Latest news with #SuccessSequenceAct
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee lawmakers set no good example for 'success sequence' bill
Representative Gio Bulso (R) Brentwood wits in House room 1 with other protesters behind him Photograph by John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout ©2025 Tennessee's legislature recently overwhelmingly passed the Success Sequence Act, requiring public schools to teach about the positive outcomes of a life path that goes, in order: graduation from high school, moving on to jobs or further education, marriage and then having children. It's not bad advice, but one wonders about the merits of our state legislature offering it. After all, we do not have required don't-run-with-scissors instructional modules, or charity-is-a-good-thing week, and we are still waiting for success to come from decades of harangue-kids-about-drugs modules. So, what's really going on here? On one level it's as simple as our legislators effectively yelling, 'Hey, you kids are having sex way too casually and way too early!' One wonders if they ever thought about how the message would have been received decades ago by their teenage selves. Further, it is likely to be as ineffective as abstinence-only sex education. A November 2024 research article in the Journal of School Health put it succinctly, 'Multiple studies indicate comprehensive sexuality programs are more effective than abstinence-only programs at reducing risky sexual behavior, and improving knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to sexual activity,' the researchers wrote. On another level, however, this holds true to a political reality described in the books 'Moral Politics' and 'Don't Think of an Elephant!,' both by George Lakoff. Self-described conservatives, and they dominate our state legislature, think of successful and wealthy people as having obtained this status because of moral clarity and good life choices. The impoverished are in that position by laziness, promiscuity, and bad choices. Liberals look more to social conditions; wealth often comes from inheritance, and poverty from things like low wages and poor health care. 'Success sequence' bill passes House, heads to governor's desk for signature Our legislature's Success Sequence Act is virtue signaling to voters and not virtue referencing to students. It's cut-and-paste legislation from the right-wing Heritage Foundation, already adopted by Utah and under consideration in Mississippi, Kentucky, Texas, and Ohio. Tennessee's sponsor, Rep. Gino Bulso of Brentwood, thinks such posturing in favor of nuclear families is the best remedy to poverty. Not exactly, at least not from him. He is in a public policy position so he should approach this from a public policy perspective — increasing the minimum wage, making even more opportunities available for post-secondary education, restricting child labor. Sadly, Bulso — and other lawmakers — are woefully deficient on these policy angles. Members of the Tennessee legislature also might not be the best ones for giving such success in life advice. Former Sen. Brian Kelsey reported to prison after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations, only to be pardoned by President Trump. A jury found former Sen. Katrina Robinson guilty of wire fraud Sen. Ken Yager faces Driving Under the Influence charges in Georgia. In January 2021, former House Speaker Glen Casada and several other Tennessee legislators had their homes and offices raided in a Federal Bureau of Investigation inquiry into laundered campaign money. Casada and his former chief of staff were indicted by a federal grand jury, charged with theft, bribery, and kickbacks, and the pair will go on trial April 22. Even if all those charged are not convicted, 'life success' could be a stretch for their expertise. It's fine that our legislature wants to pontificate on success in life, as long as they remember they are not the pontiff. We can seek our moral clarity from our pastors, parents, successful relatives, and other positive forces in young lives. As for our legislators, some legislation opening doors for young people would be a better use of their time. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee lawmakers want schools to teach the ‘success sequence' - graduate, get married, have kids
Tennessee public schools may soon be required to teach students that a key to success is following a traditional sequence of life events, including marriage before children, as part of a new bill that passed the state Senate. If passed in the state House, the 'Success Sequence Act' would teach students about the 'positive personal and societal outcomes' of completing a specific sequence of life events: obtaining a high school diploma or equivalent credential, entering the workforce or pursuing college, getting married and having children. The bill, sponsored by state Senator Janice Bowling, asserts that evidence shows those who follow the sequence of life events experience rates of higher family income, grade point averages and graduation. Bowling said children raised by single parents are 'three times as likely' to live in poverty than those raised with married parents and children raised in a home without married parents are 'twice as likely' to end up in jail or prison before the age of 30. However, Democrats in the Tennessee legislature have pushed back on the bill calling it a form of 'indoctrination.' 'This is a step too far,' state Senator Raumesh Akbari said. 'Because I graduated from high school, obtained my degree, entered the workforce, did not complete the last two steps, marriage or children, and I still think I'm a success. So I don't understand why it is important to incorporate this level of indoctrination into our schools.' State Senator London Lamar said the bill would teach a curriculum that people are 'less than' if they are a single parent. 'That doesn't make my mother less than because she raised a current sitting senator when she became a single parent,' Lamar said. She argued that it was not the legislators' job to dictate how children should view marriage or parenthood. 'If you are not married, it does not mean that you are less than anybody else. I think this bill is misguided, it's very offensive and I'm living proof that this bill has no merit,' Lamar said. But Republicans have pushed back, pointing to evidence that shows delaying certain life events, such as having children, can set people up for a more successful financial future. 'I know people that are very dear that went to college, got their degree, never married, and they live very successful, happy lives,' Bowling said. 'But if it's in your purview to get married, then you need to get married and then have children.' The bill passed the Tennessee Senate Thursday and is now headed to the House. If approved it would head to the governor's desk for signing and start in the 2025-2026 school year. Similar bills have been introduced in Texas, Kentucky, Ohio and Mississippi.
