and an early advocate of the
Christian School movement.
Citizens for Excellence
in Education
See National Association of Christian Educators.
Concerned Women for
America
1015 15th St., NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20005, (800) 458-8797
CWA is the nation's largest conservative Christian women's organization with
chapters in 50 states. Led by Beverly LaHaye, it considers high levels of defense
spending and aggressive anti-communism to be integral to defending traditional
family values. Plays an active role in attacking the National Education Association
and the Department of Education and opposes sex education in the schools. Publishes Family
Voice. In addition, LaHaye has a half-hour daily radio show which reaches
an estimated audience of 500,000.
Creation Science Ministries
PO Box 6330, Florence, KY 41022, (800) 350-3232
Publishes Creation magazine. Hosts seminars. Ken Ham of the Center for
Creation Research joined with Australia's Creation Science Foundation to start
the group devoted to "the urgent task of spreading the creation message."
Eagle
Forum
PO Box 618, Alton, IL 62002,(618) 462-5415
Founded and led by Phyllis Schlafly, its best known campaign was against the
ERA. Anti-feminist. Opposes comprehensive sexuality education. Publishes the
newsletter, Eagle Forum. The Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense
Fund publishes Education Reporter.
Education Research
Analysts
PO Box 7518, Longview, TX 75607, (903) 753-5993
Run by Mel and Norma Gabler who claim to have the "world's largest textbook
review library." Reviews Texas school textbooks for signs of liberal permissiveness,
anti-patriotic statements or other ideas that threaten the "American Way of
Life." Used as a resource by many religious conservative groups. The Gablers
are the authors, with J. Hefley, of What Are They Teaching Our Children? (1985),
a widely touted book that is highly critical of the "secular humanistic" influence
on American public education.
Educational Guidance Institute
927 S. Walter Reed Drive, Suite 4, Arlington, VA 22204
Opposes comprehensive sexuality education. On the steering committee is Onalee
McGraw, Ph.D. who once edited Education Update for the Heritage Foundation.
McGraw argued in one Heritage pamphlet, Secular Humanism and the Schools:
The Issue Whose Time Has Come, that the religion of secular humanism was
destroying public education and lowering SAT scores.
English First
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151 (703) 321-8818
Founded in 1986, seeks to pass English Only amendments at the state and federal
levels. Considered politically to the right of US English. Home to Larry Pratt
(Gun Owners of America, the Council for Inter-American Security, US Border
Control and the [anti-choice] Committee to Protect the Family, Pat Buchanan's
1996 presidential bid.) Their strategy is to move all 50 state legislatures
to pass English Only laws in order to ratify an amendment to the US Constitution.
English Language Advocates
1601 N. Kent Street, Suite 110, Rosslyn, VA 22209, (703)816-8821
A not-for-profit advocacy organization that supports making English the official
language of the United States. Connected to US English and English First.
Educational Guidance Institute
927 S. Walter Reed Drive, Suite 4, Arlington, VA 22204, (703)558-3000
Opposes comprehensive sexuality education. On the steering committee is Onalee
McGraw, who once edited Education Update for the Heritage Foundation. McGraw
argued in one Heritage pamphlet, Secular Humanism and the Schools: The Issue
Whose Time Has Come, that the religion of secular humanism was destroying
public education and lowering SAT scores.
Family Life Seminars
PO Box 2700, Washington, DC 20013, (703)830-4898
Led by Tim LaHaye, a former leader of Moral Majority and the Council for National
Policy. Opposed to Secular Humanism.
Focus on the Family
Colorado Springs, CO 80995,(719) 531-3400
One of the largest and most visible conservative Christian organizations. Founded
and led by family counselor James Dobson, Ph.D. Seeks to defend family, faith
and traditional values. Originally based in Pomona, California. With a reported
1995 budget of $101 million, Focus has 10 radio stations, several books, and
twelve magazines, including Teachers in Focus. Dobson has a large audience
for his syndicated radio programs.
Golden Rule Insurance Company
Golden Rule Building, 7440 Woodland Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46278, (317)297-4123
CEO J. Patrick Rooney is a major funder of conservative causes, including GOPAC, "vouchers" for
private school tuition and medical savings accounts.
Heritage Foundation
214 Massachusetts Ave., NE, Washington, DC 20002,(202) 608-6136
One of the most influential conservative think tanks in the country. Founded
in 1973 to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on principles
of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American
values, and a strong national defense. Has published numerous papers in support
of school choice, vouchers, and privatization; for example: Real Education
Reform for the 1990s.
Hudson Institute
5395 Emerson Way, Indianapolis, IN 46226, (317)545-1000
Headquartered in Indianapolis with offices in Washington, DC, Madison, WI and
Lansing, MI and Canada and Belgium. This conservative think tank publishes
reports on the negative effects of "governmentalism" on welfare, education,
finance and other topics. Touts the thinking of Ron Unz, Chester Finn and other
education conservatives. Coordinates the Education Excellence Network and co-sponsors
the National Commission on Philanthropy and Civic Renewal, chaired by Lamar
Alexander.
Institute for Justice
1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 200, South, Washington, DC 20004-2505,
(202) 457-4240
Libertarian legal organization founded by Clint Bolick and William H. Mellor.
Supported voucher programs in Milwaukee and Cleveland.
Institute for Research and Evaluation
6068 S. Jordan Canal Road, Salt Lake City, UT 84118, (801)966-5644
Director Stan Weed, Ph.D. is frequently cited in materials promoting abstinence-only
curricula.
