Education

Ed Sec on Mission to Make Your Kids ‘Green Citizens’

Ed Sec on Mission to Make Your Kids Green Citizens

Sec. of Education Arne Duncan revealed on Tuesday that he wants to use federal funding to make students "good environmental citizens." (File Photo: AP)

On Tuesday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan unveiled a new goal for the department: ensuring that future generations are “green citizens.”

“Until now, [the Dept. of Ed. has] been mostly absent from the movement to educate our children to be stewards of our environment and prepare them to participate in a sustainable economy,” Duncan said at the Sustainability Education Summit: Citizenship and Pathways for a Green Economy. But that’s about to change:

This week’s sustainability summit represents the first time that the Department is taking a taking a leadership role in the work of educating the next generation of green citizens and preparing them to contribute to the workforce through green jobs.

Educators “have a central roll” in that plan, Duncan said. And “well-educated” citizens, such as teachers, know that we must “teach students about how the climate is changing.” In addition, such citizens “explain the science behind climate change and how we can change our daily practices to help save the planet.”

He also revealed that “for the first time, we are proposing that environmental education be part of [a] well-rounded education.” That new curriculum will be part of the administration’s “Blue Print for Reform” — the administration’s “proposal to fix the No Child Left Behind Act.” According to Duncan, the president has proposed funding of $265 million for the project in the 2011 budget.

“Right now, in the second decade of the 21st century, preparing our students to be good environmental citizens is some of the most important work any of us can do,” Duncan said.

“We must advance the sustainability movement through education.”

H/T: CNSNews.com

Comments (117)

1 2 3 4
  • jfreak13713
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 4:06pm

    I have three children and one on the way and as long as there is a DOE they will NEVER attend public school. NEVER!

    Report Post »  
  • mtnclimberjim
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:54pm

    Don’t worry, if they try and teach green like they do everything else it won’t work. The gay freak is with children, thats my concern.

    Report Post » mtnclimberjim  
  • 5000YRLEAPER
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:53pm

    Stay away from my children! I will chose what they will eat. We don’t need the government to tell me how to raise my children!!!! That is not their job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Report Post » 5000YRLEAPER  
  • mcskippy
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:47pm

    It’s all part of their plan. If you want global governce, start with the kids, or “furture citizens of the world.” Teach them to be protectors of the Earth, not their country.

    Report Post »  
  • Prospero
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:47pm

    “Whenever is found what is called a paternal government, there is found state education. It has been discovered that the best way to ensure implicit obedience is to commence tyranny in the nursery.” – Benjamin Disraeli

    Report Post » Prospero  
  • Wrabbit2000
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:47pm

    The reasons for home schooling just keep getting stronger.

    Report Post »  
  • dfestoon
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:46pm

    Michelle can out her carrot sticks where Willy C puts his cigars………..

     
  • broker0101
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:41pm

    When you have a group of people who so abuse the language as to call Organic Farming “sustainable” (Which it, factually, is not. The entire world population would starve to death if all farming was “organic”.) there is no point in continuing the debate. It is then time to progress to action to simply stop them and their agenda.

    Report Post » broker0101  
    • ILFarmer
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:44pm

      @Broker0101
      Not everything Green is bad. sometimes, going green just makes sense. As the son of an Organic farmer, it wasn’t because my dad wanted to “be green”. He saw that he could make more money and stop wasting it on chemicals and going farther into debt. It’s more work, but it’s been good to him, and God has looked out for him and his family in times of need. The ground is more fertile and the crops continue to become more bountiful.

      I think too many people try and bash the farmers in this country because they allegedly take government handouts. it’s not always that they want to. sometimes it’s the only way to stay afloat when you have the mega-farms like Cargill sucking up the family farms. and even then it doesn’t always help. Just remember where your food comes from. The American Family Farmer is likely on the conservative side when they aren’t just trying to make it another year.

      As for Homeschooling my son, I would like too, but I doubt I’d be able to. The best I can do is encourage him to think outside the box, ask him about his day and what he learns, and encourage him to question what he’s told to be the Truth and find out for himself.

      Report Post »  
    • megansmom
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 11:36pm

      Ilfarmer i didn’t believe I could homeschool my kids either, especially my mentally handicapped daughter but I found a Christian private school that lets me teach at home. They send me all the tools I need and let’s us do it at our own pace. My kids do most of the work, I just make sure it gets done, grade test and keep a record of days attended. It is so much easier than I thought and cost effective also.
      As far as organic farming goes, I don‘t do because I’m a green freak. We did it when I was a kid, I do it on my own small garden and the food just taste better. free range chickens are plumper and buffalo is better than beef.

