This should be an interesting session in the Legislature. Here is a quite informative article from the Missouri News Horizon quoting Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the subject of educational reform.
Here is the Republican stance:
Rep. Scott Dieckhaus, R-Washington, chairs the House's Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. He said he wants his committee to be aggressive when considering reforms to the state's education system.
"Everything is on the table," Dieckhaus said. "Whether it's tenure, whether it's making sure we're not sneaking kids through the system by social promotion, whether it's...vouchers and open enrollment, and all the things that have been pulled off the table in past legislative sessions, I want to have a true dialogue on those issues this session."
That sounds on its face exciting and visionary. Some of it is. Some of it isn't so wonderful. Open enrollment will kill local school district autonomy for setting their student make-up. Open enrollment will cause deficits to schools as reimbursement will not cover the full amount necessary to educate the child at the district's set rate. Who will pay for the additional resources necessary for an influx of students? The district? The state? How can a district set a realistic budget? Charters weren't mentioned, but they are a big item in Educated Citizenry 2020. If a true dialogue is desired by the lawmakers, perhaps taxpayers should understand they may very well be under the same mandates as public schools having to adhere to common core standards.
Robyn Wright-Jones, Democrat from St. Louis said this:
But one of the Senate's leaders on public education, Sen. Robyn Wright-Jones, D-St. Louis, warns that moving too fast on controversial topics such as open enrollment and tenure reform takes the focus away from a root cause of educational deficiency in the urban core -- the lack of economic opportunity for parents of school children.
"When we have a decent wage in every household, and we have our parents working, they can do a traditional family plan, where there's money to do the things they need to do, then test scores will improve," Wright-Jones said.
She said open enrollment is not the answer to educational inability. She favors keeping students close to home.
"We need to put our neighborhood schools back on the block, down the street from where our children live," Wright-Jones said. "You send a very bad signal to a kid when you put him on a bus at five in the morning and take them off at seven (at night) and tell them they just got a better education."
She's right. She sounds like a traditional Republican (jobs, jobs, jobs and traditional family) and fostering community pride. The Republicans sound like traditional Democrats (curriculum mandates, increased spending and unfunded mandates created by common core standards).
House Speaker Tilley said:
...the status quo is not good enough anymore.
"Every year, people who are opposed to educational reform say 'No, this isn't a good idea, this isn't a good idea...' Tilley said. But they don't come up with alternative solutions and we continue to shuffle thousands of kids through schools that just aren't doing their jobs."
We have our ideas on educational reform. Return the majority of educational decisions to the state and reduce our dependency on the federal government for funding. Could it be we are in trouble because we are going broke trying to fulfill the endless mandates coming out of Washington? After all, for every dollar we send to the Department of Education, we get back 80 cents. That doesn't seem like a very good investment for taxpayers and students.
Cutting our strings to Washington would be a good first start. Isn't that what the Health Care Freedom Act was all about? How about we start an Educational Freedom Act? We don't like the health mandates OR the educational mandates. There is no difference in the amount of control in either healthcare or education. Decrease federal control and spending. Sounds like a good plan to me.
Showing posts with label Rep Scott Dieckhaus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rep Scott Dieckhaus. Show all posts
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Why are "Conservative" Legislators Embracing Arne Duncan's Educational Vision?
We've raised some questions in our last few postings about the actions of the Missouri Legislature members, especially those under the banner of "conservative" and "supporters of state's rights". We've wondered why those politicians promising to uphold state's rights and the Constitution when it comes to health care would suddenly buy onto an educational plan complete with federal mandates and federal money, meaning increased federal control.
What's happening educationally in Missouri in this dominant Republican legislature? We've been scratching our heads trying to figure it out and we believe we've found the trail that explains it all. We'll be detailing our investigation the next several days and then we'll ask the questions: do you believe the senators elected under the conservative banner are upholding their promises to the voters and why do they want to create educational plans that increase federal control and unfunded mandates?
