PrintJanuary 8, 2014
Education Establishment: Giving Their All for Gold, Glory, and Gospel of Progressivism
During the 1500s, the Spanish came to America (we were told in history classes) for "gold, glory, and gospel." Merchants made money; soldiers distinguished themselves in war; Catholic priests spread religion. The three Gs were a handy way to understand why people ventured across 3,000 miles of dangerous ocean in little boats.
Surprisingly enough, when we jump forward four centuries, we find that we can use this mnemonic to understand our Education Establishment, one of this country's more peculiar and inscrutable subcultures.
GOLD: Professors of education make excellent salaries without having special abilities or skills, other than being enthusiastic enforcers of the party line. H.L. Mencken sized up the big picture all the way back in 1928 (from "The War On Intelligence"):
To take a Ph.D. in education in most American seminaries, is an enterprise that requires no more real acumen or information than taking a degree in window dressing. ... Most...(Read Full Article)
