C T 'Golden Rule School' AbstinenceAdvocate is NewMiss America! Provides Sensible Solution to 'Hate' Popular Miss Illinois wins coveted crown, title SANTA ROSA, CA - Parents con­ ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - Miss greatly enhance programs and efforts to cerned about the proliferation of "Hate­ Illinois Erika Harold, 22, an enthusi­ address teen violence during her reign as Free Schools" programs and "sensitivity" astic advocate of teen abstinence edu­ Miss America." training are trumpeting Orlean Koehle's cation, won the coveted Miss America A graduate of the University of Illi­ solution, a new curriculum aptly titled the title for 2003 on September 21 in At­ nois-Champaign, Miss Harold has been "Golden Rule School." A parent herself lantic City. She captured the crown accepted at the country's five leading law and the president ofEagle Forum of Cali­ with her beauty, poise, interview skills, schools and has decided to attend Harvard fornia, Mrs. Koehle was inspired to cre­ and singing talent. Law School. She will enter Harvard af­ ate the program as she sat with other par­ Miss Harold has been a spokes­ ter her year-long reign as Miss America ents recently at a "Hate-Free Schools" woman for Illinois' leading abstinence comes to a close. meeting at Santa Rosa's Maria Carrillo education organization, Project Real­ "Erika's winning Miss America is one High School. Administrators claimed the ity, since 1999, addressing thousands of those dream situations that you don't program was necessary following what of young people in Illinois public think can come true," said Kathleen they called two incidents of "hate" at the schools about empowering youth to Sullivan, director of Project Reality. "For­ school. They explained that if 60% of make good life decisions. When she tunately for everyone, this dream did the students and 60% of the faculty un­ won the Miss Illinois pageant, the come true because Erika is a wonderful dergo this diversity training, the school state required her to adopt its official role model for young women." would receive a banner pronouncing it platform of teen violence prevention, After being chosen Miss East Central "Hate-Free." and she successfully wove the absti­ Illinois in 1999, Miss Harold earned the Many parents have learned that pro­ nence message into that issue. state's community service award for her grams urging "tolerance" and "diversity" "Erika sees the connection be­ work with her platform: "Teenage Sexual are really pushing acceptance of the pro­ tween helping teens to avoid all risky Abstinence: 'Respect Yourself, Protect gay lifestyle. These parents are seeking behaviors in order to prevent vio­ Yourself."' (See Education Reporter, No­ other means of encouraging kindness and lence," stated Project Reality director vember 1999.) In this year's contest, of public relations Libby Gray. "Her Erika held the preliminary title of Miss respect among students. Miss America 2002 Katie Harman (right) work with abstinence education will (See Miss America, page 2) (See Golden Rule, page 2) crowns new Miss America 2003, Erika Harold. of 12 states where homeschools operate legally as private schools. For 20 years, Homeschoolers Hassled in California homeschooling parents in California have complied with compulsory education laws State Education Department reinterpreting law by establishing a private school in their homes. They file an annual Private SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA- When courses - is not an authorized exemp­ was accepted at Hillsdale. Her second son School Affidavit, which exempts their Margaret Genova received letters from tion from mandatory public school atten­ will complete his high school work early children from attending public schools. California State Superintendent of Public dance." In other words, the California and is taking junior What has changed is how state education Instruction Delaine Easton and the San Department ofEducation is trying to con­ college courses along officials choose to interpret the law. Diego County Office of Education this vince parents that homeschooling is ille­ with his high school According to the Home School Legal summer, she was shocked to learn that, gal unless the parent is a certified teacher lessons. She expects Defense Association (HSLDA), the Cali­ after successfully homeschooling her or using a public school independent similar results for her fornia Department of Education has been children for more than l O years, she is study curriculum. youngestson,butthe "quietly" grumbling abouthomeschoolers now considered to be "operating outside California law has not changed, nor six-year-old may not since 1993, arguing that the filing of Pri­ the law." The letters state that "'home­ have Mrs. Genova's teaching methods. realize the advantage vate School Affidavits does not exempt schooling' - a situation where non-cre­ Her eldest son is a sophomore at Hillsdale of solid home instruc­ children from the law. However, the De­ dentialed