RL Curtin

Education
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Nominee's Key Links: 

Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrycurtin/

Resume or CV: 

Writing or Publications: 

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Agency or agencies for which nominator feels nominee is best suited:

  • Department of Education


    Organization name(s) and position(s) for which nominator feels nominee is best suited:

    Executive leadership

     

    Policies which the nominator knows the nominee supports or in which they have expertise:

    I believe that the goal of the American educational system should be to prepare students for careers to be productive members of society. That starts with all children regardless of their race or socio-economic background learning the 3 Rs of education—Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. America deserves a comprehensive examination of all rules published in The Code of Federal Regulations and enforced by the Department to make sure they comply with the letter of the law and not bureaucratic fiat.

    I have spent most of my career creating processes based on requirements. These requirements could be budgetary or user-centered.

    I support the law as passed by Congress. The easiest example of runaway regulations is Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. It states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” The interpretation of those thirty-seven words fills over 550 pages of federal regulations. Those regulations impact everything from free speech to sexual consent to athletics. They must be rewritten/removed to gut the administrative takeover of American education at all levels.

    Title IX violation letters notifying states that have allowed males to compete against females in K12 athletics they are in violation of the law and have three months to remedy violations or lose federal support. Identified by internet news searches: California, New Hampshire, Maine, Washington, Oregon, Connecticut, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Nevada.

    Title IX violation letters notifying the following postsecondary institutions they are in violation of the law and have three months to remedy violations or lose federal financial aid. Identified by internet news searches: Long Beach City College, Mission College, University of Montana, University of Pennsylvania, Rochester Institute of Technology, Franklin Pierce University, Lassen Community College, and San Jose State.

    Another law that is ignored by some states is Section 8546 of the Every Student Succeeds Act mandates that states pass laws prohibiting aiding and abetting sexual abuse. Ten percent of high school graduates report that they have been victims of sexual abuse or misconduct by school employees during their time in compulsory education. Yet, some K12 administrators are protecting the reputation of their institutions rather than the safety of children. There are systemic elements that enable molesters to hide in plain sight including confidentiality agreements, separation agreements, or employment contracts that allow for the scrubbing of files when someone leaves a school. Some states say they need clarity in the regulations. The law is in place. The law is clear. This should be the first rule proposed requiring states to comply with the law to remain eligible for federal funding.

     

    Nominator's thoughts on what would make this nominee a valuable member of a future Trump Unity Government

    1) Is Competent

    I am a dad to six kids and a grandfather to ten grandkids. I was an involved PTA dad for the two youngest kids. Thirteen attend or attended public schools for K12, the other three have not started yet. Seven have taken at least some college courses. During the remote learning phase of COVID-19, I had one of the grandkids and one of her cousins studying at my kitchen table.

    My competence is as the end consumer of the Department of Education’s policies and services impacts.

    My competencies as a software architect are to design a system (Department of Education policy) following requirements (laws passed by Congress and Court rulings) instead of my preferences.

    2) Is Honest

    I have only two interests.

    The first is to Make Education Great Again. All students regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or religion must be treated equally. All schools at all levels need to become blind in everything from admissions to grading to discipline and from hiring to promotions to receive federal funds. Any decisions about the success of a student or an employee should be objective merit-based criteria.

    The second interest supports the first. Children must be protected from sexual predators that use compulsory education as a hunting ground. Section 8546 of the Every Student Succeeds Act mandates that states pass laws prohibiting aiding and abetting sexual abuse. Some states claim that the law is ambiguous. I am happy to clarify it for them.

    The money or power is protecting the status quo. I want to dismantle regulations and send power back to the states. My simple interests cannot be conflicted. There is no space for “corporate capture.” I will fully comply with the rule-making process to protect from challenges via the Administrative Procedure Act.

    3) Is Respectful

    Freedom of speech, the Constitution, and the right to dissent are the cornerstones of America and predate the nation. John Adams defended the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre. He felt everyone was entitled to a defense.

    Title IX has been called the law that banned everything. That is why 550+ pages of regulations around Tile IX must be struck down.

    4) Has Integrity

    As I said in Section 2, I serve all students. The Department of Education’s regulations have been weaponized. The only way to neutralize the bureaucratic overreach that the regulations have empowered is to minimize them.

    This minimization is in keeping with this year’s Loper Bright Supreme Court decision. Relying on fixed original intent, major questions, and a stronger version of arbitrary or capricious changes to the Department of Education’s regulation would be hard for future administrations to restore.

    The major corporate interest that would conflict with improved regulations is the teacher’s union. I am not a teacher. I am a grandparent nearing retirement. They have nothing to offer me.

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    Good luck everyone.