      Report Post »  
  • BetterDays
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:41pm

    I bet he leans left when he sits in a chair.
    DOE should change its name to the DOI ( indoctrunation ).

    Report Post »  
  • plunderpower
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:39pm

    As these kids get older and the polar bears are OK, and nothing anyone has done has changed anything…they’ll file it away in the round can and go with Big Macs and internal combustion engines and incandescent light bulbs. Then they’ll do a school book burning to protect their own children from garbage. Actually I think all their grand plans will get defunded very quickly in favor of the 3R’s.

    Report Post » plunderpower  
  • Flagwaver
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:37pm

    It was my opinion that the three R’s did not include ecologically sound. Reading, Riting, Rithmatic. Nope, no green in there.

    Seriously, with all of the problems that face school kids, why is this a priority? There are some high school graduates that can barely read at a 7th grade level. Teach the teachers to teach, then worry about them teaching to “give a hoot, don’t pollute.”

    Report Post » Flagwaver  
  • TNgirly
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:36pm

    I‘ve been stocking up on incandescent bulbs because I really hate those CFL’s for a number of reasons. When it‘s Earth Day and you’re “supposed” to turn out your lights for an hour or whatever, I go around and turn them all ON just to p*** off the greenies in my neighborhood. As far as my elec company giving us the “go green” and get paperless billings, I have done that (for my own selfish reason-don’t want identity stolen from mailbox, ya know?) but yet, I keep getting paper bills even though I have spoken with them about this several times LOL When these green freaks start practicing what they’re preaching, fine and dandy. Same with those idiots who complain about rich people, yet they have more money than those they are complainingg about. Go redistribute your own wealth; my husband and I work hard for what we do have. (sorry for the digression)

    Report Post »  
  • faktchekr
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:35pm

    Oh Cool, then the kids can be educated about how “green” projects and green energy in general has been a dismal failure…lemmie see here…electric cars? hmmm….way to expensive, too small for most families and you have to use electricity created from fossil fuels to charge that super expensive battery, so not really green …solar panels? too expensive, can’t store the electricity, may be a problem in a hail storm or in heavy winter… and requires people to cut down trees due to the problem of shade… Ethanol? Oo causes a main source of food to go up in price and also causes faster wear on the engine… wind mills?..gee…too noisy, can’t store the electricity until needed, are an eye sore and lets face it…polly-annish, and don’t work every where…hmm…switching to plastic bags? oo that was a brilliant one…save the trees…but now plastic bags are a huge litter nuisance…bottled water? ooo…too many, another litter problem and is filling up land fills at record speeds…gee…I hope the kids learn all about this stuff.

    Report Post » faktchekr  
  • BQI
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:34pm

    Department of Propaganda

    Black Conservative Blog: http://www.blackquillandink.com

    Report Post » BQI  
    • carol m
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 9:19pm

      BQI I saw your website and heard the video of the man singing the second verse of the Star Spangled Banner, not only was it great but I never knew there was a second verse. I think you website is great btw.

      Yes we should abolish the DOE!

      Report Post »  
  • COjohngalt
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:34pm

    Here is an idea, why don’t you teach them to read, write and do math first! Test scores across the country are near rock bottom but of course we need to use time and money to teach the kids to be green.

    Report Post » COjohngalt  
  • VMAXBILL
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:32pm

    Substitute “Well Brainwashed,” for well educated, and you have begun to grasp what they are about. This is all about how to propagate leftist propaganda. The climate has always changed and will continue to change. 10,000 years ago Oregon had a Mediterranean climate. It sure as hell doesn’t now. Wasn’t a whole lot of non-green folks around at the time, either. The only constant in the Universe is change. Wise up This is about an agenda and power and control.

    Report Post »  
    • Sefton
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 4:24pm

      Climate Change (or global climate disruption, as is the term of the month) is an environmental religion. Or, more specifically, a cult. So now we have the administration propagating a religion in public schools.
      I’m glad a lot of parents are either now or will be home schooling their kids, because our government is becoming what Orwell wrote about in “1984”.

