Values clarification classes deliberately teach children to be nonjudgmental about moral values. Values-clarification debates often turn into "bull" sessions where each student gives their opinion about a moral issue but conclusions are never reached. In these classes, teacher-facilitator often acts like a talk-show host who gets students to debate such topics as merits or bad consequences of stealing, lying, pre-marital sex, or taking drugs.

In sex-education classes, sexual behavior is often described in purely mechanical terms and sexual choices are presented as morally neutral options or simply personal preferences each student has to decide for themselves. Similarly, in many drug-education programs same non-judgemental attitude often prevails -- students are encouraged to talk about good and bad consequences of taking drugs without reaching a clear moral conclusion.

Many public schools teach children that only self gratification and their feelings of moment matter, that there are no moral absolutes. Admittedly, some parents are to blame for not teaching their children good ethical values, but values clarification programs are an assault on time-tested values most parents teach their children.

Since ancient times, all societies have known that certain acts are inherently wrong and immoral. This knowledge became embedded in a cultural or religious moral code, which recognized that human beings must respect each other’s person and property. Judaism and Christianity, for example, teach that lying, stealing, or murdering another human being is wrong, not only because they’re prohibited by Ten Commandments, but because they are inherently unjust to other human beings.

With rare exceptions, such as killing in self-defense, morality of these basic values seldom depends on situation or individual. All of us are born with same rights to life, liberty, and property. Respect for each other's rights and person simply reflects this fact of life.

Because values clarification programs teach children that all values are subjective, they destroy real values and corrupt children at deepest level. If all values are subjective, there is no moral difference between mercy and murder, honesty and theft, sexual consent and rape, loyalty and treachery, or fidelity and adultery.

In a world where anything goes, children are turned into amoral creatures who will do anything to satisfy their momentary desires. Yet these are insidious moral anti-values that public schools now promote with values-clarification classes.

Author and education researcher Charles J. Sykes describes whole-language reading instruction in one first-grade classroom in his book "Dumbing Down Our Kids":

“Reading instruction begins with “pre-reading strategies” in which “children predict what story is about by looking at title and pictures. Background knowledge is activated to get children thinking about reading topic.” Then they read story. If a child does not recognize a word, they are told to “look for clues.”

“The whole-language curriculum gave specific suggestions that children: “Look at pictures,” ask “What would make sense?” “Look for patterns,” “Look for clues,” and “Skip word and read ahead and then go back to word.” Finally, if all this fails, parents/teachers are told, “Tell child word. . . .”

“When kids couldn’t figure out a word, educationists gave these further ions: “Ask a friend, skip word, substitute another meaningful word.” Sykes then asks, "Look at pictures. Skip word. Ask a friend. Is this reading?"

During 1990s, when whole-language instruction was in full force, outraged parents bitterly complained about their children's deteriorating ability to read. In response, public schools across country then reverted to their usual tactics --- they kept failed policy but changed its name.

Many public schools today say they now teach kids to read with "balanced reading instruction." What this means is they combine whole-language instruction with a smattering of phonics. "See," they can say to parents, "we are now teaching your kids phonics." The only problem is that too often "balance" is still about 80 percent whole-language, and 20 percent phonics, if and when teacher thinks phonics is "needed" in "special cases."

If you were a doctor and were treating a patient for a serious infection, would you give patient a "balanced" cure of arsenic and antibiotics? That is moral and practical status of "balanced" reading instruction where whole-language instruction still predominates, because whole-language is arsenic of reading-instruction methods.

Parents, don't let public-school officials fool you with their glib talk of "balanced reading instruction." You need to personally investigate how your local school teaches your kids to read. The best thing to do is to test your children's true reading abilities with an outside, independent testing company. You may be shocked by outcome of test. The Resources section of "Public Schools, Public Menace," lists many such independent reading-testing companies.