RIGHT WING CORPORATE EDUCATION REFORM AT ITS WORST
THE INSTANT EDUCATION EXPERT CONSULTANT FROM HILLSDALE COLLEGE
When it comes to education, we all want the best for our children. We want them to learn from experienced professionals who are passionate about teaching. Unfortunately, not everyone shares this sentiment. Some people see education as an opportunity to make a quick buck, and that's exactly what Jordan Adams did.
Adams is the founder of Vermilion Education, a consulting firm that promises to improve social studies curricula in public schools. On June 20, he presented his recommendations to the Pennridge School Board via Zoom. The presentation was eagerly anticipated, but it turned out to be a disaster.
Adams, who is only 31 years old, has no experience developing curricula for public schools. In fact, he doesn't hold any degrees in education at all. His only qualifications are a bachelor's degree in political science from Hillsdale College and a master's degree in humanities from the University of Dallas. Both of these are private conservative schools known for their right-wing ideology.
So how did Adams become an education expert? He simply declared himself one and started charging $125 per hour for his services. It's a classic case of fake it till you make it, except Adams hasn't made it yet. He has only one public school client – Pennridge – and even they are starting to regret their decision.
Ronald Wurz, a member of the Pennridge School Board, described Adams' presentation as "amateurish," "horrible," and "a total lack of preparation." He was particularly disturbed that Adams had already billed the district $7500 for his recommendations. That's 60 hours of work at $125 per hour, which means Adams is making more than $100 per hour for work he's not qualified to do.
To make matters worse, Adams seems to have deleted his LinkedIn profile, which is usually a red flag. If you're proud of your qualifications and experience, why would you delete your online presence? It's almost as if Adams has something to hide.
Perhaps he's hiding the fact that he's promoting a K-12 curriculum developed by Hillsdale College known as the 1776 curriculum. This curriculum is favored by right-wing activists and has been criticized for its inaccurate and biased portrayal of American history. It's not surprising that Adams would be a fan of this curriculum given his background.
So what can we learn from this debacle? First of all, we need to be more discerning when it comes to hiring education consultants. Just because someone has a fancy website and charges a lot of money doesn't mean they know what they're doing. We need to look for qualifications and experience, not just slick marketing.
Secondly, we need to be wary of right-wing ideologues who want to rewrite history to fit their agenda. Education should be about learning the truth, not promoting a particular political viewpoint. We need to ensure that our children are getting a balanced education that prepares them for the real world.
In conclusion, Jordan Adams is a cautionary tale of what happens when we prioritize profit over education. Let's learn from his mistakes and demand better for our children. After all, they deserve the best.
The right-wing scheme to upend public education — for $125 per hour https://popular.info/p/the-right-wing-scheme-to-upend-public