To those interested in Psych, Senator Charles Grassley is no stranger. He's part of it, and as you'd expect, on the Right Side of it.
Townhall has;
Stop Common Core Rally Draws 9.7 Million
Prepare ye the way of the Common Core. And then the Word will be made Fed. And Obama will dwell amongst us forever. Amen. -- From the Book of Common Core
Parent Led Reform, in collaboration with Truth in American Education, hosted a second rally via Twitter Thursday May 2nd to stop the implementation of Common Core standards. Common Core standards are national, top-down K-12 education ideology imposed by federal and state government. The #Stopcommoncore Twitter rally reached of nearly 9.8 million Twitter users. The traffic was so heavy and the complaints from liberals so loud that Twitter temporarily suspended the Twitter account of Parent Led Reform.
"The response to our second #stopcommoncore Twitter rally was amazing,” says Shane Vanderhart, spokesperson for Truth in American Education. ”Parents and concerned citizens are awakening to this previously unknown revolution in education called the Common Core State Standards. 'We the people' are starting to have our voices heard. Last night we sent a strong message that education policy can not be decided by a handful of elites. 'We the people' through our elected representatives must have a say. Our kids deserve real reform, not a data-less, untested fad."
So prepare ye the way for the final federalization of primary education in the USA- hereafter known as Common Core- and don’t worry so much about relics written by old, white men like the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The Tenth Amendment only helps ensure local control of those things like education policy. It only ensures that we have a big, diverse, vibrant country full of lots of good ideas. And lots of really great ideas too.
That’s so 18th, 19th and 20th Century.
Local community, you see, is overrated. It takes a Big-Assed Village now to dumb down a child. And it takes a federally-deputized standing committee of state representatives that work for Common Core like healthcare exchanges work for Obamacare.
And good ideas are overrated too—seemingly-- when you have Big Box Government run by Big Blockheads just waiting to wholesale cut-rate ideology, disguised as education, at astronomical prices.
Here’s how it’s supposed to work: Under Common Core a small group of union stooges, educrats and crony-crats from each state will get together and decide the newest version of No Child Left Behind. They will then impose it on the rest of us in the name of the federal government.
Everything taught will have to get the stamp of approval from the Communist Core, uh, Common Core-o-crats made up of various people who have already screwed up education in their own states.
Doesn’t that seem much better than leaving it to parents and school boards at the local level as prescribed under the Tenth Amendment?
I mean, after all, weren’t those Tenth Amendment guys part of that “patriot” militia that bombed the British in Boston and resisted federal gun control in wake of the Boston Massacre?
And you thought you knew history?
Ha!
Wait until Common Core gets a hold of it.
Despite record amounts of evidence that federalizing everything from banking, to healthcare, to immigration policy, to student loan financing is screwing up our economy, our society, the creation of jobs and wages --and the financial prospects for our youngest workers—that hasn’t stopped the push for top-down federal “standards” in order to hold schools “accountable.”
Algebra? It’s out. Really. Algebra will be pushed out of middle schools under Common Core.
Under Common Core, a kind of education Death Panel,made up of some of the biggest liberal education crony-crats from each state, will likely replace Algebra by Howard Zinn’s The People’s History of the United States. The People’s History was written by a real, live socialist/anarchist. Really, it was, even though now he's dead.
The History is SO bad that it’s won the critical acclaim of Matt Damon and my son’s 7th grade history teacher.
And what else would you expect from the federal government?
This is the same federal government that now loans more money to people than private banks do, and thereby ensures the anemic pace of economic and jobs growth.
You see when the government largely turns education over to union stooges and education technocrats that have produced such poor results for teachers, children and parents, it’s a benefit to the government, not a sin.
Because it’s not results the government is after; it’s control. Result actually could get in the way. If you spoil people by getting them used to actual results, soon there is no room for ideology.
And above all else Common Core is ideal at ideology—and nothing else.
“We have the attention of ordinary citizens and elected leaders alike and that puts us in a unique position,” said Karin Piper, Founder and Executive Director for Parent Led Reform. “We either simply objected to this federal overreach and left it at that - or- we actually do something about it. And we would rather give it our all and fix education for our kids than pick up our toys and go home.”
Did I tell you they are getting rid of Algebra in middle school? Really, they are.
Remember these are the folks who told you that abortifacients have to be made available, over-the-counter, to every girl old enough to plop down the money for it, whether her head reaches the counter top or not.
So what’s a little mathematics when Alienation Studies have gone a wasting for so long?
It’s not like federally-subsidized and alienated groups go around bombing Boston like those Tenth Amendment guys did.
Right?
Get involved. This is one we can win:
Piper said that Common Core Standards is taking the United Stated down the wrong road and citizens are calling on elected leaders to courageously admit to the mistake and change gears into reverse. Folks joining the action are asked to sign up via https://www.facebook.com/pages/Parent-LED-reform/18365477...
