Learn How to Counter the Delphi Technique at Common Core Meetings
Have you had this experience while attending Common Core meetings? DESE tried the Delphi technique at the eight Common Core meetings around the state on May 2. Seven of those meetings were "delphied". Attendees stated their concerns were not addressed and questions not answered. A webinar will be broadcast on Tuesday, July 16 from 2:00 - 4:00 PM PDT to learn how not be "delphied". I
Another Pro-Common Core Myth Exposed
The supposition: Common Core implementation is worthwhile. If you've been following Common Core for a while, you have probably noticed the pro-Common Core side is increasing its talking points as more and more taxpayers and legislators are asking questions about CCSS adoption and implementation. One of the most repeated claims is: ...the standards only define what students should kn
Educational Cancer, Privatization and Common Core
Placebos (tax credits, vouchers, Common Core) won't cure educational cancer. St. Louis is abuzz with the recent decision from the Missouri Supreme Court regarding educational delivery to students in unaccredited districts. From stlbeacon.org and Missouri guidelines for student transfers discusses the possibility of limiting numbers: Ruling last week in the long-running lawsuit now known a
Getting Prepared in Francis Howell School District
The radio whined with the emergency alert tone. A meteorologist interrupted the broadcast and spoke in measured tones warning the public of an approaching storm. “The conditions are ripe for tornadic activity as this low pressure system moves into our area. We’ve already seen signs of rotation as these rainclouds have moved across our state. Residents are advised to take shelter in a basement
DESE Schools
Those in the St. Louis area are watching the implementation of state law regarding school districts who lose their accreditation. Normandy and Riverview Gardens school districts have selected the receiving districts for their transportation funds for students who wish to exercise their right to transfer out of the unaccredited district into an accredited district either in their own county or an a
Common Core Lesson of the Day: School Boards Do Not Operate as Intended. They Need to Reclaim Their Authority to Make Educational Decisions.
This is the message to School Boards: Stand up, Speak Up, Fight Back Against Common Core Adoption/Implementation. Reclaim Your Power and Authority as a School Board to Direct/Develop Educational Policy. A Missouri parent submitted this post about her research into Common Core and school board operational procedures. She details how the rhetoric of how a school board is supposed to opera
The Grand Illusion of the School Board
"School boards offer citizens from all walks of life the opportunity to determine the community’s direction and vision for their children’s education." - Missouri School Board Association website According to MSBA, the role of the school board is to determine the direction and vision of their children's education. Does any school board member out there feel they have control over the direction
Resolution For School Boards Ready to Reclaim Their Rightful Control Of Education
This week our blog will focus on school boards. Already several of them around the state are beginning to question the right of DESE to dictate education terms for school districts. They are wondering what they can do to reclaim the control they, by statute, have over both the educational goals of the district and the costs of delivering education to their students. Today we share with school boar
Arne Duncan Talks NFL into Adopting Common Core Strategy. A Brilliant Satire.
Satire on talking the NFL into adopting Common Core alignment. And here you thought this administration only wanted the NFL to support the Affordable Health Care Act. What would you say if Arne Duncan approached the league to support Common Core? John Viall's article, NFL Adopts Common Core Playbook--Copying Education Reform, should be in The Onion. It is a satire on what Common Core
Teacher Destroys Alabama Chamber of Commerce's Common Core Talking Points. He Calls Them "Total BS".
Time for the pro-Common Core crowd to figure out the difference. Their "facts" are theories and opinions. Chip Cherry, President and CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, wrote a pro-Common Core opinion piece in al.com Why Alabama's students need Common Core State Standards (Opinion from Chip Cherry). The title says it all. You can read it here but it contains the u
What Does Common Core Have in Common with Mad Men, Cardboard Bicycles and other "Ambitious Products"?
"Where the truth lies"...appropriate in describing Common Core claims? "We are sorry that we cannot disclose details how everything functions, but we have to protect ourselves." That always sets of warning bells. Often (though, not always) when companies are totally secretive about key aspects of what they're selling, and claim to have done something amazing, it means that they're missing s
Another School District Declares its Independence from Federal School Guidelines
A school decides what's good and what's bad, not the federal government. The Catlin (IL) school district doesn't want the money from the Federal Government for its lunch program. From Catlin leaving federal school lunch program: "We did some studies that showed it would take us about 83 days into the year to make up what we were being reimbursed from the federal government," Lewis said,
This Fourth of July Represents a Loss of Freedom for Americans.
