Shocker! Gates Funded PTA Supports Common Core.

The following snippet is from the Missouri PTA on Senate Bill 210 and House Bill 616.  It is included in a list of bills to watch regarding Missouri education.  The PTA is in opposition to these bills.  What isn't stated in this statement is that the National PTA has received over $1 Million from the Gates Foundation to push Common Core to parents. 

From mopta.org:


SB 210 sponsored by Senator John Lamping, District 24, and HB 616 sponsored by Rep. Kurt Bahr, District 102, are mirror bills that prohibit the State Board of Education from adopting the Common Core State Standards Initiative. PTA has been a strong supporter of Common Core State Standards Initiative since its inception. The Common Core State Standards Initiative was created by teachers, parents, education experts and others from across the country in an attempt to provide clear, consistent expectations for what students should be learning in each grade in order to be prepared for college and career. Ensuring high academic expectation for all students, regardless of their zip code, is aligned with PTA's public priority of equity and opportunity for every child. PTA has developed Parent Guides to the Common Core Standards for every grade level to help parents provide enrichment at home and help them develop a working dialogue with their child's teacher. These bills are an attempt to turn the Common Core State Standards into a political battle that will only hurt our children. We need everyone to come together to ensure that our children receive the best education. Missouri PTA is both opposed to and very disappointed in both these bills.

Note the language from mopta:

The Common Core State Standards Initiative was created by teachers, parents, education experts and others from across the country in an attempt to provide clear, consistent expectations for what students should be learning in each grade in order to be prepared for college and career.

Now look at the language from the April 22, 2010 Missouri NEA's notes referencing the State Board's comments about Common Core Standards:

This process was led by governors and chief state school officers in 51 states and territories. . . . Missouri has been provided the opportunity to review and respond to confidential early drafts of the reading, writing, and mathematics K-12 standards in November, January, and February.  

So which is it?  The Gates funded PTA writes the CCSSI was created by teachers, parents, education experts and others (exactly who are the "others"), and the NEA writes that the State Board believes the CCSSI process was led by governors and chief state school officers.

One of these organizations is not telling the truth.  Which is it?

The NEA, Arne Duncan, and Students Caught in the Middle of the Education Wars

I wanted to draw attention to an excellent post by Culture Vigilante regarding "Educated Citizenry 2020". This post does an excellent job detailing the NEA's involvement in promoting early childhood education.

I was particularly interested in the reporting on the NEA's position on charter schools. The NEA has detailed their "acceptable" charter and non-traditional public schools which they approve. Why should a teacher's union dictate to a govermental agency...or a state educational department or local school district...on what type of educational model it would "accept"? Just typing that sentence makes me think..."what"? Why are we, the taxpayers and legislators, allowing the union to tell us what THEY will accept to teach our children, and that THEY will have to power to review any systems outside of the traditional educational model? Does anyone else this is ludicrous?

I don't know how much of the NEA's recommendations to take to heart. This link was passed on to me by a watchdog about Arne Duncan's idea of charter schools. It doesn't seem as if he is too impressed with the NEA's resolutions. He insists that states must expand the number of charter schools to receive RTTT funding. It doesn't seem as if he is asking the NEA for permission to make that edict.

I have one particular observation on the NEA's position that I wanted to highlight. Look at the NEA's resolution "b" listed in the Culture Vigilante's article. The union asserts:

"Charter school programs must be qualitatively different from what is available in mainstream public schools and not just an avenue for parental choice".

That's an interesting sentence. The parental trigger option is supposedly for parents to use because they believe their public schools are failing. They want a school that will offer their children a true alternative. That's the original intention for charter school operations.

Arne Duncan loves charter schools....but what most people and legislators don't understand is the common core standards and Race to the Top mandate the same curriculum. Charter schools programs cannot be qualitiatively different from public school mandates...they are the same. This has been mandated by Race to the Top and common core standards.

We have a standoff then, between the unions wanting to keep their power and Arne Duncan who wants to expand taxpayer monetary disbursement to hedgefunds and investors.

When can children be excused from the crossfire of adults who just want power and/or financial gain?

Robin Carnahan and the Missouri NEA Receive a Big, Fat F

If you needed one more reason to vote against Robin Carnahan, this might just be the ticket:

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2010/aug/25/teachers-pitched-politics/

Even as the NEA questions its decision to vote for Obama and his policies, it throws its support behind a candidate who is as progressive left as the current administration.

If you are parent, I would be worried this organization has so much control over teachers and agendas. These are the teachers who are teaching your children. There is a disconnect on critical thinking for this organization. It's thinking: "Let's vote for a candidate who supports the Democratic agenda that is not helping students and putting Americans further into debt".

With all due respect, Carnahan is wrong when she supports federal money going to schools. It's unconstitutional. She should know that if she is running for a Senate position. She's also wrong if she thinks RTTT and common core standards give teachers a voice in federal decisions that affect education.

Memo to Robin: this administration is oppressive in its mandates. If you had read the original 800 page RTTT federal document and subsequent common core standards, you would know control is taken away from state legislatures, schools, teachers and parents. Maybe I just hit it on the head? Do you think she's read the documents and can understand its implications? It is a problem with Democrats today and their idea of transparency; they have to pass the bill to know what's in it. I suppose it's just standard operating procedures for Congress in today's political climate to sign documents with no due diligence.

I give the NEA and Robin Carnahan a big, fat F. With a red marker. Fail.