Success Highways Edmond Public School’s SEL Vehicle for Middle and High Schoolers

By Emily Wright 1/8/22

In the fall parents of EPS middle and high schoolers received letters with information regarding Success Highways a resiliency curriculum being taught during advisory hour. The letter stated:

“What makes students persevere despite adversity? Resiliency makes the difference! Resiliency is a set of protective characteristics possessed by those who are able to adapt to hardship and succeed. It determines why one group or individual student succeeds and another does not. The research found six interrelated resiliency skills that are critical to student success. These skills include: valuing education, academic confidence, connectedness, stress, health and well-being, and intrinsic motivation. A student becomes more resilient if they improve performance (includes attendance, behavior, coursework), take ownership of their education, set and work towards goals, take responsibility for their lives, manage adversity, and thrive in school and beyond. Edmond Public Schools received a grant to implement a Resiliency Curriculum and Assessment called, Success Highways.”

EPS superintendent, Dr. Grunewald, says CRT is a theory only taught in law schools, but it is actually being practiced in our schools via Resiliency Curriculum and Assessment program, Success Highways. (Resiliency is code word for Social Emotional Learning.) Designed for at-risk, inner city students, this program was originally known has Achieving Success Identity Pathways (ASIP).

Under the guise of safety the schools have accelerated the Marxist indoctrination. I believe most teachers and parents buy what is sold to them and have no idea of the ill-intent behind these programs. The schools will say that students must “feel” safe and accepted to achieve academic success and SEL is necessary, especially now in the midst of a pandemic.

If you peel back the curtain on the objectives and the basis of SEL Curricula you will find that these programs are not about teaching “kindness”, “resilience” or academic success skills. Rather, SEL aims to indoctrinate your child and provide them with a Marxist mindset and lens to view the world with. EPS embraces diversity, equity and inclusion which are the basic concepts one must embrace when seeing the world through a racist CRT lens. Just take a walk through any middle school and high school and you will see posters with DEI terms adorning the walls.

CRT posits that white systemic racism organizes American society and its institutions (police, schools, courts, Pro sports teams etc.)

SEL is the vehicle (delivery system) used to teach CRT notions to students. SEL is not only the delivery system but is CRT in praxis (in practice). SEL is just political programing used to ultimately transform children’s core values, attitudes and beliefs. It divides families and silence dissenters by tacit intimidation from the schools, government, media, Hollywood etc.

SEL is the advancement arm of Marxist ideas under the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion movement. DEI is the introduction of identity politics to your children. The process of divide, demonize and destroy is in full swing and schools are the recruiting and brainwashing posts churning out the Neo-Marxist, America hating army of social justice warriors.

SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS AND SCHOOL BOARDS ARE COMPLICIT! THEY ACCEPT FEDERAL FUNDING AND APPLY FOR GRANTS THAT HAVE USERED IN THIS GARBAGE.

“Resiliency” curriculum promotes “Victimhood Mentality”; Direct Your Ire Not at Your Parents, but at Society (White Privileged People) Jump on the Social Justice Train!

“Resiliency” Success Highways Based on Emancipatory Communitarianism

The author of Success Highways, psychologist Dr. Scott Solberg supports Emancipatory Communitarianism upon which the program is based.

What is Emancipatory Communitarianism? Isaac Prilleltensky first conceptualized EC in 1997. It is the hybrid of liberation psychology and communitarianism. Liberation psychology promotes individualism and groups, whereas communitarianism stresses responsibilities to each other in the larger community. Counselors, psychologists are to become agent for social justice and through your work train your clients to become fellow social justice warriors to work along side with you to destroy America. What about major role parents play or an intact nuclear family plays in child’s success in school. Unlike traditional theoretical approaches, EC favors (targets) the poor and disadvantaged. The end goal: distributive justice; practitioners directly training clients to advocate in political social spheres. EC psychology is being used to advance the CRT narrative pushed 24-7 by our government, the media, professional sports organizations, corporations, Hollywood etc.: (oppressor vs. oppressed), promote equity; level the playing field by redistributing power ( reverse racism against whites).

“In researcher-practitioner collaborations, the clients are most often individuals who receive services from an organization or system. The goal of working with practitioners is to discover and implement strategies that empower their clients to overcome existing challenges and inequities. From feminist psychotherapy (Enns, 1992) we are encouraged to understand the nature of power and, as “trained professionals,” the importance of redistributing this power using egalitarian strategies that enable practitioners to find their own voice in shaping the discourse and perspectives being offered. From emancipatory communitarianism (Blustein, McWhirter, & Perry, 2005; Prilleltensky, 1997) we are encouraged to address social justice by examining whether and how our strategies empower practitioners to effectively intervene within the context surrounding their clients, enabling clients to successfully navigate their own challenges as they strive to realize their career and life goals. From my experiences, all of these skills and perspectives play an important role in setting the foundation for establishing effective researcher-practitioner collaborations.”