      Report Post » Sefton  
  • joseph Fawcett
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:32pm

    Indoctrination, I am all for doing what we can when we can to reuse things. I am all for lower smog and less polution. However, I don’t trust our schools to educate and have a feeling they are indoctrinating the future generation. I would like to hear more about what they are teaching and why they are teaching it. What is the science behind what they are teaching.

    Report Post » joseph Fawcett  
  • megansmom
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:32pm

    Anybody wanna guess why I homeschool my kids?

    Report Post »  
  • Rita
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:31pm

    We’re doomed if the Cap & Trade passes.

    Report Post » Rita  
    • staythecourse
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:46pm

      Cap and trade has already passed thru local legislation. Look into who is now responsible for almost ALL zoning regulations across the country… it is one not for profit whose goal it is to control all zoning and building in the country. Check out their “green agenda”.. Cap and Trade is being passed thru local ordinance..

      Also regarding indoctrination of youth and global citizenship, your tax dollars are paying for the National Children’s museum in DC which is nothing more than a high dolllar , high tech indoctrination of youth effort. PLEASE GO TO http://www.ncm.museum/ TO LOOK INTO THE AGENDA OF THE NATIONAL CIHLDREN’S MUSEUM WHICH YOUR TAX DOLLARS ARE FINANCING. THIS MUSEUM SHOULD BE ABOUT MAKING KIDS GOOD US CITIZENS, NOT GOOD GLOBAL CITIZENS!…

      Report Post »  
    • Judy
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 9:12pm

      To Staythecourse – Right now in my county the Green New Deal for the North Bay is about to make policy recommendations to city councils for what they call green sustainability, economic equity, and social justice. One of the co-chair of this “commission” is the head of the North Bay Labor Council. Also, in our area of California the housing initiative is going full bore, pushing dense housing in neighborhoods. It’s causing quite a stir. This must be a part of United Nations’ Agenda 21. It may be a long haul for us, but we must stay the course.

      Report Post »  
    • Judy
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 9:14pm

      Also, PG&E is putting Smart Meters on all of the homes…

      Report Post »  
  • q29ball
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:30pm

    Does anyone else remember the good ole’ days when it was just your father who “taught you to be green” by yelling at you to turn off the lights when you were done… or one of my favorites “Were you raised in a barn” which translated into “close the door behind you when you come inside”.
    Anybody else planning home school for their kids?? I know I am.

    Report Post »  
  • Anonimouse
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:30pm

    Here’s an idea for you: do us and our kids a favor and abolish the dept. of ed.

    Right now.

    Before it’s too late.

    Report Post »  
  • Evan
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:29pm

    I didn’t need another reason to homeschool my kids, but thanks, Arne.

    Report Post » Evan  
  • Marylou7
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:28pm

    Every single parent ought to take their children out of public school until the Dept of Educ is abolished. All they are taught is a bunch of lies. Our children are 25th in the world and now instead of teaching them how to read and write they are getting more lies. This makes me want to scream.

    Report Post » Marylou7  
    • bobmontgomery
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 8:09pm

      You are right to want DOE to be abolished. Can you find it in the Pledge presented by the Republican Economics Party today?

      Report Post »  
    • Compete or Lose
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 8:24pm

      I think every school district should be required to offer a voucher equal to 2/3 of the per pupil spending per year that any parent could use to pay for private, home shcool, or parochial school. If parents remove their children, the districts per pupil expenditures will rise since only 2/3 was given to the parents to use for education. The school district should be happy and the parents should be happy.

      As a caveat, all non-public (as well as public schools) shall be subject to annual performance testing and if the students performance was not improving, then the voucher would be revoked for that alternative school. After all, Ronald Regan said , “trust but verify”.

      RGS

      Report Post »  
  • Skwerl E. Muckenfutch
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:25pm

    You would think the DoE would want to make the kids literate.

    Report Post »  
    • where is JG
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 5:07pm

      Love the name and ABOLISH THIS COMMUNIST DEPARTMENT OF DICTATION in INDOCTRINATION.

      Report Post » where is JG  
    • DanB
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 5:10pm

      That hasn’t been part of their mission for a while. Nor has math or history.