The Independent
28-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Tennessee lawmakers want schools to teach the ‘success sequence' - graduate, get married, have kids
Tennessee public schools may soon be required to teach students that a key to success is following a traditional sequence of life events, including marriage before children, as part of a new bill that passed the state Senate. If passed in the state House, the ' Success Sequence Act ' would teach students about the 'positive personal and societal outcomes' of completing a specific sequence of life events: obtaining a high school diploma or equivalent credential, entering the workforce or pursuing college, getting married and having children. The bill, sponsored by state Senator Janice Bowling, asserts that evidence shows those who follow the sequence of life events experience rates of higher family income, grade point averages and graduation. Bowling said children raised by single parents are 'three times as likely' to live in poverty than those raised with married parents and children raised in a home without married parents are 'twice as likely' to end up in jail or prison before the age of 30. However, Democrats in the Tennessee legislature have pushed back on the bill calling it a form of 'indoctrination.' 'This is a step too far,' state Senator Raumesh Akbari said. 'Because I graduated from high school, obtained my degree, entered the workforce, did not complete the last two steps, marriage or children, and I still think I'm a success. So I don't understand why it is important to incorporate this level of indoctrination into our schools.' State Senator London Lamar said the bill would teach a curriculum that people are 'less than' if they are a single parent. 'That doesn't make my mother less than because she raised a current sitting senator when she became a single parent,' Lamar said. She argued that it was not the legislators' job to dictate how children should view marriage or parenthood. 'If you are not married, it does not mean that you are less than anybody else. I think this bill is misguided, it's very offensive and I'm living proof that this bill has no merit,' Lamar said. But Republicans have pushed back, pointing to evidence that shows delaying certain life events, such as having children, can set people up for a more successful financial future. 'I know people that are very dear that went to college, got their degree, never married, and they live very successful, happy lives,' Bowling said. 'But if it's in your purview to get married, then you need to get married and then have children.' The bill passed the Tennessee Senate Thursday and is now headed to the House. If approved it would head to the governor's desk for signing and start in the 2025-2026 school year. Similar bills have been introduced in Texas, Kentucky, Ohio and Mississippi.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee bill to require schools to teach ‘success sequence' of life path passes Senate
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Republican-sponsored bill to require public schools to teach students the positive outcomes associated with following a 'success sequence,' which includes first getting married, then having children, passed the Tennessee Senate Thursday, but not everyone agreed that life follows a perfect checklist. The bill, called the 'Success Sequence Act,' would require schools to teach students the positive outcomes associated with completing the following in the following order: graduate high school, enter the workforce or go to college, get married, and then have children. Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma), the bill's sponsor, argued in most cases, those who follow the 'success sequence' statistically experience better outcomes than those who don't. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → 'Children raised by married parents are twice as likely to graduate from college than children who are not, children not raised in a home with married parents are twice as likely to end up in jail or prison before reaching 30 years of age. Children raised by a single parent are three times as likely to live in poverty than married parents,' Sen. Bowling said. Sen. Bowling told lawmakers on the Senate floor Thursday she is 'fully aware' that not everyone gets married, and the bill wouldn't create that requirement. 'I know people that are very dear that went to college, got their degree, never married, and they live very successful, happy lives, but if it's in your purview to get married, then you need to get married and then have children,' Sen. Bowling said. However, the bill defines the 'success sequence' as 'a method by which a person completes the following, in the following sequence,' according to the bill's language, meaning a person would need to complete all four steps to complete the 'success sequence.' Democrats called the bill 'indoctrination.' 'With all due respect to the sponsor, it's not personal, it's strictly about the bill, but I think this bill is misguided, it's very offensive, and I am living proof that this bill has no merit,' Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis), who is also a single mother, said. 'I know plenty of children born in two-parent households who are in jail, who are not doing anything, who don't have jobs; they're not sustainable. It's not a for sure indicator of a child's success. It's about the mentality of the parents, not the status of their relationship when it comes to marriage.' The bill passed the Senate 25 to 5 in a vote along party lines. 'If we haven't learned anything, this is America, and success is defined in many different ways,' Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) told News 2 after the bill passed the Senate. 'Success for a lot of people in this country does not come linearly like that. People have to grind and grit to get what they have, especially the folks that [Republicans] consider [diversity, equity, and inclusion] DEI hires.' However, Republicans argued Democrats misunderstand the bill. They said it doesn't claim the 'success sequence' is the end-all be-all to success, but that it's been proven effective in the 'vast majority' of cases. 'They were trying to tie marriage to children, and somehow they were saying that everybody should get married, everybody should have children. That's not what it's saying,' Sen. Bo Watson (R-Hixson) told News 2. 'It's saying that delaying some of these behaviors until later in life has been proven in social science to help people be much more successful. I was surprised to see the Democrats arguing against that.' ⏩ The 'success sequence' would be added to the already existing family life curriculum in TN public schools. Parents could opt their children out. The House version of the bill is set to be debated in the House Education Committee April 1. If it passes the House floor, it would go into effect during the 2026-27 school year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