Here is an article from the Washington Post refuting many of Arne Duncan's contentions about education. Arne Duncan is the bearer of Race to the Top which allows no local control of: curriculum, the hiring, firing or placement of teachers. One of the most important concepts to understand about Duncan and RTTT is the word "redistribution". What will be redistributed? Money, teachers, administrators, and students. Local districts won't have control over who they hire, who is placed in their classrooms/administrative offices, or the students who make up their classrooms. Total control. That's the name of the game of RTTT.
We don't have RTTT in Missouri, but we do have Common Core standards. By giving up state control of our curriculum, we received money in which to implement them. It was apparently of no interest to our State School Board, Commissioner of Education, or Governor that this would cause increased unfunded mandates to our state. It apparently is of no interest or concern to our legislature that these mandates violate state sovereignty. From the "Educated Citizenry 2020" report:
Commissioner Nicastro provided the Committee with a statewide context for issues of
standards and accountability. Missouri is one of many states that has adopted the
national Common Core Standards. DESE is also collaborating with other states in the
development of common assessments both as a complement to the Common Core
Standards and as a measure of cost savings. Commissioner Nicastro shared DESE’s
top priorities with the Committee which include early childhood education and effective
teaching and leadership. In addition, their aspiration is for Missouri to be a top 10 state
in academic performance, and the Committee supports this goal.
I question this sentence from the report: "DESE is also collaborating with other states in the development of common assessments both as a complement to the Common Core Standards and as a measure of cost savings". First, the common assessments ARE a complement to the Common Core standards BUT they take away the right of Missouri to set its own state standards for Missouri students. Second, I question the comment that Common Core standards will result in a cost savings to the state. Missouri received $248 Million in stimulus to begin implementing the standards, but as our proposed cost for RTTT was $400 Million, it is doubtful this initial funding will be sufficient to cover the entire cost. Common Core standards necessitate the implementation of a nationwide data system which will be quite expensive. I am curious if the legislators received cost estimates from DESE for the installed system.
As Homeschooling United noted in a previous blog, Scott Dieckhaus, the Chairman of the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee tweeted the following while attending a conference on Education:
Dieckhaus" width="48" height="48"> Dieckhaus" width="48" height="48">
What's happening educationally in Missouri in this dominant Republican legislature? We've been scratching our heads trying to figure it out and we believe we've found the trail that explains it all. We'll be detailing our investigation the next several days and then we'll ask the questions: do you believe the senators elected under the conservative banner are upholding their promises to the voters and why do they want to create educational plans that increase federal control and unfunded mandates?
Here is an article from the Washington Post refuting many of Arne Duncan's contentions about education. Arne Duncan is the bearer of Race to the Top which allows no local control of: curriculum, the hiring, firing or placement of teachers. One of the most important concepts to understand about Duncan and RTTT is the word "redistribution". What will be redistributed? Money, teachers, administrators, and students. Local districts won't have control over who they hire, who is placed in their classrooms/administrative offices, or the students who make up their classrooms. Total control. That's the name of the game of RTTT.
We don't have RTTT in Missouri, but we do have Common Core standards. By giving up state control of our curriculum, we received money in which to implement them. It was apparently of no interest to our State School Board, Commissioner of Education, or Governor that this would cause increased unfunded mandates to our state. It apparently is of no interest or concern to our legislature that these mandates violate state sovereignty. From the "Educated Citizenry 2020" report:
Commissioner Nicastro provided the Committee with a statewide context for issues of
standards and accountability. Missouri is one of many states that has adopted the
national Common Core Standards. DESE is also collaborating with other states in the
development of common assessments both as a complement to the Common Core
Standards and as a measure of cost savings. Commissioner Nicastro shared DESE’s
top priorities with the Committee which include early childhood education and effective
teaching and leadership. In addition, their aspiration is for Missouri to be a top 10 state
in academic performance, and the Committee supports this goal.
I question this sentence from the report: "DESE is also collaborating with other states in the development of common assessments both as a complement to the Common Core Standards and as a measure of cost savings". First, the common assessments ARE a complement to the Common Core standards BUT they take away the right of Missouri to set its own state standards for Missouri students. Second, I question the comment that Common Core standards will result in a cost savings to the state. Missouri received $248 Million in stimulus to begin implementing the standards, but as our proposed cost for RTTT was $400 Million, it is doubtful this initial funding will be sufficient to cover the entire cost. Common Core standards necessitate the implementation of a nationwide data system which will be quite expensive. I am curious if the legislators received cost estimates from DESE for the installed system.
