Give thanks, for reform is near

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CounterCurrent:
Happy Thanksgiving from the National Association of Scholars
Give thanks, for reform is near

CounterCurrent is the National Association of Scholars’ weekly newsletter, bringing you the biggest issues in academia and our responses to them.
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Category: Education Reform, Current Events, Higher Ed;
Reading Time: ~4 minutes
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Happy Thanksgiving week, CounterCurrent readers! Grocery store parking lots are packed with last-minute shoppers, while a few early birds are already defrosting turkeys and setting pies to cool. Meanwhile, the true shopaholics are preparing to storm the stores on Friday with such efficiency that military generals might be envious. Amid this hustle, we should take a moment to pause and reflect on all that 2024 has brought us.

For the National Association of Scholars (NAS), 2024 has been a productive year. We've worked hard to highlight the challenges facing higher education and propose meaningful solutions—a task that can test even the most optimistic among us. But your letters, emails, and contributions keep us motivated and moving forward.

Before you dive into your Thanksgiving feast, let’s take a moment to reflect on four things we’re especially grateful for this year:

1. Eleven New Reports and Studies ([link removed])

Since the beginning of 2024, NAS researchers have authored eleven new reports and studies ranging from foreign influence in K-12 ([link removed]) and higher education ([link removed]) and mapping the associations of Students for Justice in Palestine ([link removed]) , to new state science standards ([link removed]) and a re-evaluation of institutional neutrality ([link removed]) . This year, our affiliate in Maryland ([link removed]) also contributed by publishing their own report. Each of these projects is the culmination of months and sometimes years of painstaking research. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read this year’s reports, I encourage you to do so by clicking here ([link removed]) !

2. Minding the Campus ([link removed])

We first took on Minding the Campus ([link removed]) at the end of 2020. Since then, the site has continued to grow its readership and contributors—many of whom are likely reading this! Minding the Campus continues to be a popular form for commentary on American higher education under the tutelage of Jared Gould, its managing editor. This year, the site published 483 articles, which is the largest number yet. We are thankful for all our writers and readers and look forward to bringing you great content in the year to come.

3. A movement to reform Civics Education (and much more)! ([link removed])

The Civics Alliance ([link removed]) opened its doors to the civic-minded in 2021. Since then, we’ve enjoyed working alongside other organizations and individuals dedicated to preserving Western Civilization and providing our children with the best possible education. This year, the Civics Alliance released lesson plans for Constitution Week ([link removed]) and model state standards on the history of Communism ([link removed]) . The Civics Alliance also continued its work in the states to improve social studies standards ([link removed]) and encourage the adoption of American Birthright: Model K-12 Social Studies Standards ([link removed]) .

4. Science Reform

Science is in great need of reform. From funding to reproducibility, the whole process has been corrupted by politicized interests. Thankfully, much of the public is aware of the problem and is putting the screws to policymakers via the ballot box to make science reproducible again. For our part, NAS has published the fourth report in our Shifting Sands series ([link removed]) , Zombie Psychology ([link removed]) , finding that much of the science underlying implicit bias theory is faulty. We have also taken on reforming federal science policy through legislation. Our Model Science Policy Code ([link removed]) includes ten pieces of model legislation policymakers can use to drastically reform federal science downstream of Congress in agencies and within bills under consideration. At Minding the Campus, we’ve launched a new column,
Minding the Sciences ([link removed]) . The column offers contributors a space to discuss the problems plaguing modern science and ponder effective solutions. And lastly, we’ve reached out to reform how science is taught in our schools ([link removed]) . This way, as students become voting adults, they’ll be able to participate in policy discussions and sniff out bad science long before it becomes ingrained in legislation and regulation.

Of course, none of this would be possible without your support. Our rolodex is only so large, so we rely on our members to make connections, share our research and remedies, and ensure America’s colleges and universities support reasoned scholarship in a free society.

Now, go and be merry! Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the National Association of Scholars.

Until next week.

Chance Layton

Director of Communications
National Association of Scholars
Read the Article ([link removed])
For more on the education reform, current events, and higher ed:
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November 25, 2024


** Pledging to Honor the Spirit of Free Inquiry ([link removed])
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Jay Schalin

In recent decades, the intellectual climate in higher education has been toxic, resulting in predictable effects on society.

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November 20, 2024


** NAS Welcomes Administrator McMahon's Nomination to Serve as Education Secretary ([link removed])
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Peter W. Wood

With McMahon, the new administration has a chance to drastically slim down and depoliticize the Education Department.

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March 19, 2024


** Report: Curriculum of Liberty ([link removed])
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David Randall

In this report, we propose the Curriculum of Liberty, in the spirit of NAS’s principles, which will educate American college students toward freedom, the pursuit of truth, and virtuous citizenship, with a double goal in mind.


** About the NAS
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The National Association of Scholars, founded in 1987, emboldens reasoned scholarship and propels civil debate. We’re the leading organization of scholars and citizens committed to higher education as the catalyst of American freedom.

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