And this from Freedom Works:
The Obama administration is attempting to pay off select state governments with money and special waivers if they adopt Common Core. Call your senators and tell them to support Sen. Grassley’s letter here to stop this bribery: http://bit.ly/106FJpU
And from Ransom Notes Radio:
John Ransom spoke with Matt Kibbe, from Freedom Works, about “common core, and education. Someone also left Ransom an adoring voicemail laced with FCC censored words. (And. . . Ezra Klein is still an idiot. But he’s not the highlight this week.)
Call Ransom Note’s Listener line at 202-681-1732, or email ransomnotesradio@gmail.com
Now Here's from Senator Grassley's home page:
http://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/Article.cfm?customel_dataPageID_1502=45715
http://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/Article.cfm?customel_dataPageID_1502=45715
For Immediate Release
April 29, 2013
April 29, 2013
Senators work to stop federal interference and restore state-level education decisions
WASHINGTON – A group of nine senators have asked leading Senate appropriators to restore state-level decision making about academic content in public schools when legislation is put together to fund the U.S. Department of Education for the next fiscal year.
The appeal comes in response to the way federal incentives have interfered and put a heavy hand on states to adopt the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
The Common Core program was launched as a voluntary effort. Current federal law makes clear that the U.S. Department of Education may not be involved in setting specific content standards or determining the content of state assessments.
In a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that funds education, Senators Chuck Grassley, Mike Lee, Tom Coburn, James Inhofe, Deb Fischer, Rand Paul, Pat Roberts, Jeff Sessions, and Ted Cruz said the reality is that the U.S. Department of Education has made adoption of standards matching those in Common Core a requirement for getting waivers and funds. The senators’ letter urges appropriators to set clear restrictions on the U.S. Department of Education from setting academic content standards either directly or indirectly.
“What’s happening violates the structure of our education system, where academic content decisions are made at the state level giving parents a direct line of accountability to those making the decisions. The federal government should not be allowed to coerce state education decision makers,” Grassley said.
"The first principle of education, and therefore of education policymaking, is that parents are the primary educators of their children. And because responsibility for children’s education lies primarily with parents, to the greatest extent possible so should decision-making authority over Pre-K to secondary education. While the Common Core Standard Initiative was initially promoted as an effort to move in this direction, it has become polluted with Federal guidelines and mandates that interfere with the ability of parents, teachers and principals to deliver the education our children deserve,” Lee said.
“Adopting common core standards in Nebraska would cost taxpayers millions of dollars – all for new, questionable education standards. Rather than forcing states to adopt these expensive federal guidelines, the federal government should promote policies that enhance the ability of individual states to best meet state and local needs,” Fischer said.
“Unfortunately, Washington continues to operate under the belief that they know best when it comes to education by mandating a one-size-fits-all education curriculum. Through programs such as Race to the Top, the US Department of Education continues to incentivize states to adopt Common Core. A One-size-fits-all education agenda is the wrong approach – instead I trust that the educators in my state are much better equipped to determine the academic content for their students to ensure success,” Roberts said.
Here is the text of the letter the nine senators sent last Friday night to the Appropriations Subcommittee leaders.
April 26, 2013
The Honorable Tom Harkin
Chairman, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
Senate Appropriations Committee
The Honorable Jerry Moran
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
Senate Appropriations Committee
Dear Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Moran:
We ask that the Fiscal Year 2014 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill include language to restore state decision-making and accountability with respect to state academic content standards. The decision about what students should be taught and when it should be taught has enormous consequences for our children. Therefore, parents ought to have a straight line of accountability to those who are making such decisions. State legislatures, which are directly accountable to the citizens of their states, are the appropriate place for those decisions to be made, free from any pressure from the U.S. Department of Education.
While the Common Core State Standards Initiative was initially billed as a voluntary effort between states, federal incentives have clouded the picture. Current federal law makes clear that the U.S. Department of Education may not be involved in setting specific content standards or determining the content of state assessments. Nevertheless, the selection criteria designed by the U.S. Department of Education for the Race to the Top Program provided that for a state to have any chance to compete for funding, it must commit to adopting a “common set of K-12 standards” matching the description of the Common Core. The U.S. Department of Education also made adoption of “college- and career-ready standards” meeting the description of the Common Core a condition to receive a state waiver under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Race to the Top funds were also used to fund two consortiums to develop assessments aligned to the Common Core and the Department is now in the process of evaluating these assessments.
We ask that you eliminate further interference by the U.S. Department of Education with respect to state decisions on academic content standards by including the following language in the Fiscal Year 2014 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill:
Sec. __. (a) Funds appropriated under this Act or any prior Act shall not be used by the Secretary of Education—
(1) to directly develop, implement, or evaluate multi-State or other specified standards (defined in this section as any set of academic content standards common to multiple States, including the Common Core State Standards developed by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers, or any other specified set or type of academic content standards selected by the Secretary) or assessments aligned with such standards;
(2) to award any grant, contract, or cooperative agreement that requires or specifically authorizes the development, implementation, or evaluation of multi-State or other specified standards, or assessments aligned with such standards;
(3) to condition any award of funds to a State on the adoption of multi-State or other specified standards, or to include, as a component of an application for Federal funds, a requirement or preference related to multi-State or other specified standards; or
(4) to enforce any provision of a waiver issued by such Secretary under section 9401 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7861) related to the adoption of multi-State or other specified standards.
