Sol Stern

Sol Stern (born 1935) is the author of the book Breaking Free: Public School Lessons and the Imperative of School Choice (2003)[1] and has written extensively on education reform.[2]

Early life

Stern was born in Ramat Gan, Israel (then in Mandatory Palestine) in 1935. He was raised in the Bronx from infancy and attended the City College of New York; the University of Iowa; and the University of California, Berkeley.

Radicalism

Stern began his career with the radical magazine Ramparts to which, in 1967, he contributed the article " A Short Account of International Student Politics and the Cold War with Particular Reference to the NSA, CIA, etc." It included the allegation that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had supported the National Student Association, ties that later were confirmed by the organization itself. The CIA funded overseas projects to the tune of $3.3 million, and it recruited NSA staff members for intelligence work.[3] In 1968, Stern signed the "Writers and Editors War Tax Protest" pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments to protest the Vietnam War.[4]

Conservative shift

His departure from radicalism came after New Left attacks on Israel.[5] He also collaborated with Ronald Radosh on a research project into the evidence against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Originally intending to prove their innocence, Stern and Radosh came to believe that the Rosenbergs had been guilty of spying for the Soviet Union. In 2008, The New York Times described him as a "cantankerous provocateur against liberal education policies, criticizing reading curriculums that de-emphasize phonics as well as public schools that focus on social justice."[6] Stern has written critiques of Paulo Freire's work [7] and Bill Ayers's career as an education reformer for City Journal and elsewhere.[8][9]

See also

References
  1. http://www.manhattan-institute.org/breakingfree/
  2. http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/stern__s.htm
  3. "Student Officials Seek to Abandon the Cold War Arena". Washington Post. 1967-08-14.
  4. "Writers and Editors War Tax Protest" January 30, 1968 New York Post
  5. "Conservatives plant a seed in NYC". The Boston Globe. 1998-02-22.
  6. Sol Stern interview at the New York Times, published February 13, 2008
  7. "Pedagogy of the Oppressor: Another reason why U.S. ed schools are so awful: the ongoing influence of Brazilian Marxist Paulo Freire.", City Journal, Spring 2009
  8. "The Ed Schools’ Latest—and Worst—Humbug: Teaching for “social justice” is a cruel hoax on disadvantaged kids.", City Journal, Summer 2006
  9. "Obama’s Real Bill Ayers Problem: The ex-Weatherman is now a radical educator with influence.", City Journal, 23 April 2008
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