The following comes from a Nov. 3 story on Breitbart.com.
Across California, grassroots groups have together to address growing concerns with the Common Core state standards. The state adopted them in 2010. The 2013-14 school year served as a trial run for the implementation of the nationwide standards and testing. This year, it all became official.
Breitbart News reported that in April Unveiling Common Core blitzed through the Golden State in five nights to oppose the centralized, one-size-fits-all standards. Now, Unveiling Common Core: The Unanswered Questions has expanded into a two-week, 13-stop tour from November 3-17.
“Unveiling” will examine the fundamental changes in the new education standards, government data warehousing, local control, and high-stakes testing. It features nationally and regionally-known community leaders, speakers and education experts, all poised to discuss the troubling realities of Big Education.
The tour kicks off in Northern California, in Merced County on November 3. Keynote panelists are Dr. Sandra Stotsky, professor emerita at University of Arkansas and the author of the highly acclaimed Massachusetts academic standards and Dr. James Milgram, professor emeritus in the Mathematics Department at Stanford University.
Stotsky and Milgram were the outspoken voices on the Common Core Validation Committee who refused to sign off on the national standards. Joining them is Kevin Snider with the Pacific Justice Institute, the legal organization responsible for the assessment and survey Opt-Out forms.
The Northern California tour continues onto Stanislaus County on November 5, Sonoma on November 6, Contra Costa on November 7, and El Dorado on November 8.
November 10-17 is the Southern California leg. It opens with “Confronting the Reality” of Common Core in San Juan Capistrano on November 10. Stotsky and Milgram will be joined by Bill Evers, Former US Assistant Secretary of State; Ze’ev Wurman, former senior advisor, US Department of Education; and Emmett McGroarty, American Principles Project. Event underwriters are the American Principles Project and the Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research.
Following are forums in Mission Valley on November 12, Chino Hills on November 13, the Inland Empire on November 15 and Palos Verdes on November 16. The final date, November 17, in Costa Mesa, will be hosted by the Orange County Board of Education as a public hearing….
To read the entire story, click here.
Get rid of the US Dept of Education.
Get rid of any taxes going to the US Dept of Education.
Education is a State by State issue, not part of the Federal Government’s responsibility.
Competition among the States would bring about the best in education for all children.
If it does not make sense to the parents and students how could it possibly make sense to teachers who have to present it. We had “no child left behind” and now we have common sense left behind and more money thrown out the window.
Unsurprisingly, you’ll notice the visits don’t include Catholic the various dioceses in the state. That’s because the superintendents of Catholic schools in the state got together before much was known and signed a document about how “they” essentially knew best, which ended, “Most importantly, they (Common Core) will better prepare students to achieve their individual, God-given potential and become leaders in both our Church and society.”
Most parents were not asked or informed until they were told by their schools that they were implementing Common Core. Most undoubtedly left out the fact of Bill Gates’ involvement, the Loyola Chicago-National Catholic Education Association (who also took money from the Gates Foundation) cabal formed to sell Common Core to the hierarchy of Catholic schools and how it reminds one of the failed “New Math” program that left almost a generation of school children “math-challenged” (except this time, they will be challenged across the board). The major publisher Pearson, a major contributor to the NCEA, is also a major distributor of Common Core materials.
There are numerous examples of how ludicrous the new way of teaching has become on the internet, the fact is that teachers are usually now required to teach this way (like it or not). This is true of Catholic school teachers too, who were informed that they had to teach the Common Core way or they could “hit the highway.” Not having any recourse that public school teachers have, most complied (they can’t afford to lose the 80% salary of what public school teachers receive).
I stipulate that Common Core may not be the answer to our educational dilemma in our country. I’m not sure that it is even second best as an approach to building up the educational levels of our students. But we know that something must be done differently than in the past. We are all familiar with the notion that doing the same thing over and over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. The truth is that our students in general are not as well educated as the rest of the industrial world. We live in a global society, not an agrarian society. Our kids can’t compete globally. Education must be a national priority if this country is to compete with the rest of the world. The notion of developing a national curriculum or set of standards for each grade was given flight by state Governors and their education chiefs. Gates helped fund the project, and then helped fund the development of teaching materials and methods. We learned in the No Child Left Behind era that the states learned how to game the system: get approval for lower standards for your state and then let your poor results look good. I don’t stipulate, however, that this is a cabal to take over the country or that those involved are intrinsically evil for trying to help raise the educational levels. It seems, however, that the implementation of the dream may not be going so well. I have a daughter who teaches math at the senior high level in a school that is highly diversified economically, racially, by language and any other group you can describe. She tells me that for the upper middle class English speaking kids who have support from their parents, books at home, etc. the old way of teaching was fine. But that the common core methods are working better for those who hardly speak English, can’t read at grade level, have parents who can’t speak English or read even their native language, or are working three job.
Teaching math myself in Catholic schools, finding whatever way worked for students was something teachers, in my experience, always tried (and kept trying until you found something that worked, e.g., manipulatives, other students, etc).
Common Core, in math, reminds me a lot of the New Math, of decades ago, that was to make easier, blah, blah. There is a generation of adults who cannot do math today because of it.
As for the governors and their ed. chiefs, that was political nonsense and an attempt to gather votes for themselves. BTW, this past summer the majority of teachers in the two big public school unions voted their own dislike of Common Core, too. I’d bet the Catholic school teachers feel the same.
Finding Rank Hypocrisy in the Pathetic Farce of Academenta is like looking for clouds on a rainy day; when darkness literally dumps itself on ‘small-c’ catholic colleges like USF.
For the Campus Gaystapo the promotion of Anti-Catholic / Misandry (Hatred of Men & Boys, Masculinity & Normal Heterosexuality) via staging ‘Rocky Horror’ and eve ensler’s ‘Ragonya Diatribes’ – share their Celebration of one supposed ‘taboo’ in Common – Homosex Rape.
In the ‘Ragonya Diatribes’ a young girl (originally about age 12) is Raped by an older Dyke – who announces to the audience that (like Chastity Bono, being similarly raped about that age by a Dyke) – it was “A Good Rape”.
The ‘Rocky Horror’ features the Rape of the stranded couple (Brad & Janet – two initially ‘linear / straight & narrow’ types) by the modern day Dr. ‘Tranny-stein’ character…
– who assaults them individually while they are waiting / expecting each other in different beds & who after being surprised then sexually ‘surrender’ to the lead pervert – kind of like pulling USF ‘V’ for virgins out of the audience for literally staged ‘tolerance training’.
https://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CatholicEducationDaily/DetailsPage/tabid/102/ArticleID/3684/Students-Mimic-Lewd-Sexual-Behavior-Prior-to-%e2%80%98Rocky-Horror-Picture-Show%e2%80%99-at-Jesuit-USF.aspx
By adopting Common Core California Catholic schools went for more Michelle Obala and more Melinda Gates and less freedom. Arghhh.