Applied Scholastics International | |
Abbreviation | APS |
---|---|
Formation | 1972 |
Founded at | Los Angeles, California |
Type | Educational |
Legal status | Non-profit |
Purpose | Advancing the educational technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard [1] |
Headquarters | 7065 Hollywood Blvd, Ste 200, Los Angeles, California |
Coordinates | 34°06′06″N118°20′38″W / 34.101723°N 118.343791°W |
Parent organization | Association for Better Living and Education [2] [3] : 171n |
Affiliations | Church of Scientology |
Website | appliedscholastics |
Formerly called | Applied Scholastics Incorporated (1972–2000) |
[1] |
Applied Scholastics (APS) is an organization that promotes and licenses the use of study techniques created by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. Applied Scholastics is operated by the Church of Scientology.
Applied Scholastics, abbreviated "APS", was founded in 1972 by the Church of Scientology in order to disseminate L. Ron Hubbard's learning and teaching methods outside of a religious context. However, Hubbard's methods, which he called "study technology", are an integral part of Scientology practices and is considered a form of indoctrination into and within Scientology. [3] : 181
Applied Scholastics is classified as a dissemination organization in the Church of Scientology network hierarchy. [4] APS falls under the Association for Better Living and Education umbrella which was established in 1987. Prior to that, APS was managed under the Social Coordination Bureau of the Guardian's Office (SoCo). [5] : 391 The organization is staffed by Scientology officials, and it licenses the methods and materials to other organizations, and oversees their use. [6] [7] [3] : 169
Applied Scholastics was included in the 1993 closing agreement between the IRS and the Church of Scientology, and was classified as a Scientology-related entity, thus granting it non-profit status. [8] [3] : 171n As such, parents of children attending private schools licensed by APS can deduct the cost of tuition from their income tax returns. [3] : 171n
Scientologist celebrities have been used to promote Applied Scholastics, [3] : 268 including John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Isaac Hayes, Lisa Marie Presley, and Ann Archer. [9] [10] : 9 [11] In 1997, Travolta met with President Bill Clinton to promote the program, [3] : 270 and later Tom Cruise lobbied to obtain government funding and met with the Secretary of Education. [3] : 286–7 By 2003, APS materials and tutoring programs were approved in several states. [3] : 286-7,360
Applied Scholastics has closely managed several service organizations, including:
Study Tech is a teaching methodology developed by L. Ron Hubbard.
Hubbard's theories on education describe three "barriers to learning". The first is the absence of mass, pertaining to the lack of a physical object relating to a concept. The second is a steep study "gradient", meaning a necessary previous step was skipped to master a skill. The third is the "misunderstood word", which necessitates looking up unclear words in the dictionary. [13]
Students are taught that "misunderstood words" are a major cause of confusion and misunderstanding. They are taught to use dictionaries extensively. Emphasis is also put on making sure children are taught at a "gradient", so that a subject's crucial elementary concepts come before more difficult concepts. "Mass" is described as a measure of mental tangibility that students ascribe to a subject, so that students have a picture in their mind of the thing they are learning about. [14]
Applied Scholastics licenses Study Tech to a number of schools throughout the world. In return, these schools pay 4% of their gross income to Applied Scholastics. [15]
Applied Scholastics markets several books that are "Based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard" and were copyrighted by L. Ron Hubbard Library and printed by Bridge Publications, the publishing arm of the Church of Scientology. [16] [17] [lower-alpha 1] Later, the books were re-published under the imprint "Effective Education Publishing". [18] They include:
Though the books contain a biography of Hubbard, they omit mentioning his role as the founder of Scientology. The books do not mention any connection with Scientology. [19]
Applied Scholastics has also teamed up with educational publisher Heron Books, operated by Delphi Schools, to provide a collection of L. Ron Hubbard's writings on study, education and children. [20] [21]
In the 1980's Applied Scholastics, Inc., operating as a management consulting group and boasting a stable of high-tech clients, was the subject of a legal dispute between one of their clients, Applied Materials (AM), and three of AM's former employees. The former employees sued AM claiming they were driven out of the company after they complained about the Applied Scholastics training seminars and "refused to be trained under the doctrines of L. Ron Hubbard's Church of Scientology". Applied Scholastics was also named as a defendant in the suit. Employees at AM confirmed that "Scientology teachings were used regularly by the company during self-improvement and confidence seminars led by a company called Applied Scholastics". AM settled for an estimated $600,000 and admitted the company "lacked sensitivity with regard to the controversial nature of L. Ron Hubbard". [22] [23]
In 1998, the group submitted five of its books for approval as supplemental classroom texts to the California Department of Education. The review board found no religious content to object to, although they did object to the lack of portrayals of disabled persons and people of color. The Southern California American Civil Liberties Union, however, objected on the basis that the books used many of the terms and concepts that the Church of Scientology uses elsewhere in its Study Tech. [24]