    I have many ideas that I think could make education and educational support better. As a small government conservative I feel we need to decommission years of regulatory overreach. This would allow the States and local districts to focus on what is best for their students.

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    I’m another one here in education and would love to discuss. What are your thoughts on John Taylor Gatto’s work?

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    John Taylor Gatto was spot on with getting kids out of the classroom. The brightest grandkids are in a situation that allowed them to be homeschooled before the pandemic. They are now back in the public education system and both are well ahead of their peers.

    I do not accept the premise that compulsory education is responsible for dumbing down the curriculum. My father was born nearly a century ago, and I believe his education surpassed mine. In turn, I found my education to be better than that of the next generation, which unfortunately appears to lag behind today’s standards. It’s not merely the education system at fault; rather, it seems the compulsion to cram in more subjects might be the issue. Many teachers, despite their best efforts, often lack a deep understanding of the material necessary to teach it effectively.

    I was taught that identifying a problem is the easy part. According to Teddy Roosevelt, “Complaining about a problem without posing a solution is called whining.” I do not want to be a whiner. Below are ideas to help all students prepare for college and careers and ultimately be productive members of society.

    Grades K through 2 focus must be on math, reading, physical education, and art/music. Reading and math are the foundations of education. Everything that follows is built on that foundation. The CDC says children 6 to 17 need at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily. The creativity of art and music has been shown to improve language and reading skills.

    Grades 3 through 6 would add history, science, world languages, and English language arts.

    Grades K through 6 should follow a less subjective and more straightforward grading system, such as: exceeds grade level, meets grade level, and needs improvement.

    Grades 7 through 8 begin instruction in career and adult life readiness. Discuss the real-world applications of the coursework. Performance measures would be switched to the 100-point system letter grades. This will allow students to adjust to grades before they begin to mean something in high school. Grades must be renormed. A is constantly above grade-level work; B is on grade level with occasional above-level work. C is approaching grade level. D and F can be reserved to signal students who are significantly below grade level and are not improving.

    High schools must stop focusing on “all students go to college.” States should create tiered diplomas; a college pathway and a career pathway. The career, technical, and agricultural pathway students would benefit from access to local technical colleges to prepare students for entry into a trade. This should include access to apprenticeship programs and coursework for professional licensure. College prep would include foreign languages that most colleges require. Both diplomas would provide enough math and language arts rigor to avoid remedial courses in a postsecondary education environment.

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    I don’t fully agree with that view. It’s a nuanced process—one or two small steps per generation is what it takes to avoid rebellion. And if we’ve learned anything from recent years, there’s often a much bigger plan at play, even if we don’t see it in the moment. The real question is whether the intent to reach where we are now was always baked into the system, and I believe it absolutely 1000% was. Making education compulsory was just an early move to ensure that everyone was forced into the system. What are your thoughts on the fact that our system is based on the Prussian model in the first place? Or that standardized tests were first used in Imperial China to place people into government jobs? There’s also the issue with the creator of the modernized testing system, who claimed it was too crude to be used. Yet when he voiced this, he was ostracized and fired from his position as president of a university. These are all elements of a much larger system.

    Of course, past generations got a better version of it—they could never have made the jump to something bad right away, or people wouldn’t have accepted it so easily. There were also no universities to train teachers until the invention of “normal schools,” which were funded by Carnegie and the Rockefellers.

    Additionally, are you aware that parents were so opposed to compulsory education that some resisted for so long the government had to march children to school under guard by the end?

    Woodrow Wilson was very clear when he said: “We want one class of persons to have a liberal education, and we want another class of persons, a very much larger class of necessity in every society, to forgo the privilege of a liberal education and fit themselves to perform specific difficult manual tasks.”

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    I agree that compulsory education was intended to indoctrinate the masses into the factory system of required time and required attendance.

    I cannot square the dumbing down as a systemic issue. It may be an unintended consequence but I doubt it is by design. But assume it is……

    What is the solution? How does that solution incorporate single parents that must work and dual income families and welfare families who have no respect for education?

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    Here’s my take as a single mom and entrepreneur homeschooling my child. Everyone is a teacher, regardless of age, and this idea that only “certified” teachers are qualified to teach has actually held us back. I hear from hundreds of parents who want to homeschool but hesitate because they’re told they aren’t “qualified.” That’s absurd. I’d rather learn how to change the brakes from an old-timer who’s been working on cars his whole life than from someone with a training manual and tests.

    We’re all born with a desire to learn, and if we nurture it instead of crushing it, that desire grows. Ivan Illich’s Deschooling Society captures this beautifully. He talks about how real learning happens naturally when four things are present: things, models, peers, and elders. But for this to work, communities have to see supporting the next generation as a shared responsibility—not from obligation, but out of inspiration.

