Audit the IRS Rally, Freedom Fest, and a Battle over Common Core

This summer has been my own self-guided American freedom tour: In June I rallied in Washington at the Audit the IRS Tea Party gathering at the Capitol building, where I also had the privilege of shaking the hand of one venerable American--Senator Ted Cruz--and the blessing of hearing today's greatest Conservative leaders, Michele Bachmann and Glenn Beck among the list of notables. More details about that leg of my journey in DC and Maryland later. In July, my quest to meet with other freedom-loving Americans led me to Las Vegas, of all places, for Freedom Fest, a libertarian CPAC of sorts. And tonight, I'm in Little Rock, recovering from a grueling, but incredible day of testimonies from anti-Common Core experts and concerned citizens during the joint meetings of the House and Senate Interim Committees on Education.
After hours of individual study about the pros and cons, history, and data collection associated with Common Core, I was privileged to witness the playing out of a great drama: The ongoing struggle for power over public education. Every witness brought a unique perspective of the multiple problems that plague this gargantuan education mandate (I realize saying CC is a "mandate" is controversial, but I refuse to play double-speak--I call it what it is). What made their testimonies powerful was the solid backing of evidence--anecdotes, personal experience, statistics, research--presented with such logic and reason, that had I been a Common Core proponent, I would have felt a bit battered at the end of the six-hour marathon (the Common Core items on the agenda were not addressed until after lunch, and testimony continued until 7).
Facts were the bulk of each testimony, not broad, unfounded claims or opinions, and except when appropriate, emotional appeals were not central to anyone's presentation. I'm not saying speakers were dry or monotone--they obviously cared deeply about the ramifications of the troubling information they had verified--but they didn't try to sway the committees with tearful pleas "for the children" or angry diatribes against the Obama regime.
In fact, with hard-hitting champs like Dr. Sandra Stotsky, Ms. Joy Pullman, Dr. Neal McClusky, and Dr. James Milgrim in the ring, it was more akin to a boxing match than a drama. Grace Lewis, a concerned parent from Mount Vernon, expertly took aim at the weakest points of Common Core with a relentless attack, point by point. Ms. Virginia Wyeth, parent and educator, and Ms. Betty Yerger, retired educator, followed her testimony with powerful perspectives from the viewpoint of teachers. A rookie landed the last KO punch--fifteen year old Patrick Richardson who shared the shocking results of his muckraking: After hours of research, he uncovered the astonishing money trail that leads back to the same foundation, time and again. I'll give you three guesses. Yes, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation!
Tomorrow's agenda lists the speakers who will doctor the now-battered face of this curriculum. After taking such a pummeling today, suffering one knock-out punch after another for hours on end, Common Core is the loser in the ring, in desperate need to be patched up and defended by its fans.

 

 

 

The Rotten Corps of Common Core Advocates

The controversy of Common Core should itself make teachers very skeptical. The fact that its advocates are pushing to convince us CC is being unfairly attacked by right-wing nut jobs is a red flag. I came across this gem on SAS voices. The author, Caroline McCullen, distinguished educator and CC apologist, attempts to dispel seven common myths about the maligned curriculum. To do this, she blatantly lies.
Since my comment is still awaiting moderation, and I don't expect its being approved, I'll post my replies here.

This "distinguished corps of advocates" is either purposely deceitful or unconscionably stupid.
1. They are national standards. Playing word games to mollify our justifiable fears about a federal takeover of state rights will not work for those of us who can think for ourselves.
2. CCSSO and NGA are trade organizations who deliberately chose the words "state" and "governors" for their titles to allay fears so we teachers would assume CC was state and educator initiated--which CC was not.
3. Scoring for Race to the Top was artificially skewed so that states who signed up first to accept standards THAT HAD NOT YET BEEN WRITTEN and agreed to share personal data about students in a nationally accessible database would be given much higher scores than other states. Money talks.
4. ELA educator, Dr. Sandra Stotsky of the University of Arkansas asked repeatedly for research evidence supporting the CC ELA standards. She was ignored, as was her refusal to approve the standards. Who are the teachers that were involved in this process? Who selected them, and how were they vetted? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K4URgulWhk
5. CC math standards are NOT internationally benchmarked. Dr. James Milgram, "the only content expert on the validation committee" heartily argues against these standards. http://parentsacrossamerica.org/james-milgram-on-the-new-core-curriculum-standards-in-math/
6. By high school, students will read 70% non-fiction; exemplary texts include the thrilling classic "Recommended Levels of Insulation" by best-selling authors at the US EPA. http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf
7. Our states have the Constitutional prerogative to write their educational standards. Why should we bow to trade organizations, Bill Gates, and the US Dept of Ed?
Teachers like me have become increasingly keen to deceivers like you and your ilk. I refuse to swallow the swill you are dispensing. I won't drink the Kool-Aid.