Well to anyone still under the delusion that the feds aren’t involved with Common Core, lets put that to rest. The feds have officially announced it. By setting up a “review” process for SBAC and PARCC focusing on item design and validation, the feds will immediately gain control of everything else. Curriculum will be mapped to the assessments and teachers will teach to the test because they are graded on their students’ test performance. Standards themselves will fade in importance because the target will be test score maximization. Whatever is tested becomes the standard for what will be taught. The clear solution is to end our relationship with AIR/SAGE and get fully away from all federal testing, and restore full local control of education.
http://americansforprosperity.org/legislativealerts/its-official-the-feds-control-common-core/
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2013/04/common_assessment_groups_to_undergo_new_federal_review_process.html
(be sure to read the first few comments on this one)
I sat down with members of my local school board and the superintendent. They all thought I was crazy when I mentioned my concerns about losing local control and that there was no way that Washington would dictate what happens in Cache Valley. The super said I would be the first one he calls if that ever happens. He also said it would be all over the news. I guess he doesn’t get out much. I’m still waiting for the call.
The early beginnings the “mission” of “dumbing down” our children was organized shortly after the turn of century (first decade of the 20th century) when the re-writing of US History, stripping it of Christian values and the sacrifices made by those who fought for the right to live their lives free from the interference of government agents. By the 1950s the subversive efforts of the “progressives” were becoming obvious. E. Merrill Root wrote two books detailing the specific “re-writing” of US History. The first book was entitled: “Socialism on the College Campuses.” The second book, “Brainwashing in the High Schools.”
E. Merrill Root, a noted poet and literary figure paid the price for writing those books: he was demonized and ridiculed and ostracized from literary circles in spite of his previous achievements.
In the 1920, the progressives replaced “phonics” with the “look-see” method of teaching children how to read. My wife and I each witnessed a sibling graduate from high school unable to effectively read. Both were very intelligent and managed to get by without their parents realizing what had happened. But reading deficiency became an embarrassment to our siblings. Later, when we a members of a citizens group in the early 1980s, attempting to rectify the deficient reading program, a member of the staff of the Alpine School District, in a meeting open to the public, noted that 18% of the high school graduates were “functionally illiterate.” Yet, phonics was still “looked down upon” as an inferior method of teaching reading. And there no efforts to change.
Rudolf Fleisch wrote two small books, one in the 1950s and another one in the 1960s, noting the contrast between the simple, but highly effective phonics method and the “Look-See.” The title of his first book: “Why Johnny Can’t Read.” His summary statement was ionic: “Because they do not teach them to read,” noting the the “look-see” method is like learning Chinese, with its thousands of symbols. As contrasted to what Mr. Fleisch noted, “there are only 27 letters, including a few double letters, that represent the unique sounds in the English language. The second book was titled, “Why Johnny Still Can’t Read,” noting the resistance of the “Educators” was not the teach them how to read.
My wife and I witnessed how effective phonics truly was, when our children were enrolled in a private school. In three months time those little ones were sounding out words on the billboards as we drove down the highways. Yet our siblings struggled read after 12 years with the “Look-See” method.
Without parental control of the textbooks and educational methodology, there will be little change. With immense amounts of money offered with federal tax dollars, change will come only with great effort, if at all.
And to think that the Founders of this Republic only stipulated 15 functions in the Constitution for which the Federal Government was empower to perform. All else was left for the States and/or the people. Simple as that: What is not “granted” is “usurpation”!
But then it might be that “Uncle Sam” is quite illiterate himself, you think?
Does Common Core give all children who qualify because they are educated and selected to be part of the New World Order? Will CC in the future educate the children to follow and do what is necessary for the Fed. All others who rebel probably will not qualify to move further up the educational system. And of course money is always the lure that hooks everyone in. Who sold the future of Americas Children?
It is apparent that our Utah officials were desperate enough to take the federal money handout tied to Common Core and they are in denial about how bad it is.