Behavior like this could get you arrested in talking about Common Core in Florida. Is what is happening in Florida occurring in your state with Common Core discussions? School boards, administrators, principals and teachers don't seem to want parents/taxpayers asking questions they can't/don't answer. If your district or state agency has a meeting about the standards, chances are you wil
Teenager Designs "Stop Common Core" T-Shirt and Speaks Out Against Common Core. Meet Natalie.
Teenager designs "Stop Common Core" t-shirts. You can order one. This teenager is against Common Core. She has done her own research and come to the conclusion the takeover of public education by private organizations is not based on best educational practice. She informs audiences, teachers, principals, and students that the adoption/implementation of CCSS circumvented the legislative
College Readiness for How Many?
Bill Gates is on record stating that he envisions twice as many students as now going on to college by the year 2020. That would mean approximately 60% of the student population would be expected to attend college. Interesting goal from a man who himself never finished college because it had nothing to offer him that he could not achieve on his own. Harvard only claims him as an alum because of hi
Money, Testing, Greed and Control
We may never know the exact Origin of The Species, or where we came from, but we do know where Common Core came from. It did not spring spontaneously from an oozing pool of state educators in search of a nationally consistent set of standards along which to form their educational structure. Instead, it had a creator, or at least twenty five creators. Their identities are slightly less known than
Does the Key To Correcting Common Core Lie in the Proposed Student Success Act
Representative John Kline of Minnesota, chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, has provided his solution to the overreach of the US Department of Education that has given us Common Core and a host of other education accountability programs that have robbed our states of their sovereignty over education. The Student Success Act, if passed, would empower local control of educatio
Vacation Liberty School Still Teaching Founding Principles
Today's post is dedicated to one of the other hats I wear, that of Co-Director of the St. Louis Vacation Liberty School. This summer program for 5th-8th graders teaches kids our country's founding principles of liberty, both personal and economic, through classroom time, presentations and games. We teach about the constitution; where the ideas in it came from, where it places our country on th
Missouri Legislators Rolling with DC on Early Childhood Education?
Reported in the Missouri Times: The National Forum on Education Policy wrapped up its final day Thursday with keynote speakers Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, and Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. The topic of both speeches was President Barack Obama’s proposal for expanding early learning, or early childhood education, nationwide through the Preschool f
Transcript of Arne Duncan's Common Core Speech to the American Society of News Editors
Will the American Society of News Editors do a "reality check" on Arne Duncan's speech? Duncan Pushes Back on Attacks on Common Core Standards Arne Duncan Remarks at the American Society of News Editors Annual Convention, Capital Hilton, Washington, D.C. June 25, 2013 Contact: Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov Thank you, Clark. The work you are doing to help the nex
Would Arne Duncan Call this PBS Blog Contributor "Fringe" Because of an Anti-Common Core Stance?
Economist Robert Lerman questions Common Core. Arne Duncan would consider him "fringe". Oh, we've had a lot of fun on Facebook threads about our posting yesterday of Arne Duncan calling those who question Common Core "fringe". We commiserated with others who find themselves on the outside of the elitists who have designed a program for the "rest of us". Does that "fringe group" include th
If you Question Common Core, you are Now Officially Considered "Fringe" by Arne Duncan
you are considered "fringe" for saying no to his ideas Do we have a free press? Do we have a press that asks questions? Do we have media that researches claims made by the government or does the media accept talking points and report it as fact? Arne Duncan certainly hopes the media prints the Common Core State School Initiative's talking points. He told The American Society of Newspape
Even More School Data Sharing Requested by the Office of Civil Rights. Send in Your Comments on this Proposal by August 20, 2013.
Will this data become individualized and shared? This is an important question to ask the Office of Civil Rights in your comments on its proposal for increased educational data. The US Department's Office of Civil Rights has proposed in the Federal Register that it wants to gather more data on social behaviors to determine if students' civil rights are being violated in educational settings.
More Voices Against Common Core/Standardized/Corporate Education: From the Left.
This is a group not from the right. The Common Core State Standards proponents are hearing discontent from both sides of the aisle. Are our legislators/schools/state boards listening? Recently Barnard College hosted a conference, "Reclaiming the Conversation", about the current educational reform which includes nationalized standards, increased assessments/tests and the privatizat
Scathing Letter Against Common Core from Former County State Committeewoman
Bravo! The former Marion County (FL) state committeewoman takes on Common Core proponents. From Florida Stop Common Core Coalition and Political Dangers of Common Core: June 23, 2013 The following email was forwarded to us. It was written by former Marion County state committeewoman Marguerite Cavanaugh. Though lengthy, it perfectly encapsulates the growing divide within the Republican Par