Scott Solberg, speaking at the Conference of the Society of Vocational Psychology, May 16–17, 2016, Florida State University

Who is Dr. Solberg, What COMPANY Does He Keep? Who Does He Work For?

The creator of Success Highways is Dr. Scott Solberg. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Counseling and Applied Human Development at the Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development. Solberg translated ASIP into Success Highways, a one-size fits all curriculum that could be marketed to schools in 2006. Success Highways, under the ScholarCentric umbrella. According to his BU bio he serves as a “subject matter expert in providing resources, presentations, webinars, and consultation services” for a number of organizations and agencies including CASEL, and Council of Chief State School Officers.

History professor, director of the Center for Anti-Racist Research and author of How to Be an Anti-Racist, Ibram X. Kendi, is a fellow colleague of Solberg at Boston University.

“In researcher-practitioner collaborations, the clients are most often individuals who receive services from an organization or system. The goal of working with practitioners is to discover and implement strategies that empower their clients to overcome existing challenges and inequities. From feminist psychotherapy (Enns, 1992) we are encouraged to understand the nature of power and, as “trained professionals,” the importance of redistributing this power using egalitarian strategies that enable practitioners to find their own voice in shaping the discourse and perspectives being offered. From emancipatory communitarianism (Blustein, McWhirter, & Perry, 2005; Prilleltensky, 1997) we are encouraged to address social justice by examining whether and how our strategies empower practitioners to effectively intervene within the context surrounding their clients, enabling clients to successfully navigate their own challenges as they strive to realize their career and life goals. From my experiences, all of these skills and perspectives play an important role in setting the foundation for establishing effective researcher-practitioner collaborations.”

Scott Solberg, speaking at the Conference of the Society of Vocational Psychology, May 16–17, 2016, Florida State University

CASEL: Distribution Arm of SEL Curricula

Nearly every state Department of Education has partnered with CASEL. Oklahoma State Department of Education has CASEL links to programs and resources on their website. Dr. Grunewald’s response to my November 1, 2021 school board speech mentioning SEL included a link to CASEL via the OSDE site:

“SEL provides a foundation for positive, long-term effects on kids, adults, and communities. Here is a current document from the SDE  that defines SEL and why we teach it.” Dr. Angela Grunewald November 2, 2021

We define social and emotional learning (SEL) as an integral part of education and human development.

SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

Fundamentals of SEL – CASEL

“SEL can be a powerful lever for creating caring, just, inclusive, and healthy schools that support all young people in reaching their fullest potential. In the context of SEL, equity and excellence refers to every student—across race, ethnicity, family income levels, learning abilities, home language, immigration status, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other factors—engaging in high-quality educational opportunities and environments that best promote their healthy social, emotional, and academic development.”  How Does SEL Support Educational Equity and Excellence? – CASEL

State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister is a member of CRT/SEL Pushing CCSSO

Dr. Solberg is also an expert consultant for America’s Promise Alliance another educational racial eqiuity organization and the Council of Chief State School Offices. The CCSSO Equity goals include:

• Invest in principals’ ability to lead schools that support the whole child.
• Integrate analysis of teachers’ ability to teach social-emotional competencies into licensure requirements and teaching frameworks
• Provide funding for teacher training on restorative justice
• Check for bias in curriculum and assessment as part of state-level review of instructional materials, and assist LEAs in implementing strategies to detect bias in curriculum and assessment, particularly for locally selected or designed materials.
• Annually report on multiple indicators of the diversity of the educator workforce

Success Highways/Scholar Centric Blog

Parents your tax payer dollars are being used to fund Marxist indoctrination curriculums. Every company’s website lists CRT dribble and platitudes, thus Scholar Centric’s site did not disappoint. Addressing Race & Political Events in K-12 Schools – Intellispark Derek Francis wrote the Addressing Race & Political Events in K-12 Schools blog post on January 28, 2021. In that post Francis provides an link to an exercise that addresses “racial and political events” under the “Tell the Truth” section of his blog.

This exercise is “Spot the Difference” courtesy of “Woke Kindergarten”. Woke Kindergarten 60 Second Text: Spot the Difference – YouTube Francis says: “Kids are seeing these events unfold and having conversations with peers. Public violence and protest are no longer shocking for them to see. We owe it to tell the kids the truth. Have the conversation. They can handle it. They see it on social media.”