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Applied Scholastics convinced the principal of Prescott Middle School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to implement a program of Study Tech. [14] Critics worried that the move was "an insidious plan ultimately aimed at promoting Scientology." [14] However, Prescott's principal and two education experts claimed that they "saw [no] hidden Scientology agenda or proselytizing in the text." [14] The school's principal felt that the program was worthwhile. [14] In October 2005, St. Louis Public Schools superintendent Creg Williams discovered the group's Scientology connections and immediately advised area principals to cease working with Applied Scholastics. Additionally, CEO Bennetta Slaughter falsely claimed a "partnership" with the Hazelwood School District in St. Louis. [25]
Some parents were upset when Applied Scholastics methods were introduced in September 2008 at Bambolino Montessori Academy, a private school in Toronto. The owner/principal and dean of the school are both Scientologists but they say that Applied Scholastics is secular and that they do not teach Scientology. [26]
The Georgia Board of Education had approved Applied Scholastics in 2006 for a three-year license to tutor under a federal program which pays to tutor students from public schools which don't meet minimum academic criteria. In 2009, four complaints were lodged against Applied Scholastic in Cobb County concerned about their connection with Scientology and about keeping religion out of education. Georgia education officials then began inspections to ensure Applied Scholastics' policies and teachings were geared toward secular instruction. [27]
In 2013, a group of charter schools in Phoenix, Arizona came under criticism for using tools provided by Applied Scholastics. [28]
Xenu, also called Xemu, is a figure in the Church of Scientology's secret "Advanced Technology", a sacred and esoteric teaching. According to the "Technology", Xenu was the extraterrestrial ruler of a "Galactic Confederacy" who brought billions of his people to Earth in DC-8-like spacecraft 75 million years ago, stacked them around volcanoes, and killed them with hydrogen bombs. Official Scientology scriptures hold that the thetans of these aliens adhere to humans, causing spiritual harm.
The Church of Scientology maintains a wide variety of beliefs and practices. The core belief holds that a human is an immortal, spiritual being (thetan) that is resident in a physical body. The thetan has had innumerable past lives, some of which, preceding the thetan's arrival on Earth, were lived in extraterrestrial cultures. Based on case studies at advanced levels, it is predicted that any Scientologist undergoing auditing will eventually come across and recount a common series of past-life events.
The Introspection Rundown is a controversial Church of Scientology auditing process that is intended to handle a psychotic episode or complete mental breakdown. Introspection is defined for the purpose of this rundown as a condition where the person is "looking into one's own mind, feelings, reactions, etc." The result is "the person extroverted, no longer looking inward worriedly continuously without end."
A Volunteer Minister (VM) is a member of Scientology sent to a disaster zone to spread the doctrine of Scientology and provide disaster relief. The program was created in the 1970s by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
Study Technology, also called Study Tech, is a teaching method codified by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology. Study Technology is used by Scientologists in their training, and it is also marketed outside the Church of Scientology through its affiliated corporation Applied Scholastics, which presents Study Tech as a secular teaching method for any student or topic. However, the method has many critics, including former teachers, claiming that Study Technology and its associated schools are intrinsically linked with religious aspects of Scientology.
World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE) is a Church of Scientology organization headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It states that it is an "international membership organization whose members use both L. Ron Hubbard management technology and embrace the responsibilities and ethical standards of WISE membership."
The Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Los Angeles, California, established by the Church of Scientology. It states that it is "dedicated to creating a better future for children and communities." It promotes secular uses of L. Ron Hubbard's works, and has been classified as a "Scientology-related entity". Founded in 1988, ABLE's main office is located at 7065 Hollywood Boulevard, the former headquarters for the Screen Actors Guild.
The Church of Scientology is a group of interconnected corporate entities and other organizations devoted to the practice, administration and dissemination of Scientology, which is variously defined as a cult, a business, or a new religious movement. The movement has been the subject of a number of controversies, and the Church of Scientology has been described by government inquiries, international parliamentary bodies, scholars, law lords, and numerous superior court judgements as both a dangerous cult and a manipulative profit-making business. In 1979, several executives of the organization were convicted and imprisoned for multiple offenses by a U.S. Federal Court. The Church of Scientology itself was convicted of fraud by a French court in 2009, a decision upheld by the supreme Court of Cassation in 2013. The German government classifies Scientology as an unconstitutional sect. In France, it has been classified as a dangerous cult. In some countries, it has attained legal recognition as a religion.
