Saturday, February 25, 2006

Reynolds needs to rethink

Jessica McBride has heard that Tom Reynolds problem with accreditation and standardized testing for choice schools is because the schools won't be able to teach about creation. I suspect he means that high school science curriculums might have to teach evolution.

This seems like a phony issue. Catholic and Lutheran schools make up about half of choice enrollees and, I suspect, much more than that in the higher grades. My guess is that they don't teach either of the Genesis stories regarding creation as literally true and that they don't teach "young earth" creationism because the Roman Catholic and mainline Protestant denominations don't believe these things. (I can't speak to the WELS schools, but Wisconsin Lutheran High School proudly releases its above average test scores so I guess they are managing to give the kids what they need to know to score well.) They might well teach "Intelligent Design" but, contrary to what the secularists maintain, ID is not the same and is not inconsistent with teaching scientifically verified aspects of evolution.

But q choice school wants to teach seven day creationism as an alternative theory to evolution it'll be able to do so. If the recent decision in Dover, PA is any indication public schools can't do that. They can't even suggest that students check it out.

I sent my son to a Catholic grade school in Mequon (then Ss. Cecilia & James; now Lumen Christi). It was completely orthodox and completely accredited.

Jessica is right. If Reynolds votes against this, he's going to deny poor kids in the city of Milwaukee an opportunity for an orthodox Christian education for their kids at schools like Messmer, St. Joan Antida, and Wisconsin Lutheran. He will have booted kids out of the WELS grade school, St. Marcus, in the heart of Milwaukee's central city. That would be shameful. That would be really hard to answer for.

2 comments:

Jay Bullock said...

30 religious schools, including high schools, are currently accredited through WRISA, one of the okayed accrediting agencies. If Reynolds this as McBride reports, Reynolds is an idiot.

Anonymous said...

Two choice schools are in Tom Reynolds' district: Wisconsin Lutheran High School and Fairview Lutheran Elementary School. Both teach creation. We are members of Fairview and my daughter attends WLHS. If her national test scores in the top 98-99%, and the boatload of college mail she's getting is any indication, both schools have done a pretty good job.

As someone who has actually voted for Reynolds, this leaves me dumbfounded. I have emailed him my concerns, but so far have not received a reply.

Jim Gilles