As Homeschooling United noted in a previous blog, Scott Dieckhaus, the Chairman of the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee tweeted the following while attending a conference on Education:
Dieckhaus" width="48" height="48">sdieckhaus Scott Dieckhaus
Ready to spend three days with some of the greatest education reformers in the world. Better education is coming to Missouri soon!
Dieckhaus" width="48" height="48">sdieckhaus Scott Dieckhaus
At #EIA10 and excited to hear from Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Eva Moskowitz, Arne Duncan among others.
30 Nov Favorite Retweet Reply
Conservatives and libertarians need to be asking themselves this question: why would "conservative" Republicans be jumping on the Arne Duncan education bandwagon? Read the Washington Post article. There are valid points from the author questioning Duncan's basic tenets about educational theory. Aren't the theories of Duncan and conservatives miles apart when it pertains to the matter of funding and mandates? Why are our Republican legislators so eager to embrace this plan?
What does the representative mean when he says "better education is coming to Missouri soon?" If he embraces Duncan's vision, is he for redistribution of "human capital"? Is he for districts not having any control over curriculum or staffing decisions? Is this the better education he envisions?
We believe we know and we'll share it with you in subsequent postings. It truly is a bipartisan push, but it's not really for the children.
Conservatives and libertarians need to be asking themselves this question: why would "conservative" Republicans be jumping on the Arne Duncan education bandwagon? Read the Washington Post article. There are valid points from the author questioning Duncan's basic tenets about educational theory. Aren't the theories of Duncan and conservatives miles apart when it pertains to the matter of funding and mandates? Why are our Republican legislators so eager to embrace this plan?
What does the representative mean when he says "better education is coming to Missouri soon?" If he embraces Duncan's vision, is he for redistribution of "human capital"? Is he for districts not having any control over curriculum or staffing decisions? Is this the better education he envisions?
We believe we know and we'll share it with you in subsequent postings. It truly is a bipartisan push, but it's not really for the children.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Homeschooling Parents Should be Concerned about "Educated Citizenry 2020". It May Not Just Affect Public Education Students.
Taxpayers and parents of public school students have many concerns and questions about the new educational plan recently released to taxpayers in December 2010. Perhaps it is a "Christmas gift" to the citizens of Missouri from the Legislature. A homeschooling blog raises concerns this legislation may hold for homeschooled students. It may be the Legislature's educational gift is unwelcome not only in the public education realm, but in homeschooling groups as well.
Homeschooling United has written a detailed post on the history of past legislative process and the current thrust of educational reform contained in "Educated Citizenry 2020". This blog states how current legislators have made their intent clear in setting reforms which do not create more educational freedom or choices for education; rather, the legislature is developing a plan which creates more mandates and control not only for public education students, but also homeschooled students:
Homeschooling United has written a detailed post on the history of past legislative process and the current thrust of educational reform contained in "Educated Citizenry 2020". This blog states how current legislators have made their intent clear in setting reforms which do not create more educational freedom or choices for education; rather, the legislature is developing a plan which creates more mandates and control not only for public education students, but also homeschooled students:
The legislature, Republican and Democrat, is deeply rooted in the idea that it is government’s job to monitor, regulate, supervise, oversee, the education of the children under their representation. We continue to see, year after year, more and more legislation designed to put more educational bureaucracy into government. With that ever growing bureaucracy, more authority to define and choose standards also shifts from parents to the bureaucrats and legislators. It is this mindset that defies the homeschooler’s freedom to make the best educational choices for their own children. Read these comments from Senator, Jane Cunningham:
"There are many times that government uses the private sector to achieve their goals,” Cunningham said. “I think maybe this is the time, because we are slipping behind so dramatically in global rankings, to ask what is the best way to deliver education to the public. …… We so desperately need education reform and quality schools. The Legislature has to look at what we feel are appropriate measures.”