    I envision true learning spaces that are open and real, where people of all ages have free access to explore. Imagine tools, instruments, microscopes, woodworking gear—not locked up for a “lesson,” but ready whenever curiosity strikes. If a child wants to build a robot to pick up their clothes, they’d have the space and materials to try. Access to things like this gives kids a chance to dive in and figure things out for themselves.

    Models come into play when kids see skilled people—builders, artists, cooks—doing what they love and doing it well. Learning isn’t from a lesson plan but from observing passion in action. That’s how real understanding grows.

    Peers bring collaboration and challenge into the mix. When kids work together, they support each other, share ideas, and naturally start problem-solving as a team. They’re not competing for grades; they’re creating, sharing, and growing alongside one another.

    And then there are elders—mentors who offer perspective and wisdom. They don’t micromanage; they inspire by sharing stories, experience, and encouragement. Elders help kids see that learning has roots, that it’s part of a bigger picture, and they bring a deep sense of connection.

    I believe it’s far more important to raise kids who feel capable of learning anything that truly matters to them, rather than just drilling them to spit back facts for a test. With access to tools, with guidance from people who’ve been there, and with the freedom to test their ideas, we can build a generation of problem solvers. That’s what this country needs—entrepreneurial thinkers, not just employees waiting to be told what to do.

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    The next question is always, “But what about reading, writing, and arithmetic?” That’s a whole separate post!

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    I think I understand now. Your idea is about opening homeschooling up to more families. Is that correct?

    I hope so, because it is a great idea.

    There is a well known positive relationship between parental involvement and student success. I do not think there is much difference in academic achievement between public school students who perceived a high level of parent involvement and homeschool students. BUT I think that opening homeschooling resources would encourage more parents to be more involved.

    As a small government guy who thinks this is a great an idea, what role do you see in if for the Federal government? Isn’t this a state issue of funding for the local educational centers?

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    Kind of, but not quite. This could certainly serve as a replacement for public schools, but it requires a significant shift in how we view education, and that won’t happen overnight. I envision these centers as open to everyone in the community, regardless of age, to revive intergenerational learning. With a free-market approach, innovative ideas would naturally emerge, with the most effective ones gaining traction by attracting interest rather than being mandated from the top down.

    Many learning options already exist that align with this vision, but they’re often relatively small and considered ‘enrichment’ rather than foundational, largely due to the dominance of the current public school model. These could represent a much larger part of our educational landscape if we started viewing them as legitimate alternatives to traditional schooling.

    Regarding the federal government’s role, I’d ultimately like to see the Department of Education phased out, though a transitional period would be essential. During this time, the federal government could provide support based on feedback from states, offering a platform to showcase successful models and effective strategies. This would give states an opportunity to learn from one another without imposing top-down mandates. Alaska, for example, has different educational needs than Hawaii, and this approach would allow each state to adapt and prioritize accordingly. There’s a lot the government could do to foster communication and coordination in this transition. Some level of federal support could help ensure states don’t feel as though they’re being thrown into the deep end without guidance.

    Ultimately, I want to see a complete reimagining of our education system. Simply swapping out ‘bad’ content for ‘good’ or rearranging existing structures misses the point entirely and won’t bring about lasting change. On a final note, I want to highlight that, while there’s much-needed attention on our food and health systems, there’s a reason that education was targeted first by influential forces like the Rockefellers. They understood the power of shaping a couple of generations through the education system before advancing their influence on other aspects of society.

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    I agree with the idea that the Department of Education could be phased out. Today, I think their rules and regulations do more harm than good.

    I cannot disagree with anything you said, but the devil is in the details.

    How does this systemic change accommodate parents like my daughters? One is a divorced mother and a small town police officer. Her schedule one month nights the next month days is not conducive to homeschooling. Her kids need the structure of public education. The other is for all intents and purposes aa single mother in the medical field. She needs before and after school care. It serves as daycare for her.

    These are two examples from my family. I am sure there are countless others. I think the reimagined model could work. It would have to proven it could work without imposing top-down mandates. Has any charter or private school tried this?

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    The reality is, many families rely on public schools for the structure and daycare they provide. But this is where community involvement can play a crucial role in offering more flexible, localized solutions. The first step is deregulating the system so that people aren’t scared to step up and offer their talents.

    Every community has its unique needs, and there are passionate individuals who would make excellent mentors and facilitators for children. The problem, however, is that they are restricted by rigid regulations. This system limits the potential of talented people who could offer more personalized and meaningful learning experiences. Unfortunately, only those who comply with these mandates make it through, stifling creativity and innovation.

