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.
I have been in education since my children were little…I give back to my local community of students even now, been doing so since 1979… My children don’t even attend at the level, that I give back to my community. My concern is how little this has to do with education of the very students it affects and HOW MUCH it has to do with political gain and money…
I am a PROUD VOLUNTEER and I can honestly say that I have yet to see any political candidate yet, give back each week the way the students, teachers, and volunteers do…so why do they get the FULL control of the issues being passed without the students, teachers, and voting people (volunteers) like me?? Just a thought…
This COMMON CORE is just another bargaining chip on the backs of yet again the very public education that it doesn’t affect daily….COMMON CRAP your just trying to sell us…
I am still waiting to see any of you come into the classrooms where your initiatives affect our kids daily…
Would it be too snide, Saburt, to place a call to the super tomorrow asking for his take on what just happened, lol? Would love to hear it all explained away….
I had the same experience up here in the Idaho panhandle! Our school superintendent told me she would keep trying to change my mind about pulling the kids out to homeschool them… she assured me that there were going to be no changes in curriculum, that the school would be teaching everything the way they have been teaching it…. I warned her then that she was naive and that changes and loss of local control were on their way.
As my husband noted, if there are no changes, why are our teachers having to spend so many days of indoctrination (he calls it brainwashing) down in Boise to learn how to implement Common Core?
I’m not a community educator but I have strong feelings about what my 22 grandchildren are being taught in public school today. I was raised with the phonics system and became a good reader by 5th grade. I have learned many things from reading books, newspapers and magazines; indeed my life is rich. However, unfortunately my four children learned reading under the look and see system. They didn’t care for reading so much; it was difficult for them to do well in history classes because of it. Today some of them don’t read for the joy of it, but only out of necessity; they are less than average spellers; some have trouble following the importance and impact of politics in their lives and are almost always behind on current events. The result is that I feel it is my fault. I should have been aware that they needed to be home-schooled or in a private school/charter school. Now I can see the great difference between the phonics method and the look and see method of learning to read. Common Core must be resisted or our children will not learn to read well. They will fall down in other school subjects because of poor reading skills. Indeed, their very future will be far less successful than it could have been. Parents and Teachers: let us be wise and save them from this destiny. Let us work hard to disarm the Feds from taking away the privilege we have of deciding the best education for our children.
Eight years ago, I decided to start home schooling my children. Why? Because I was tired of encouraging my children’s teachers to challenge my children. My final decision was made after subbing for a music teacher for 3 months…K-8. Because of my subbing experience I have great respect for teachers who can teach anything in school.The behavior of the students is so ridiculous that it is amazing anything its ever taught.
It finally occurred to me that if I wanted my children to excel, it was up to me. If I was going to do that much, then why not teach them everything. I believe it is time for parents to wake up and take responsibility for their own children education. It’s time to stop blaming everyone else.
Someday, we may all be forced to have our children in public school. If so, I plan to teach my children when they return home. It will be less convenient, but I am determined!