Homeschooling United then explains what vouchers and tax credits mean to homeschooling taxpayers (and this explanation can be applied to public schooled children as well):
With the introduction of Charter Schools added to the mix of educational reform, there will be, as there has been in the past, discussion of vouchers and tax credits. There has always been a debate about the amount of taxation that homeschoolers pay to support public education, but it is extremely important to understand that no tax relief would ever come without serious strings attached.
This is the same argument we have been making on behalf of public school students in a system of educational mandates set forth by groups of states (rather than each individual state) for students AND educational mandates set by the Federal Government.
The Federal Government has already threatened to withhold Title 1 money from states IF THEY REFUSE TO SIGN ON TO COMMON CORE STANDARDS. Those are some mighty large strings attached to a "voluntary" program for states to sign on to...not only is it important to understand that no tax relief would ever come without serious strings attached, no "reform" designed by the Federal Government comes without serious and expensive strings attached. Taxpayers should be wary of what "voluntary" actions undertaken by the State Board of Education will cost the state in terms of educational freedom and tax dollars.
It is suggested by this group you contact the legislators who are supporting this "educational choice". The blog continues:
This is the same argument we have been making on behalf of public school students in a system of educational mandates set forth by groups of states (rather than each individual state) for students AND educational mandates set by the Federal Government.
The Federal Government has already threatened to withhold Title 1 money from states IF THEY REFUSE TO SIGN ON TO COMMON CORE STANDARDS. Those are some mighty large strings attached to a "voluntary" program for states to sign on to...not only is it important to understand that no tax relief would ever come without serious strings attached, no "reform" designed by the Federal Government comes without serious and expensive strings attached. Taxpayers should be wary of what "voluntary" actions undertaken by the State Board of Education will cost the state in terms of educational freedom and tax dollars.
It is suggested by this group you contact the legislators who are supporting this "educational choice". The blog continues:
This year, Scott Dieckhaus, (R) District 109 – Franklin and St. Charles Counties, is the Chairman of the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. He will be spearheading, for the House of Representatives, all legislation related to education. Here is the problem. Representative Dieckhaus has repeatedly voiced opinions which may be adverse to educational freedoms.
The St. Louis Beacon published an article in which Dieckhaus said that he is willing to go as far as changing the Missouri Constitution and putting all options on the table as it relates educational reform. Does Dieckhaus believe that private schools should be pulled under the umbrella of public education oversight if they accept vouchers? Will he also expect the same from homeschoolers who receive tax credits?
Remember that Race To The Top Standards, SB 21, vouchers/tax credits, all have common threads of regulation and control that could reach into the homeschooling community. It is important to remind representatives that homeschoolers do not want to be included in any educational reform they have in mind for the coming year or in the future. We are following all state regulations concerning homeschooling and doing an excellent job of making educational choices for our own children and to not need or want the interference of the government, state or federal.
The article makes note of Representative's Dieckhaus' agreement with Arne Duncan's educational philosophies which are antithetical to the 10th Amendment. If these same Missouri senators support health care freedom for Missourians with limited federal government involvement, why aren't they supporting educational freedom for Missourians with limited federal governmental involvement as well?
"Educational Citizenry 2020" seems to be Race to the Top renamed and forced upon Missouri schools...AND quite possibly, homeschoolers as well.
Remember that Race To The Top Standards, SB 21, vouchers/tax credits, all have common threads of regulation and control that could reach into the homeschooling community. It is important to remind representatives that homeschoolers do not want to be included in any educational reform they have in mind for the coming year or in the future. We are following all state regulations concerning homeschooling and doing an excellent job of making educational choices for our own children and to not need or want the interference of the government, state or federal.
The article makes note of Representative's Dieckhaus' agreement with Arne Duncan's educational philosophies which are antithetical to the 10th Amendment. If these same Missouri senators support health care freedom for Missourians with limited federal government involvement, why aren't they supporting educational freedom for Missourians with limited federal governmental involvement as well?
"Educational Citizenry 2020" seems to be Race to the Top renamed and forced upon Missouri schools...AND quite possibly, homeschoolers as well.
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