(b) Nothing in subsection (a) shall be construed to limit the discretion of an individual State to use funds provided through a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement for any uses that are authorized under the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, if the State so chooses.
Thank you for your consideration of our request.
Sincerely,
The appeal comes in response to the way federal incentives have interfered and put a heavy hand on states to adopt the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
The Common Core program was launched as a voluntary effort. Current federal law makes clear that the U.S. Department of Education may not be involved in setting specific content standards or determining the content of state assessments.
In a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that funds education, Senators Chuck Grassley, Mike Lee, Tom Coburn, James Inhofe, Deb Fischer, Rand Paul, Pat Roberts, Jeff Sessions, and Ted Cruz said the reality is that the U.S. Department of Education has made adoption of standards matching those in Common Core a requirement for getting waivers and funds. The senators’ letter urges appropriators to set clear restrictions on the U.S. Department of Education from setting academic content standards either directly or indirectly.
“What’s happening violates the structure of our education system, where academic content decisions are made at the state level giving parents a direct line of accountability to those making the decisions. The federal government should not be allowed to coerce state education decision makers,” Grassley said.
"The first principle of education, and therefore of education policymaking, is that parents are the primary educators of their children. And because responsibility for children’s education lies primarily with parents, to the greatest extent possible so should decision-making authority over Pre-K to secondary education. While the Common Core Standard Initiative was initially promoted as an effort to move in this direction, it has become polluted with Federal guidelines and mandates that interfere with the ability of parents, teachers and principals to deliver the education our children deserve,” Lee said.
“Adopting common core standards in Nebraska would cost taxpayers millions of dollars – all for new, questionable education standards. Rather than forcing states to adopt these expensive federal guidelines, the federal government should promote policies that enhance the ability of individual states to best meet state and local needs,” Fischer said.
“Unfortunately, Washington continues to operate under the belief that they know best when it comes to education by mandating a one-size-fits-all education curriculum. Through programs such as Race to the Top, the US Department of Education continues to incentivize states to adopt Common Core. A One-size-fits-all education agenda is the wrong approach – instead I trust that the educators in my state are much better equipped to determine the academic content for their students to ensure success,” Roberts said.
Here is the text of the letter the nine senators sent last Friday night to the Appropriations Subcommittee leaders.
April 26, 2013
The Honorable Tom Harkin
Chairman, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
Senate Appropriations Committee
The Honorable Jerry Moran
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
Senate Appropriations Committee
Dear Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Moran:
We ask that the Fiscal Year 2014 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill include language to restore state decision-making and accountability with respect to state academic content standards. The decision about what students should be taught and when it should be taught has enormous consequences for our children. Therefore, parents ought to have a straight line of accountability to those who are making such decisions. State legislatures, which are directly accountable to the citizens of their states, are the appropriate place for those decisions to be made, free from any pressure from the U.S. Department of Education.
While the Common Core State Standards Initiative was initially billed as a voluntary effort between states, federal incentives have clouded the picture. Current federal law makes clear that the U.S. Department of Education may not be involved in setting specific content standards or determining the content of state assessments. Nevertheless, the selection criteria designed by the U.S. Department of Education for the Race to the Top Program provided that for a state to have any chance to compete for funding, it must commit to adopting a “common set of K-12 standards” matching the description of the Common Core. The U.S. Department of Education also made adoption of “college- and career-ready standards” meeting the description of the Common Core a condition to receive a state waiver under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Race to the Top funds were also used to fund two consortiums to develop assessments aligned to the Common Core and the Department is now in the process of evaluating these assessments.
We ask that you eliminate further interference by the U.S. Department of Education with respect to state decisions on academic content standards by including the following language in the Fiscal Year 2014 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill:
Sec. __. (a) Funds appropriated under this Act or any prior Act shall not be used by the Secretary of Education—
(1) to directly develop, implement, or evaluate multi-State or other specified standards (defined in this section as any set of academic content standards common to multiple States, including the Common Core State Standards developed by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers, or any other specified set or type of academic content standards selected by the Secretary) or assessments aligned with such standards;
(2) to award any grant, contract, or cooperative agreement that requires or specifically authorizes the development, implementation, or evaluation of multi-State or other specified standards, or assessments aligned with such standards;
(3) to condition any award of funds to a State on the adoption of multi-State or other specified standards, or to include, as a component of an application for Federal funds, a requirement or preference related to multi-State or other specified standards; or
(4) to enforce any provision of a waiver issued by such Secretary under section 9401 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7861) related to the adoption of multi-State or other specified standards.
(b) Nothing in subsection (a) shall be construed to limit the discretion of an individual State to use funds provided through a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement for any uses that are authorized under the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, if the State so chooses.
Thank you for your consideration of our request.
Sincerely,
Thank You Townhall, Mr Ransom, and Senator Grassley.
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