Never has so much attention, funding & emphasis placed For The Children and never have they been in more danger. April 16, 2012
The deadly serious decline and fall of U.S. Public Schools got its “official†christening with the advent of the Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1965. The resulting decline eventually led to the Clinton 1994 Goals 2000, which set the stage for Bush’s nearly complete federal takeover of education with No Child Left Behind. NCLB, among other things, brought on the “teaching the test†frenzy, the teaching U.N principles trump those of the U.S., and a Constitution textbook which left out the 2nd, 9th, & 10th amendments. Now comes the final nail in the coffin for the nationalization of “educationâ€, Obama’s Common Core Standards (2010) which is in the process of being implemented in all but 5 states as of this date.
The Common Core Standards are just that—to bring everyone down to a common denominator and an egalitarian level where no one excels and no on fails. This insidious program is being foisted on Americans by the U.S. Dept. of Education and the National Governor’s Association. The deadline to apply without losing “points†was August, 2010—Arkansas applied in July, 2010—otherwise losing that “all-important†7% (or less) federal funding. Participating states sold their souls & their children’s minds for indeed a mess of potage.
The first thrust focus of implementation is pre-school to 3rd grade—why? The younger the child, the easier to mold. Common Core says K-3 should not focus on reading and math, but on play and social/emotional topics. It also makes it possible for government bureaucrats to label the young children they deem to be “mentally ill†or “at risk†which is an expansion of the data system used to track all individuals unfortunate enough to fall under their grasp.
Fort Smith & Greenwood have begun and are in the process of implementing Common Core on K-2, and have begun the process on the 3rd to 8th grades. There have been glowing articles and editorials in the Times Record about such programs, especially how much the mental health aspects are needed. Typical media.
The government is deciding what is “normal†for ALL children (ages birth to who knows how old) to think, believe and behave. Academics are being further diluted and revised and mental health screening with politically correct indoctrination imposed on innocent toddlers and youngsters. If the children do not have mental problems when they enter government schools they will most likely develop them by the time they get out. The product goal is obviously compliant automatons.
Barry Owen, Fort Smith Assistant Superintendent of Instruction said regarding Common Core Standards-comprehend if you can…â€We aren’t teaching them to be reservoirs of knowledge anymore, we are teaching them to put things back out there and to change thingsâ€. Anne Kubicki, an “instructional facilitator†at the Harrison, AR. Middle School is quoted (ARDEMGAZ 4/29/12) “We’re not asking them to have the basic level of knowledge of computation anymore. We’re asking them to have mathematical thinking. The focus is not on the answer, but the process.†In rational explanation, they are making the children reinvent the wheel. One cannot solve problems without knowledge of the concepts or particulars involved. This appears like being given a lobotomy, then expected to think properly.
Alaska, Texas, Minnesota, Nebraska and Virginia have not taken the bait yet (luckily for their citizens) and several, including Oklahoma, So. Carolina & Georgia are struggling to extricate themselves from this hideously expensive, destructive spider web.
Arkansans can expect no help from their Socialist governor, Mike Beebe or their teachers’ unions, or their legislature. Since Funding Follows Failure the price of “education†can only go up & up until the whole economic structure collapses under its own weight, at which time The Great Depression will look like child’s play.
Another frightening example of Genocide by Suicide.
Barbara McCutchen Sourced by www.edlibertywatch.org and www.corestandards.org