Conley-Wilson+Heartland+Institute

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 * Describe the controversy that erupted around leaked documents showing The Heartland Institute's plans to develop k-12 curriculum.**

In the early months of 2012, controversy erupted around (allegedly) leaked documents showed that The Heartland Institute, a Chicago-based libertarian think tank, was attempting to develop anti-climate change beliefs in public. This organization got a big donation from Charles G. Koch Foundation and another significant were anonymous donors. With these generous donations this organization to help support the organization’s rally to discredit Climate-Scientist regarding their claims on the potential and real effects of Global Warming. In the January 2012 “Confidential Memo: 2012 Heartland Climate Strategy”, a document released by the anonymous source, there is a plan for “Development of our ‘Global Warming Curriculum for K-12 Classrooms’ project.” This plan included hiring Dr. Wojick, a consultant with the Office of Scientific and Technical Information at the United State creating a curriculum that would dissuade teacher from teaching science. As stated in this document the organization states it “tentatively plan to pay Dr. Wojick $100,000 for 20 modules in 2012, with funding pledged by the Anonymous Donor.” The goal of this program was to discourage educators from science to be taught in the classroom. The leaders of this organization believe this can be achieved by hiring a man to create a curriculum that “shows the topic of climate change” to be “controversial and uncertain.” This not only seems morally corrupt but highly damaging for the livelihood and education of the future of the nation and the world. The 2012 Fundraising Plan of the Heartland Institute gives additional depth to this desired change of education under the Center for Transformation Education article (D). This non-profit creates //School Reform News,// which leads the nationwide attempt for “Parent Triggers”. They plan a “full-scale PR and GR campaign for ‘transformational’ school reform.” In these notes staff of this organization, plan to target charter schools, in an ambitious manner, because they plan on removing barriers for establishing new schools and extending choice to other private schools. This was also a prime target because they were aware of the mass amounts of cash flow that typically follow these schools. Lastly stated in this article is the 2012 budget for the Center for Transforming Education being $250,000, which is a huge amount of money for education on a state level. Upon reading both the budget plan and memo, I feel an alarming parallel between this planning and the execution of ‘positive’ public relations shown in “Toxic Sludge is Good For You” and scandals regarding industry. This gives me the sinking feeling that these people have evidence or knowledge that climate change is a reality but for reasons potentially relating to politics, mass amounts of money, or any other association, this organization does not what the public to know about it. They are so driven by force, they are going to lengths to keep the youth uneducated on science, specifically Global Warming. This is concerning not only on from an environmentalist’s point of view but from the perspective of a teacher of any level of education because this could cause a huge weakness in knowledge of students of all ages. This is a deeply concerning topic for me because education should be able learning and bettering the world not creating barriers for students and teachers to learn. Schools and dirty politics should not be intertwined because it will ruin the innocence of children developing both as student and future leaders.