ATI in Schools?

[GenerationCedarchip]

I just had an ATI question.  I grew up in Reformed land and while there were a few families in the church into it, ATI wasn't the norm.

My understanding of ATI has always been that it required families to homeschool their children. However, I saw a conservative Baptist school out my way advertising their program. I got curious and picked up one of their handbooks.  Along with mention of being skirts-only for girls, etc.., they listed their curriculum and talked about using materials from ABEKA, BJU and IBLP. It's also full of all of the ATI code words about "glowing countenance", "umbrella of authority", or "following God's principles." Is there a school version of ATI now?

[Cleopatra7]

Despite Bill Gothard's dislike for public schools, IBLP has a "character education" program called "Character First" for use in public schools as a sort of front group for ATI.

 

[19 cats and counting]

Didn't Taliban Dan push to get ATI in public schools or at least some aspects of it?  (I could be wrong, too lazy to Google).

I know that as a state legislator, he pushed a lot of ATI's agenda.

[formergothardite]

IBLP has books and courses that can be used in schools. The ATI program is what is for homeschooling. 

[GenerationCedarchip]

11 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

IBLP has books and courses that can be used in schools. The ATI program is what is for homeschooling. 

Thanks!  I did not know that. I just knew of ATI, Gothard and the various conferences from articles I'd read and things I'd heard either on here or from a few folks I know offline.

[Grace]

I've seen multiple towns with "Character Quality" posters up in schools. Seems like they have one quality a month they focus on. Which, on the surface seems totally fine, but the connection to Gothard weirds me out.

[silverspoons]

Our school district bought the character quality program in  Utah. I had no idea until I was looking for a approved book in the curriculum  closet. I asked the principal and she said they never used the program and it was a huge waste of money. It actually took funds from our math and art program. I have never seen evidence that is has ever been used. I believe it is because my kid's school feeder system within the district has very high test scores and wealth.

My daughter was playing basketball at another school in our district and I saw the posters up. This school was considered more at risk school (lower tests scores, higher poverty rates). I was able to talk to several teachers that hated the program. These were teachers that wanted to help the kids that were behind and they had to take so much time repeating the same phrases everyday from the program. One teacher who finally took a transfer because they could not stand the program, said it ate up almost 1 hour of time every day. She could have been helping these kids catch up on math or reading but they had to sing songs, repeat phrases like the military and then there were the 2 week long character programs. She was teaching 10-12 year olds but the program she felt was on the level of 5-7 year olds and the kids hated it.

My daughter did a summer camp held at another school this summer, middle school and the posters were there. I am so mad at the amount of money that our district is paying. There was a 0 budget for math and science programs at my child's STEM school because of foolish district purchases. My husband and another father paid for the science program and my husband offer to pay for the math program in full. We are not rich people but I could not see the kids that are begging to learn more science and math (ages 11-14, which is such a critical age to capture their love for learning) have no programs. I would love to track down the sucker in our district that is paying for the program.

I advise everyone to look in your kids schools. I never thought Utah would have the program. I know that FL, TN and IN have moms like me that are mad about the money spent.

[Howl]

3 hours ago, 19 cats and counting said:

Didn't Taliban Dan push to get ATI in public schools or at least some aspects of it?  (I could be wrong, too lazy to Google).

I know that as a state legislator, he pushed a lot of ATI's agenda.

Would that be Dan Patrick?  He was just whining today in the newspaper how important it is to defend religious liberty, because that is, so, like, at risk. 

[19 cats and counting]

1 minute ago, Howl said:

Would that be Dan Patrick?  He was just whining today in the newspaper how important it is to defend religious liberty, because that is, so, like, at risk. 

Dan Webster (Alyssa Bates' FIL), now a Congressman from FL.  When he ran for Congress, his opponent aired footage of him speaking at an ATI conference and nicknamed him 'Taliban Dan."

[Jingerbread]

ATI is religiously based.  How can it be legal to use in schools?

[silverspoons]

Just now, Jingerbread said:

ATI is religiously based.  How can it be legal to use in schools?

The way I saw the program at our district, it did not have direct religion in it. It had what I would consider to be brainwashing type techniques and pushing morality but nothing with the word God. The kids are repeating the 49 or 50 character qualities over and over. I would assume there are various sub-companies under ATI that sell the program. I believe it was an off shoot of those IN training centers Gothard ran for the troubled youth of the inner cities.

[RosyDaisy]

It's not illegal for private Christian schools.

[Rhetorica]

Developing/producing/distributing ATI materials "sanitized" from any references to God or the Bible for public schools was/is the special project of the Oklahoma City training center. Heresy in the Heartland (my fav ex-ATI blogger) describes it here: heresyintheheartland.blogspot.com/2013/09/character-first-and-bill-gothard.html