Phoenix Schools Under Fire for Program Linked to Scientology
A group of Phoenix charter schools is facing criticism for using a teaching tool based on the work of L. Ron Hubbard, best known for founding the Church of Scientology.
Teacher Katie Donahoe says that shortly after she was hired in 2010, she went to a memorable training session on the teaching method, called Applied Scholastics. The session was held at the Applied Scholastics headquarters near St. Louis.
“They didn’t start off talking about instruction. They started off talking about L. Ron Hubbard,” says Donoho, who was there at the urging of her new superintendent. Later that fall she would start teaching English at Robert L. Duffy High School in Phoenix. But first, she was asked to get familiar with Hubbard’s methods.
“The next stop was to watch a video talking about how great Applied Scholastics was,” Donahoe says. Among those in the video were Isaac Hayes, Tom Cruise and John Travolta.
More: Phoenix Schools Under Fire for Program Linked to Scientology : NPR