      My favorite teacher in high school was the least favorite with the local teachers. He got paid more. And many students didn’t like him either. But imagine my thrill in a class about science fiction literature (I loved to read a lot then) when he taught us to write. The short story I wrote wasn’t very good, but he taught us sentence structure, adverbs, pronouns, nouns, verbs, conjunctions…. a ton of remedial stuff that most of the class moaned and groaned about. But for those of us who really wanted to know this stuff, it was heaven sent. Unfortunately, one real class of English does not make for great literary skills, especially when it was nearly twenty years ago. And if that was the case then, I dread to attend any class with my children now (home study looks very, very nice except my wife doesn’t believe she can and I seem to work too much lately to do it myself…).

      Report Post »  
    • baldwin4freedom
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 10:11pm

      D.O.E. seems to only being about maintaining an ignorance to reality. An ignorant citizenry is more easily manipulated. That is why federal control over education must be eliminated.

      Report Post »  
    • REVEL
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 11:45pm

      DANB….In response to your comments about wishing to homeschool, you should check this book out in your library..“Dumbing Us Down” by John Gatto. He was originally from small town America and worked in the school system for years. He has a unique perspective on education. I homeschool myself and got a lot of ideas from his book that can be applied by parents at home or by bringing some of these ideas to the PTA meetings to be applied at school. A quote from the book: “The sociology of government monopoly schools has evolved in such a way that a premise like mine jeopardizes the total institution if it spreads.” This is what we need. By the way, anyone can homeschool. Glenn has told you to challenge yourself and sacrifice may be necessary. But changing our school system is another option if enough people get involved. Start a parent group and please check out the book and you decide. The man has an amazing way to make his point.

      Report Post »  
    • USAMama
      Posted on September 24, 2010 at 3:08pm

      @ DanB- DO IT! I didn’t want to and fought with my husband about it, but I’m glad he convinced me because the more I see going on in our schools the more I am convinced they are nothing short of indoctrination camps.

      Report Post » USAMama  
  • ColdDeadHand
    Posted on September 23, 2010 at 3:25pm

    I hate watermelons

    ColdDeadHand  
    • Freelancer
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 4:04pm

      When is he going to start a “green fisting” initiative? That’s got to be on his list….

      Freelancer  
    • Buck Bagaw
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 4:29pm

      Green, it’s the new Red…And this creep should have nothing to do with other peoples children.

      Report Post »  
    • Venom
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 4:47pm

      I hate how they exploit black youth for their “create citizens” garbage….they are the one group in this country that they can mold because a large number of the black community is democrat. Thus, they will go after black youth for their “soldiers”.

      Venom  
    • Compete or Lose
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 5:53pm

      He just doesn’t get it.

      If Mr. Duncan had an ounce of common sense he would focuse on educational goals like reading, writing and math. Until he fixes those parts of the US educational system he is FAILING (F-) at his JOB of improving the educations system in the USA. WHy on earth are his priorities so screwed up???

      By the way Mr. Duncan, people that fail at their jobs get FIRED.

      RGS

       
    • IntegrityMatters
      Posted on September 23, 2010 at 9:31pm

      (COMPETE OR LOSE)
      Yes, they get fired. -Unless they are proofreading at a sign company in Southbend!

      Report Post » IntegrityMatters  
    • larrybigbear
      Posted on September 24, 2010 at 10:59am

      http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/7157

      Report Post » larrybigbear  
    • fertlmind
      Posted on October 26, 2010 at 1:51pm

      Sustainability,… The biggest threat to freedom in America

      There is a word and a concept that should strike fear in the heart of every American. That word is SUSTAINABILITY. Ask somebody what it means and they will tell you that it means different things to different people. The definition may be ambiguous, but the effects sure aren’t. Under the disguise of environmental responsibility, the real purpose of sustainability is to create a global government controlled society, replacing individualism with collectivism. Equal justice is being replaced by social justice. This traditionally has been called communism.

      Education is shifting focus from analytical thinking to contextual thinking. It’s called SYSTEM THINKING. It means that in the classroom children are being taught that how you solve a problem is more important than getting the right answer. Right thinking means how children learn to make decisions is more important than if they make the correct decision. This is all being done for the purpose of Indoctrination.

      Don’t believe it?… do your own research on groups like The Earth Charter, The American Wildlands Project ,The Nature Conservancy and The United Nations Earth Summit, and especially The United Nations Sustainability Development Agenda 21 policies. Information is Power!!!!!!

      Report Post » fertlmind  
1 2 3 4

Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

Glenn Beck Radio

Listen to Glenn Beck 24/7 Listen Now
Restoring Love