Yeah, that scares me too.
An announcement is planned for Monday to unveil a new partnership involving the Grand Rapids Public School district and Amway Corp.
The two are partnering to create the GRPS School of Business, Leadership and Entrepreneurship, district officials say. It's one of four new high schools offered by the district. It will take the campus of Ottawa Hills High School. Students can learn about major aspects of business management, marketing finances and leadership.
The School of Business is one of four programs offered in the GRPS new "Centers of Innovation" initiative that will specialize curriculum for real-world applications and future job training. Overall not a bad idea in theory...
Students will learn many aspects of managing a business, including marketing, leadership, finance and internships.
Other "Centers of Innovation" include the School of Health, Science and Technology at Central High School, the Academy for Design and Construction at Union High School, and the Engineering and Biomedical School at Creston.
... but will someone be monitoring these programs for ideological influences? Partnerships with outside entities may be a beneficial thing, just as long as there are some limits in place to prevent one dominant business theory from being the prevailing direction of the education being offered.
Knowing how the founders of Amway love to push their agenda in everything they do, classes such as "The Benefits of Outsourcing" and "Tax Havens and You!" might find their way into the mix. Advanced classes may include "Intimidation and Political Campaigns: How to Influence Government", as well as offerings like "Selling the Message: Making the Most of Your Think Tank" for some of the higher achievers out there.
Proceed with caution.