    If we allowed more freedom and flexibility in how education is approached—particularly by supporting the free market—we could see more people stepping up to fill this gap. These would be people genuinely interested in creating environments that foster individual growth and creativity in children. We could redirect the funds currently going to a failing traditional system into a more decentralized approach that supports local mentors, facilitators, and community-driven learning networks.

    There’s a real opportunity here to provide a better alternative. We could have dedicated individuals covering necessary hours to ensure children’s safety while also creating a more individualized, personalized education system. The issue isn’t that there’s a shortage of people willing to help; it’s that regulations and centralized control prevent them from thriving. Right now, there’s a boot on the neck of anyone who truly wants to help children. But if we release these constraints, the possibilities for true, community-based learning would flourish.

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    While I am not specifically promoting any of these, Summerhill School and Sudbury schools share similar philosophical principles, particularly around self-directed bottom up learning. Approaches like Free Schools (though I’m not a fan of the ones I’ve encountered), the Tinkering School, the Forest School movement, and adventure playgrounds emphasize hands-on, nature-based learning and the importance of free play in child development. Influential figures in the development of self-directed education include Peter Gray, whose extensive research on play and freedom in learning has been pivotal, and John Holt, a major advocate for unschooling and a vocal critic of traditional schooling. A.S. Neill, founder of Summerhill, helped shape the philosophy of child-centered education, while Sir Ken Robinson and Carol Black have contributed to the conversation about creativity, autonomy, and the need to rethink education. Additionally, nature schools in Japan, which focus on deep engagement with nature and community-based learning, and the Reggio Emilia approach in Italy, which encourages collaborative, project-based learning driven by children’s interests, further broaden the global understanding of self-directed, child-centered education. The Pikler approach, which focuses on fostering independence and respect for infants’ autonomy in their earliest stages, and Magda Gerber’s RIE principles for young children, emphasize the value of treating children with respect and allowing them to explore at their own pace. While these methods primarily focus on babies and young children, their principles can apply across all ages. The reason I focus on the work of John Taylor Gatto and Ivan Illich is that I believe their ideas best align with the framework of a constitutional republic, emphasizing individual freedom, personal responsibility, and decentralized, non-coercive education. Most of the other philosophies I reference, while incredibly valuable, tend to align more with democratic systems, where the overarching theme is creating environments of collective decision-making within schools.

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    Thank you so much for taking the time to read through all of this. I truly appreciate you reviewing everything and taking the time to respond.

    This is my nomination if you want to take a look.

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    I saw that back when I voted for you, but thanks for the pointer.

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    I am trying to understand and I do that by asking questions.

    How is this similar and different from Montessori programs?

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    The key difference lies in their foundational structures. Montessori is a highly structured, teacher-designed system with a strong emphasis on prepared environments.

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    How do you handle different educational needs of the States (Hawaii and Alaska from earlier in the thread) without a top down mandate?

    As you predicted, I am to the next question’ “But what about reading, writing, and arithmetic?”`

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    This is exactly where I want to focus. The federal regulations are in the way. Regulations are like kudzu*, they will swallow and destroy everything in the area. The prevent ideas from becoming innovations. The allow school administrators to get away with the most outlandish behaviors. The suppress free speech. They impact the college dating scene. They diminish academic freedom. While we have the chance, the Trump administration needs to crush the bureaucratic power that has been created by fiat and not authorized by Congress.

    *For those who live outside the south, kudzu is an invasive vine species

    abandoned house buried in Kudzu
    abandoned house buried in Kudzu1600×1198 1.22 MB

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    To address different educational needs without a top-down mandate, we need to shift the focus to real-world relevance and personal responsibility rather than standardized benchmarks. The reality around us dictates what we truly need to know. For example, I learned about animal nutrition at a young age because I was responsible for the sheep I bought, and I wanted to win champion at the fair. It was my choice, and that ownership drove my learning in a way no top-down mandate could.

    Each region, like Alaska or Hawaii, has unique needs, skills, and resources that can inform a child’s education in ways a one-size-fits-all approach cannot. In today’s world, skills like video editing or even AI literacy may be more relevant than learning outdated skills, and children often naturally gravitate towards these areas of interest. Instead of sitting in a classroom for 13 years learning a fixed curriculum, they could be gaining hands-on experience in fields that matter to them.

    This approach allows us to focus on timeless skills that matter—understanding the Constitution, recognizing government overreach, and even traditional skills like cursive—taught at home or in their community, where they can see these values in action. Children learn more from real-world examples and personal accountability than from any standardized curriculum. This is especially true in unique areas like Alaska and Hawaii, where local context can shape what’s truly meaningful to learn.

    In short, by trusting children to explore what’s relevant and fostering an environment that reflects their region’s needs and opportunities, we create a more flexible, meaningful educational experience without the need for a universal mandate.