parents teach their own children, College and a scholarship recipient. He ~~~=~~~ tion if the state has partment "has no authority to regulate pri­ exclusively, at home whether using a cor­ attended community college for a year its way. vate schools nor does it enforce truancy Margaret Genova respondence course or other types of and was a straight-A student before he California is one (See Homeschoolers, page 4) Some 9/11 Lessons & Remembrances Excluded God, Patriotism On the anniversary of the most deadly boy, 'Todd,' who taunts an Iraqi immi­ (MREdCo), however, these guidelines (e.g., student conflicts in school, civil attack ever on American soil, proposed grant named 'Osama."' were "designed to comply with the new rights conflicts in the 1960s, conflicts in lessons for school children included sto­ Of the lesson federal curriculum." (See www.families the Middle East, current conflicts in the ries such as "My Name is Osama," of­ plans recommend­ andworkorg/91 lah/lp_3-5 _ vk_7.html.) United States concerning women's issues fered by the National Council for Social ed for 9/11 by vari­ MREdCo's email alert of9-6-02 points or sexual orientation)." The NEA's rec­ Studies. The San Francisco Bay area Mer­ ous educational or­ out that the new federal standards (cur­ ommendation that teachers discuss the cury News described it as a short story ganizations, those riculum) are preoccupied with "diversity" "internment of Japanese after Pearl Har­ "about a young boy from Iraq who im­ supplied by the and that "all history and civics are pre­ bor" and other perceived American sins migrates to the United States and is teased NEA created the sented in light of diversity and bias." For on the anniversary of9/l l was in line with at school because of his name." biggest uproar example: "Working in small groups, stu­ this federal education standard. (http:// But author and syndicated columnist for their "blame dents should make a list of both contem­ www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/ Ann Coulter accused the lesson plan of America" approach. porary and historical conflicts that have activities/output.asp? Activity=2 l 7) "calculatedly inciting hatred toward white Ann Coulter (See Education Re­ arisen as a result of diversity issues. These MREdCo explains that "diversity cur­ American boys." Coulter wrote (9-12- porter, September 2002.) According to conflicts may be small or large; they may riculum is intertwined into all the areas of 02) that "the story is about a nasty little the Maple River Education Coalition involve individuals, groups, or nations (See 9/1 I, page 4) 2 EDUCATIONREPORTER, OCTOBER 2002 EDUCATION Miss America (Continuedfrompagel) ____ _ Bookof the Month BRIEFS~ Land of Lincoln before being crowned tion for several hundred Chicago-area stu­ Miss Illinois 2002. dents. Fifteen young women represent­ ing 13 states and the District of Colum­ Florida elementary schools with the As a Project Reality spokeswoman, Miss Harold addressed audiences as diverse bia, who successfully competed in beauty &id....,...__. largest dass sizes earned the best _____ pageants including Miss America, Miss grades for 2001. According to as national and state legislators and the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center in Chi­ Black USA and Miss All-American Latina, Florida Education Secretary Jim The Politics of the PT A, Charlene K. cago. Last spring, she submitted written made short presentations at this celebra­ Home, the 580 schools that earned an Haar, Transaction Publishers, 2002, 159 testimony on welfare reform reauthori­ tion after advocating for abstinence as A averaged 24. l students per class­ pps., $39.95 hardcover, $24.95 paper. room compared to 19.9 students in zation to the U.S. House Committee on their pageant platforms. In April, a group of pageant titlehold­ 41 schools that received an F. The Energy and Commerce supporting absti­ In her eye-opening new book, ers including Miss Black USA 2001 Lisa 353 schools earning a B had 23.2 stu­ nence education programs nationwide. Charlene Haar confirms what many of Marie Miree, Miss Wisconsin 1999 Mary dents per classroom, and 417 schools Mrs. Sullivan pointed out that many us have long suspected, that the Na­ earning a C had 22.6 students per of the Miss America contestants are ex­ Louise Kurey, and Miss Nevada 2001 tional Congress of Parents and Teach­ class. Schools that earned a D (116) ceptional young women who care about Ashley Huff, traveled to Washington, DC ers (PT A) "is largely a political arm of to meet with Congressmen and their staffs averaged 21.9 students per class. important issues. She cited first runner­ the teacher unions" and supports their about the need to continue funding for Nonetheless, a coalition of groups, up Miss Alabama, Scarlotte Deupree, radical political abstinence-until-marriage programs. including the far-left People for the whose platform emphasized the impor­ causes and agendas. American Way, is backing a proposed tance of teaching children to read.