The three R's used to represent what children learned in school: Reading, 'Riting and 'Rithmetic. Those three R's were the basic principles and goals for public education, but we are under new rubrics in the educational arena. The modern and not so improved three R's currently coming from the Department of Education (and other Federal agencies) are Redistribution, Retribution and Repudiation.
What is Redistribution in Education? The USDA is involved with the Department of Education and the USDA will be providing for breakfasts and lunches schools served in public schools through the "Community Eligibility Option". The official announcement states:
Section 104(a) of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 amended section 11(a)(1) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1759a(a)(1)) (the law) to provide an alternative to household applications for free and reduced price meals in high poverty local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools. This alternative is referred to as the Community Eligibility option.
To be eligible, LEAs and schools must meet a minimum level of students directly certified for free meals in the year prior to implementing the option; agree to serve free lunches and breakfasts to all students; and agree to cover with non-Federal funds any costs of providing free meals to all students above amounts provided in Federal assistance. Reimbursement is based on claiming percentages derived from the percentage of students directly certified. (emphasis added)
The claiming percentages established for a school in the First Year are guaranteed for a period of four school years and may be increased if direct certification percentages rise for that school.
The law requires that the Community Eligibility option be phased in over a period of several years. As a result, the Community Eligibility option is available in eligible LEAs and schools in three States selected by Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) for the school year (SY) beginning July 1, 2011. An additional four States will be added for each SY beginning July 1, 2012, and July 1, 2013. The option is available nationwide to all eligible LEAs and schools beginning July 1, 2014.
It is currently offered in Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee. Here is a question and answer document on the program in the Springfield, Illinois district. It verifies this is open to all students in the pilot school (regardless of income) and the process will require no paper work from the parents as the information will be pulled from...a database on families. The data will come from such government records recording homeless students and Head Start (school records), and Food Stamps and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (Health and Human Services Department).
This is just the start of the longitudinal data base at work. It will identify needy families so the government will be ready to assist families at a finger stroke. And even if your family is not in that economic group, your child can still receive a free breakfast and lunch. It's as if it's a continuation of the free lunches in the summer for some communities. What benevolence on behalf of our cash strapped Federal government. Oh, but not so fast. Remember, the state will have to pay for what the Federal government won't cover. We know our states have cash to make up any deficits arising from this bill, right?
This is redistribution of resources that doesn't stop at the food line. Clinics are springing up in schools as well, so now the parents don't have to worry about feeding or obtaining medical care for their children. This article is about the $14 Million Federal Grant just for the state of California to expand its school medical clinics. When and if the Pre-K Race to the Top Initiative is enacted, your state will also be required to care for children from birth.
Retribution is parceled via impossible mandates and unrealistic goals. If a state can't meet these unreachable benchmarks, the DOE can mandate "turnaround models" which operate under Federal mandates. The Department of Education does not exist to "help" states. The Federal Government should not be directing any programs for the states in the first place. There is no "partnership" between the Federal government and the states. The states were given the authority to check the Federal government's encroachment in state decisions, and the Federal government should not be dictating and mandating to states' educational policies. It doesn't have the authority to set these mandates and the retribution it throws around is untenable.
And what does Repudiation represent? It is the repudiation of the rights of local communities and states to set educational standards for their own citizens. It represents the reality of a totalitarian democracy.
The three R's just aren't what they used to be. Does anyone think this new version will help children learn more effectively?
