How the Nudge becomes a Takeover. And why is Bill Gates Involved in the Nudging?

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has poured millions of dollars in grants to states for Race to the Top proposals, and his foundation has been instrumental in crafting Common Core standards. Here is an excerpt from the Common Core standard initiative website with Gates' enthusiastic approval of these standards:

"With the states' release today of a set of clear and consistent academic standards, our nation is one step closer to supporting effective teaching in every classroom, charting a path to college and careers for all students, and developing the tools to help all children stay motivated and engaged in their own education. The more states that adopt these college and career based standards, the closer we will be to sharing innovation across state borders and becoming more competitive as a country."
- Bill Gates, Co-Chair, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Why should we be concerned about Bill Gates advocating for common core standards? Review the sponsors listed on the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) site. They are educational publishing, software, and testing/assessment companies. They include Microsoft, McGraw-Hill, Apple, Dell and many other institutions. Think about the push for the common core standards. Are they really to help the children or to create a huge market for these educational, data, and software companies? Are Bill Gates' multi-million donations to states truly for student improvement or self-serving as the monies generated by these mandates will create billions of dollars for these companies that have partnered with Gates?

Bill Costello writing for American Thinker doesn't like the idea of common core standards and questions why these standards are being pushed to the states. He details how they in reality are not voluntary to sign onto as federal money will be withheld from Title 1 funding if not adopted by a state. This is the one of the best articles we've read about common core standards and the danger of the standards. As Costello writes:

Typically, when federal financial strings are attached, control begins with a nudge. Then it's a push. Then it's a shove. Ultimately, it ends up becoming a takeover.

For now, it's a nudge to national education standards. Then it will be a push to national testing. Then it will be a shove to a national curriculum.

When you understand the constitutional and financial considerations in this federal takeover, further your questioning into the reasons why Bill Gates is pushing so hard for these standards. Again, who will really benefit from centralized educational systems? Individual children or companies needing to institute a huge federalized system?

As Costello points out:

Look how federal funding for No Child Left Behind led to mandatory testing and proficiency requirements for the states.

Did that federal intervention actually lead to higher academic standards or improved student outcomes? No, it led to the dumbing down of many state standards and zero improvement in student outcomes.

In fact, ever since President Lyndon Johnson implemented the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965, federal involvement in education has led to zero improvement in student outcomes.

Why are CEO's with vested interests in education policy setting this same policy for our children? This has less to do with the children and more to do with an agenda that doesn't care a whit about educational progress. It cares about making billions of dollars establishing even more of a bureaucratic nightmare from which public school children can't escape.

Takeover: To get into one's possession by force, skill, or artifice, especially: To seize with authority; consficate

The title of this piece is a definition from an online dictionary of the word "takeover". Stories about a takeover of yet another private industry by the Obama administration have been making their way around the blogosphere recently. Apparently the administration is not content with the stated goal of having government involved with your children from "cradle to age 20" (from Race to the Top language); it now wants to control private colleges your student might attend.

Here is an excerpt from a press release from Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University:

Leaders in higher education are voicing concern over a proposed new rule from the US Department of Education, which would place private colleges and universities under the ultimate control of state governments instead of independent accrediting agencies.

The notice of proposed rulemaking was posted in the Federal Register on June 18 for a public comment period ending August 2. It could take effect as soon as November.

Accreditation, the gateway to academic and financial viability for all colleges and universities, whether tax-supported or not, would be made conditional upon state regulation and authorization for the first time ever.

You can access the entire press release here. A fine blog written by T.F. Stern on this issue can be found here. Mr. Stern illustrates how this sends a chilling effect into our religious lives, as well as infringing on our Constitutional rights.

It appears now we have the Federal government once again mandating to the states...in lower education it is curriculum in public schools. Now it seems as if it will now mandate curriculum in private colleges? (I would suggest homeschoolers and K12 private schools watch their backs). I suppose this is the type of change Obama talked about in his election campaign. This change for private colleges is unconstitutional...but so is Race to the Top and common core standards for that matter and that has not deterred the Department of Education.

This is what is at stake:

Former US Senator Bill Armstrong, now president of Colorado Christian University, warned in a July 30 letter to the US Department of Education that this could mean the all-out politicization of American higher education, endangering academic freedom, due process, and First Amendment rights.

“Those harmed the most, if it goes through,” he added, “will be millions of young students seeking a college degree on campuses where intellectual diversity and open inquiry can flourish without government intrusion. This must be stopped.”

We agree. The "Race to the Takeover" isn't stopping when your children graduate from high school. Welcome to Obama's educational power grab. This is confiscation of the right of private colleges to operate with limited governmental intrusion. Is he studying Chavez 101?