Common Core
Common Core (CCSS) is going to be devastating to your children’s education.
Common Core dumbs down the standards for a one-size-fits-all approach. In fact, both Dr. R. James Milgram from Stanford University and Dr. Sandra Stotsky from University of Arkansas stated that the standards were not adequate for rigorous academics. In addition, the Common Core has never been tested or researched for effectiveness. The cost is estimated to be $100 per student, compared to $5 per student today (2013). Academically, this is devastating; nevertheless, the data mining is Orwellian. The data collection of parents’ and students’ personal information are going to create a surveillance state and socialist management system. Government wants to track and collect data on every child from school to career. When you add the data collection from CCSS, NSA, IRS, NCTC, CIA, FBI, and Obamacare, there is nothing the government won’t know about you. Government believes that they can manipulate education and job creation for a better society.
The data mining and data sharing creates a scary situation. CCSS collects 400 data points of information including social security numbers, disciplinary records, health conditions, family income, ethnicity, religious affiliation, home addresses, email addresses, parent’s beliefs and political views. This information will be sold to for-profit companies in education [3]. Parents will no longer have a say in regards to content standards. School systems cannot change or deviate from the content standards, because of copyright. Common Core narrows the curriculum to meet specific career outcomes and is only adequate for entering community college. The privacy policy for inBloom (the data sharing agency) states that it “cannot guarantee the security of the information stored in inBloom or that the information will not be intercepted when it is being transmitted” to third party contractors 3. No parental consent is needed to gather and share information, and parents cannot opt out of the system [1],[2].
Here are a couple of stunning changes in the CCSS. First, Algebra I will no longer be taught in 8th grade, but will be delayed until 9th grade. Consequently, American students will be two years behind other leading countries and putting academics further behind. Second, Dr. Clark was encouraged to hear that CCSS wants more emphasis on non-fiction literature, which Dr. Clark thought would lead to more reading of our Founding Fathers, inventors, and influential pioneers of America. Unfortunately, CCSS believes that students should read more government and technical manuals, brochures, and menus. That sounds exciting. Testing costs approximately $5 per student in the state of Georgia, and will increase to approximately $100 per student using the CCSS assessments [1]. Sadly, religious schools are embracing the Common Core as well. More than 100 Catholic dioceses in America have implemented the CCSS [5],[6]. This is quite disturbing, since Catholic schools have provided proven academic success for students in the past.
FreedomWorks has released and excellent video on the development of the Common Core. In 2007, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Broad Foundation provided $60 million for universal American standards. The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers established the political environment to implement the standards. The NGA and CCSSO own the copyright for the Common Core standards, and have no official affiliation to state or local school systems. Achieve Inc., out of D.C., wrote the standards in the document Benchmarking for Success, where children are called Human Capital. Arne Duncan is the U.S. Secretary of Education who championed the cause. The administration offered $4.35 billion to advance state standards for education in the stimulus bill. The program is called Race to the Top, where states compete for money by changing their laws and agreeing to implement the standards. States were threatened with specific requirements including “states may not receive other federal formula funds if they have not implemented Common Core by 2015” [4].
1. Stop Common Core. (2013). Evidence- standards. Retrieved from, http://stopcommoncore.com/show-me-the-evidence/evidence-standards/
2. The Blaze. (2013). Indoctrination and data mining in common core: Here’s why America’s schools may be in more trouble than you think. Retrieved from, http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/27/indoctrination-and-data-mining-in-common-core-heres-why-americas-schools-may-be-in-more-trouble-than-you-think/
3. inBloom. (2013). inBloom privacy & security policy. Retrieved from, https://www.inbloom.org/privacy-security-policy
4. Truth in American Education. (2013). Video: History of common core. Retrieved from, http://truthinamericaneducation.com/common-core-state-standards/video-history-of-the-common-core/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TruthInAmericanEducation+%28Truth+in+American+Education%29
5. Stop Common Core NC. (2013). Catholic schools and common core. Retrieved from, http://stopcommoncorenc.org/2013/05/21/catholic-schools-and-common-core/
6. Crisis Magazine. (2013). Saving the uncommon core of Catholic education. retrieved from, http://www.crisismagazine.com/2013/saving-the-uncommon-core-of-catholic-education
Christians, Jews, & Believers of Freedom...
...Are Not Treated Well In Education
The news has revealed numerous cases of how Christians and Jews who were treated badly because of their beliefs. For instance, students in an English high school class were asked to “argue that Jews are evil, and use solid rationale from government propaganda to convince me of your loyalty to the Third Reich!” The superintendent stated that this is “the kind of sophisticated writing expected of students under the new Common Core”
[1]. Valedictorian speeches referring to God and freedom are silenced or punished. A valedictorian from a Texas high school was silenced for deviating from his speech and mentioning God and rights. The principal threatened the student according to Reimer. Liberty Institute stated that silencing speech and changing the speech was a violation of policy [2]. A schoolteacher from Batavia HS is facing disciplinary action for counseling students about their Constitutional rights about a survey [3]. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, many administrators cracked down on anything that resembled a gun. Administrators disciplined students for Poptarts shaped like a gun, an NRA T-shirt, a Hello Kitty bubble gun, pencil gun, paper gun, and a finger gun to name a few. Fourth grade teacher makes students write, “I am willing to give up some of my constitutional rights in order to be safer or more secure” [4]. Political correctness in public schools are out of control.
1. The Blaze. (2013). Students asked to “argue that Jews are evil’ and prove Nazi loyalty in assignment linked to common core. Retrieved from, http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/04/12/students-asked-to-argue-that-jews-are-evil-and-prove-nazi-loyalty-in-assignment-linked-to-common-core/
2. Burleson Star. (2013). Liberty Institute: JISD violated own policy, not Reimer. Retrieved from, http://www.burlesonstar.net/localnews/ci_23452428
3. Daily Herald. (2013). Warning lands Batavia teacher in hot water. Retrieved from, http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130525/news/705259921/
The Blaze. (2013). Dad furious after finding this crayon-written paper in Florida 4th-grader’s backpack: ‘I am willing to give up some of my constitutional rights… to be safer’. Retrieved from, http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/04/12/dad-furious-after-finding-this-crayon-written-paper-in-florida-4th-graders-backpack-i-am-willing-to-give-up-some-of-my-constitutional-rights/