- The U.S. federal government, state governments, and mainstream media are training your child to be a consumer who meets only minimum standards of intellectual proficiency.

- No Child Left Behind is leaving huge gaps in the education of hundreds of thousands of the nation’s brightest students.

- Few of the materials available to K-8 students foster creative, imaginative, or critical thinking.

- The high-stakes tests mandated by No Child Left Behind focus so much on basic math and reading skills that teachers don’t have time to teach cultural and scientific literacy.

- Many of the activity and children’s books available at chain bookstores only train your child to be a consumer of brand-name characters’ merchandise—when they should be teaching your child how to really think about the world.

- You can reverse these trends in your home. Read on. . .

Are you a teacher? Click here.

Dear Parent,

I’m a lot like you: I want to give my child the best possible education.

I want him to grow up with the knowledge that allows him to appreciate a multicultural society—and the skills to negotiate it. I want him to understand history and culture, and be able to speak the languages of science and mathematics. I want him to be a dreamer who puts his ideals into action, to be engaged with important causes like civil rights and climate change.

In short, I want him to save the world—but I’m worried he might not develop the skills necessary to do so.

See, my son—like your young children—has been born into a time when public education isn’t as valued or value-packed as it once was. Don’t get me wrong: I love the idea of public school, my parents were public school teachers, and I was raised by an extended network of family and friends who were public school teachers and administrators. I attended public schools for grades K-12, and I had some phenomenal teachers. I’m not a blame-the-teacher type. What I’m saying is this: I was fortunate enough to be born before the era of high-stakes testing; I was done with my education long before No Child Left Behind ravaged the public education system by tying teachers’ hands and demanding lock-step adherence to national standards created by federal bureaucrats instead of local citizens and teachers.

Thanks to No Child Left Behind and cuts to public school funding, the focus has shifted away from classic, whole-child education; history, art, music, culture, and even science are no longer emphasized in the K-8 curriculum, and in some cases have vanished altogether.

Worse, when history and cultural studies are included, they are often taught from outdated textbooks the schools bought way back when they had funding. Some of the ideas in those history books are dangerously outdated—for example, in recent years I ran across a newly “updated” textbook that claimed Confederate General Robert E. Lee wasn’t interested in slavery—and neglected to mention that he himself owned slaves. This textbook even came from a company that served limited-English-proficient children of color.

Even science textbooks demonstrate outdated biases. For example, that old story of conception you were told about an active sperm penetrating a passive egg? Ends up the egg is an active partner in fertilization—it pulls the sperm into it. And why is it that when science and social studies textbooks mention overpopulation, they always seem to show photos of people of color?

But wait—it gets even worse. In some parts of the country, conservative school boards have approved—or even mandated the use of—textbooks and lessons that incorporate “intelligent design” and creationist philosophies into the science curriculum.

Who knows what else is out there?

I try to stay a couple steps ahead of my child’s learning curve, so even though he is only three years old, I’ve been looking for quality materials I could use to supplement his preschool learning. Besides art supplies and puzzles, I’ve tried to find quality coloring and activity books, but the content of so many of these books is overly commercialized. The coloring and activity books currently on the market leave little room for the imagination, and serve mostly to inculcate children into consumer society.

I had to take a stand. I’m lucky in that I’ve taught science to elementary school kids, I’ve designed hands-on museum exhibits, I’ve served as an editor for a publishing company of language arts and social studies material, and I have a Ph.D. in cultural studies, including training as an historian. With a Master’s degree in writing, a deep understanding of K-20 pedagogy, and a love of visual learning, it ends up I have a unique and fortuitous collection of training, talents, and skills.

I realized I could create activity books and other learning materials for my own child. So I’ve buried myself in a university library, hunting through the latest journals and burrowing through electronic databases to discover the best practices in K-8 education. I’ve spent countless hours improving my artistic and graphic design skills so that I could produce the kind of illustrations expected by today’s discerning, visually literate children.

But why go to all that work if I’m not going to share?

I’m in the process of developing the first set of Learning Trails Media activity books—and I want to give you and your child a sneak peek.

By providing your name and e-mail address below, you’ll receive occasional information-packed newsletters from me about the latest trends in public education in the U.S., as well as opportunities to provide feedback on Learning Trails Media resources as they’re being developed. Best of all—you’ll get news of discounts as these materials come available.

And if you decide you’d rather not receive Learning Trails Media e-newsletters, you can unsubscribe easily at any time—there’s a link at the bottom of every e-mail.

(I hate spam as much as you do. I’ll never share your e-mail address with anyone, and you can unsubscribe at any time.)

Add your name to the list now and get instant access to my free report, How To Get the Most from a Museum Visit. This free (for now) report shows you how to make every visit to a museum, science center, or similar cultural institution a productive learning experience.

(I hate spam as much as you do. I’ll never share your e-mail address with anyone, and you can unsubscribe at any time.)

I wish you all the best in your parenting and in pursuing an education for your child.

Warmly,

[first name signature]

Leslie Madsen-Brooks, Ph.D.
Parent and Teacher

P.S. Sign up today to start learning how you can contribute meaningfully to your child’s education:

P.P.S. Are you a K-8 teacher? Would you like to pilot Learning Trails Media materials in your classroom? Click here.