Creator of Success Highways, V. Scott Solberg, speaking at the Conference of the Society of Vocational Psychology, May 16–17, 2016, Florida State University

The “RESEARCH” Success Highways is based on is Junk Science! I researched Dr. Solberg, the author of Success Highways, combed through the bibliography of the research paper on Success Highways and looked at the empirical (not scientific) research provided. That’s right this “researched based” program is not backed up with scientifically proven data that yields repeatable results, no matter what factors are added to the testing. Instead the program is based on empirical evidence which is based on observation and experience, things seen multiple times; with the belief that is how they work. Dr. Solberg also conducted this study, not an independent researcher.

“As with any program of evaluation, our work to date has it limitations. Perhaps most obvious is our inability, at present, to assert that ASIP caused the observed improvements in student academic and behavior outcomes.”

“While we do have evaluation data to suggest that engagement in ASIP activities contributes to positive outcomes for youth, our explanations for how this occurs are as yet based in theory.”

School-Based Social Justice: The Achieving Success Identity Pathways Program April 2006Professional School Counseling pg 286

Evidence That Make You Go Hmm…These School “Professionals are Brainwashing Our Children

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) adopted a CRT/Social Justice Agenda in 2005 and Success Highways was designed to implement that agenda.

Below are some excerpts from a research paper authored by Solberg and colleague Dr. Kimberly Howard: School-Based Social Justice: The Achieving Success Identity Pathways Program Pathways (a.k.a. Success Highways) published in 2006 in Professional School Counseling. The title ( School-Based Social Justice…)even states the obvious; confirming that Success Highways is a SEL/CRT indoctrination program.

“This curriculum originally was created to assist low-income youth and youth from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds in becoming aware of the oppression they experience daily, both oppression that exists in the environment and how their behavior contributes to these experiences. By teaching youth to understand how the social context shapes their behaviors and to recognize both the explicit and implicit ways that this occurs, school counselors can assist youth to develop an empowered frame of reference (Field & Baker, 2004). Once youth have attained this frame of reference, they then have the ability to choose, with both intentionality and reflectiveness, how to respond in ways that are self-affirming and consistent with their sense of fairness and justice.”

School-Based Social Justice: The Achieving Success Identity Pathways Program April 2006Professional School Counseling pg 285

“It is imperative that school counselors become actively engaged in promoting school success for all students. For youth from low-income and diverse backgrounds, future career opportunities are predicated on achieving educational success. Therefore, school counselors become agents for social justice when creating, implementing, and supporting school-based interventions designed to promote school success, especially culturally relevant interventions that target youth from low- income and diverse backgrounds. This article describes the Ecological Developmental Cognitive Framework designed to inform the development of curricula that improve school success for all youth. The Achieving Success Identity Pathways is described as an example of curricula derived from this framework and a program that incorporates the four main components of the ASCA National Model®.”

School-Based Social Justice: The Achieving Success Identity Pathways Program April 2006Professional School Counseling pg 278

“We would argue that youth from low-income and diverse backgrounds fail in school and society because oppression existing in the youth’s macrosystemic and exosystemic contexts (e.g., history of their racial/ethnic group, society beliefs regarding race, economic status, experience with racism/bigotry, media portrayals, and discriminatory housing practices) creates life experiences that result in internalized dispositions that maintain this oppression(Solberg & Howard, 2000). As a result of growing up within an oppressive social context, youth build a set of beliefs about themselves that are organized around core definitions of distrust, betrayal, danger, hopelessness, anger, loss, inadequacy, and social injustice. These core beliefs serve as predispositions and expectancies that influence their behavior across all social contexts, including school. Without intervention strategies to counter such predispositions that maintain oppression, youth who have internalized oppressive messages likely will continue to fail in school.”

School-Based Social Justice: The Achieving Success Identity Pathways Program April 2006Professional School Counseling pg 279

In Conclusion

Counselors, and teachers are not psychologists. If you choose not to opt your children out of SEL instruction they will be subjected to psychological treatment (abuse) in a non- therapeutic, uncontrolled environment complete with a healthy dose of “career training” (CRT mindset development)

Students are given a survey to pinpoint social-emotional strengths and weaknesses. The data mining will aid school officials in determining who is “at-risk” so “interventions” can be made. A post-test is given to determine SEL gains. I am not sure how you teach and then assess resilience. Genetics, individual life experiences and environment determine one’s resilience. How does teaching resilience address learning loss? How does focusing on feelings teach concepts/subjects students are behind in due to being kept out of a classroom full time for nearly a year and half? Shouldn’t we hire math and reading instructors to address the learning gaps? What does career training have to do with SEL? (Another topic for another day)

Parents take action! Question teachers, counselors, administrators, the superintendent and school board members. Speak at school board meetings. Run for the school board or actively campaign for school board candidates and/or donate to their campaigns.

The last round of Covid relief education funds: American Rescue Plan; requires schools to spend 20% of the funds on interventions that “respond to student’s academic, social and emotional needs.” PATRIOTS WE MUST GAIN CONTROL OF SCHOOL BOARDS!