Doublespeak. William Lutz

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      More Education Doublespeak

      In 1977 the Houston Chronicle reported that the father of a high school student received the following note from the school principal, inviting him to a meeting:

      Our school’s Cross-Graded, Multi-Ethnic, Individualized Learning Program is designed to enhance the concept of an Open-Ended Learning Program with emphasis on a continuum of multi-ethnic academically enriched learning, using the identified intellectually gifted child as the agent or director of his own learning. Major emphasis is on cross-graded, multi-ethnic learning with the main objective being to learn respect for the uniqueness of a person.

      Two more paragraphs of similar language followed.

      As noted in Chapter I, the doublespeak flows pretty thick in the world of education, where it is used to make what is pretty ordinary—teaching children and running a school—sound very complex and difficult. Doublespeak in this realm can also be used to avoid some harsh realities and to soothe some hurt feelings.

      The Parkway School District of West St. Louis County, in its Report to the Community 1987–88,

      expresses the belief that the success of its students can be maximized through the development of a comprehensive Wellness Program targeted toward assisting the total community—employees, students and parents—in maintaining optimal wellness. The Wellness model is a comprehensive program that includes the physical dimension (fitness and nutrition), the social dimension, the intellectual dimension, and occupational, emotional and spiritual consideration.

      I would be surprised if anyone in that school district had the faintest idea what all this verbiage meant, but it sure sounds impressive, doesn’t it?

      Sometimes it seems as if schools are competing with each other for the thickest doublespeak. The St. Vrain Valley School District in Longmont, Colorado published a booklet titled Blueprint for Excellence, in which it announced, “Our mission is to educate students so they may approach their full potential in: Pursuing post-secondary educational endeavors. Achieving economic self-sufficiency. Continuing their personal pursuit of learning throughout life. Relating successfully to people, institutions and value systems in all aspects of life.”

      Once they had impressed everyone with this education doublespeak, the writers of the booklet translated it for their readers. In clear language, they stated that what their schools-tried to do was make sure that “Students were prepared to succeed in college, business or vocational school. Students are able to support themselves financially. Students are eager to learn wherever they go. Students are able to get along with people.” Now, why didn’t they just say that in the first place?

      Simple, clear language just isn’t impressive enough for many people in education. It seems they want to impress others with how hard their jobs are and how smart they have to be in order to do their jobs. After all, if anyone can understand it, then it can’t be very special. So the doublespeak flows, especially when it comes time to write a grant proposal. After all, in order to get the government or a foundation to give you money, you’ve got to convince officials that what it is you’re going to do with their money is worth doing and only you can do it.

      As part of its proposal for a Title III grant from the federal government, a community college in Washington stated this as one of its major goals: “To organize a comprehensive process of assessment, teaching strategies, learning support, and intervention which effectively promotes student success in acquiring the skills and knowledge leading to satisfying and productive lives.” Of course, they would never have gotten their grant if they had written something like, “We’re going to teach these kids so they learn what they need to know to get along in life.”

      Education doublespeak, especially among academics who want to impress everyone with how intelligent they are, has been around for a long time. Even W. S. Gilbert (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame) commented on it, as you can see in these lyrics he wrote in 1881 for a song in the opera Patience:

       If you’re anxious for to shine in the high aesthetic line as a man of culture rare,

       You must get up all the germs of the transcendental terms, and plant them everywhere.

       You must lie upon the daisies and discourse in novel phrases of your complicated state of mind,

       The meaning doesn’t matter СКАЧАТЬ