John Birch Society
P.O. Box 8040, Appleton, WI 54913, (414) 749-3780
Ultra-conservative membership organization founded and led by Robert Welch
until his death. JBS promotes a conspiratorial view of history. Publishes The
New American. Considers public education part of the New World Order conspiracy.
Opposes Outcome Based Education and promotes home schooling. Opposed integration
and claimed the civil rights movement was a communist plot.
Josh McDowell Ministries
P.O. Box 1000, Dallas, TX 75221, (972) 907-1000
Opposes comprehensive sexuality education. Josh McDowell also speaks for Campus
Crusade for Christ.
Madison Center for Educational Affairs
1155 15th Street, NW, Suite 712, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 835-3869
Raises funds and provides training for the Collegiate Network of ultra-conservative
campus newspapers. Publishes two quarterlies: Precis; and Diversity
and Division: a critical journal of race and culture. The latter trivializes
concerns over racism, and suggests attempts to promote diversity and multiculturalism
result in divisions that hurt American society.
National
Association of Christian Educators/Citizens for Excellence in Education (NACE/CEE)
P.O. Box 3200, Costa Mesa, CA 92628, (949)251-9333
Both groups are headed by Robert L. Simonds, who is on the Coalition for Revival
(COR) Steering Committee. NACE works closely with COR. NACE's purpose is "to
reclaim our Christian heritage in our public schools." CEE is a division of
NACE. "CEE enables parents to replace faith-destroying curricula with programs
that support moral values." Argues that students in public schools are "being
taught a socialist global world view, and being indoctrinated with new age,
atheistic and value-free ideologies." Together, both groups publish the Educational
Newsline newsletter and the monthly President's Report. Has also
published several books including Reinventing America's Schools, vols.
1-3; A Guide To the Public Schools; and How to Elect Christians To
Public Office.
Of The People
2111 Wilson Blvd, Suite 700, Arlington, VA 22201, (703) 351-5051
A research and education organization dedicated to the parental rights movement.
Jeffrey Bell is the chairman. Co-Chair is Betsy DeVos, wife of Richard DeVos,
president of Amway. Richard DeVos is the son of Richard and Helen DeVos, whose
foundation is a major funder of Religious Right organizations, such as the
Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, and Coral Ridge Ministries. Publishes
a newsletter, Voice of the People.
Pioneer Institute
85 Devonshire St., 8th Floor, Boston , MA 02109, (617) 723-2277
Conservative state think tank promoting free market solutions to social problems.
Was member of Madison Group in early 1990s. Founded in 1988 by Lovett C. Peters, "a
Boston businessman, philanthropist, and trustee of the Foundation for Economic
Education and Hillsdale College." Supports charter schools through its Charter
School Resource Center which identifies, recruits, and assists potential charter
school founders. Opposes bilingual education. Publications include: Bilingual
Education: The Emperor Has No Clothes, by Christine Rossell and Keith Baker,
1996; Agenda for Leadership, James Peyser, ed., 1994; Special Education:
Good Intentions Gone Awry, by Edward Moskovitch, 1994; Reinventing the
Schools: A Radical Plan for Boston, by Steven Wilson, 1992; School Choice
in Massachusetts, by Abigail Thernstrom, 1991.
Project
Reality
P.O. Box 97, Golf , CA 60029-0097, (874) 729-3298
Produces the abstinence-only curricula Choosing the Best and Facing
Reality. Director is Kathleen M. Sullivan. Original name of Project Reality
was Project Respect, which was a subsidiary of the Committee on the Status
of Women run by Sullivan. Project Respect originally promoted Sex Respect,
an abstinence-only curriculum now handled by Respect, Inc.
Project Respect
Renamed. See Project Reality.
READ (Research in English Acquisition
and Development) Institute
815 15th Street NW, Suite 930, Washington, DC 20005, 202/639-0803
A right-wing think tank opposing bilingual education, now a project of Equal
Opportunity Foundation. Executive Director was Rosalie Porter, a former
bilingual education director for the Newton, MA public schools. Currently directed
by Linda Chavez. Publishes READ Perspectives.
Respect, Inc.
P.O. Box 349, Bradley, IL 60915, (815) 932-8389
Produces Sex Respect abstinence-only curriculum designed to replace comprehensive
sexuality education courses. Early workbook written by Coleen Kelly Mast.
The Rutherford Institute
P.O. Box 7482, Charlottesville, VA 22906-7482, (804) 978-3888
Founded in 1982 by John W. Whitehead, the Rutherford Institute is a Christian
legal organization that promotes the Christian Right agenda through the courts.
Publishes numerous books, papers, pamphlets and periodicals, including Your
Rights in the Public Schools and Parents' Rights: How To Fight Back!
Teen Aid,
Inc.
723 E. Jackson, Spokane, WA 99207, (509) 466-8679
Develops, promotes, and provides family life education materials that focus
on premarital abstinence and parent/teen communication. Opposes comprehensive
sexuality education, publishes Me, My World, My Future among other abstinence-only
curricula.
US English
1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20006, (202)833-0100
Founded in 1983 by Senator S.I. Hayakawa and Dr. John Tanton. Tanton chaired
US English
until he departed after a xenophobic memo was leaked. The goal of the organization
is to make English the only legitimate language of government at all levels.
The organization has two arms: US English, Inc., which lobbies at the state
and federal levels to abolish bilingual education, as well as to make English
the only language for government business, and the US English Foundation, a
non-profit organization which shares the same goals. |
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