Scientology terminology consists of a complex assortment of jargon used by Scientologists in conjunction with the practice of Scientology and in their everyday lives. It is difficult if not impossible to understand Scientology without understanding its terminology the way Hubbard defines it.
The Church of Spiritual Technology (CST) is a California 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, incorporated in 1982, which owns all the copyrights of the estate of L. Ron Hubbard and licenses their use. CST does business as L. Ron Hubbard Library. The Church of Spiritual Technology points to Hubbard as the “focal point,” with the structure designed to realize what Scientologists understand to be his vision. The stated purpose of the archive in CST, according to the church is “so that future generations will have available to them all of L. Ron Hubbard’s technology in its exact and original form, no matter what happens to the society.”
Timothy Bowles is an American attorney who served as general legal counsel for the Church of Scientology International for eight years. In addition to his legal practice, he also serves as the executive director of Youth for Human Rights International, is a Commissioner on the Board of Advisors of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights and has helped establish other social organizations sponsored by the Church of Scientology, including Narconon and Applied Scholastics.
This is a Timeline of Scientology and its forerunner Dianetics, particularly its foundation and development by author L. Ron Hubbard as well as general publications, articles, books and other milestones.
OT VIII or OT 8 is the highest current auditing level in Scientology. OT VIII is known as "The Truth Revealed" and was first released to select high-ranking public Scientologists in 1988, two years after the death of Scientology's founder, L. Ron Hubbard. OT VIII is only delivered to members of the Church of Scientology in one place—aboard the organization's private cruise ship, the Freewinds, and is additionally available from independent Scientology groups. There are a few advanced auditors that are able to deliver the level to those who meet the prerequisites.
This bibliography of Scientology includes Scientology and Dianetics-related books, periodicals and other issues authored by L. Ron Hubbard and those produced by the Church of Scientology and its related organizations. Books bearing L. Ron Hubbard's name are considered texts of Scientology's canon.
The amount of material on Dianetics and Scientology is extensive, to say the least. This material is composed of books by L. Ron Hubbard ; compilations of his works; taped lectures; auditor training materials ; course packages; booklets; a large number of magazines and annuals; and video recordings of the major annual events.
Clear Body, Clear Mind is a Scientology book compiled from L. Ron Hubbard material from the 1960s, which was published posthumously in 1990 by Bridge Publications, the Church of Scientology's publishing house. The book is considered part of Scientology's canon. It is the textbook for the Purification Rundown ("Purif"), which Scientologists believe is a detoxification program with medical and spiritual benefits, but has been criticized as pseudoscientific by medical professionals who have called it "dangerous", "quackery," and "in some cases lethal".
Mace-Kingsley Ranch School was a ranch school for children aged 8 to 17 affiliated with the Church of Scientology. The School opened in 1987 and based in Palmdale, California before moving to a property in the Gila Wilderness, New Mexico in the early 1990s. It closed in 2002 and its certificate of incorporation was revoked. The school's curriculum focused heavily on the teachings of Scientology. Students were subjected to pseudo-scientific processes such as the Purification Rundown and daily auditing. A large portion of each day was dedicated to cleaning and general manual labor. The school received criticism over the years for the treatment of students under its care. Students have reported cases of being underfed as well as being beaten, whipped and publicly humiliated as forms of punishment.
New Village Leadership Academy (NVLA), also known as New Village Academy, was a private elementary school located in Calabasas, California, USA. Indian Hills High School previously used the campus, and in 2008 actor Will Smith funded New Village Academy and leased the Calabasas facilities for three years.
Scientology front groups are those groups named or operated in such a way as to disguise their association with the Church of Scientology (COS). COS uses front groups to promote its interests in politics, to make itself appear legitimate, and to recruit. The Times published, "[The church attracts] the unwary through a wide array of front groups in such businesses as publishing, consulting, health care and even remedial education." Many of the groups are founded on pseudoscience, named disingenuously, and underplay their links to Scientology.
There are also many books published by Scientology organisations as "based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard". These usually are selected and thematically linked passages from his original books.
Effective Education Publishing is a division of Applied Scholastics International. Applied Scholastics is a non-profit educational institution that provides educational materials and services based on the works of ... L. Ron Hubbard.