Congress must prevent federal control of the content of public education.

How to Avoid Dumbing High Schools Down

in Re-authorizing ESEA

Sandra Stotsky

There are good reasons why Congress should remove wording in the re-authorization of ESEA that implicitly requires states to adopt or use Common Core’s standards, or leaves states no choice but to adopt or use them.

The blackest mark CCS gets is for the low level of the academic expectations built into their definition of, and standards for, college-readiness.  Besides the legal questions, Common Core’s “college- and career-readiness standards” are not rigorous enough to prepare American high school students for authentic college-level coursework.  Nor can they make this country competitive in mathematics and science. 

CCS are neither internationally benchmarked nor research-based.

If states must use tests based on standards claimed to “prepare all students for college and career” in order to get their Title I money, USDE would end up in control of public education in every state in this country.

Policies built  into ESEA wording should strengthen, not weaken, the high school curriculum and prevent federal control of the content of public education.

Posted via email from concernedabouteducation's posterous

Support Wisconsin Governor Walker

Stand with Scott Walker

In Wisconsin, private sector workers make 74% of their state-level public sector counterparts. This is the 48th worst pay differential in the nation and clearly shows that the public sector employee unions aren’t hurting for better pay or benefits.

Posted via email from concernedabouteducation's posterous

History Lesson for YOUR Legislators!

Funding for NSF's Education and Human Resources division is under consideration.  Please share THIS with your legislators!  (Scroll down under the NSF heading)

Posted via email from concernedabouteducation's posterous

Can They? Or Are They?

Can the Federal Government Fund Curriculum Materials?  Catherine Gewertz

Christopher T. Cross, who is a partner in the Washington-based education consulting firm Cross & Joftus, noted that the 1979 law that created the most recent iteration of the U.S. Department of Education prohibits the federal funding of curriculum. Cross helped write that law when he was the Republican staff director of the House committee on education and labor in 1978.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

It's been happening for a long time - to the mathematical detriment of our children!

School math books, nonsense, and the National Science Foundation

Show Us the Money!!

Posted via email from concernedabouteducation's posterous

Keeping an Open Mind while Looking Ahead

We're talking about a world where the digital revolution that's hit the rest of the world now gets to take off in education too. We aren't talking about an adult-less or teacher-less world, but a world where the technological advances that have swept the globe start to take over education. And a lot of people, including in the private equity world, are starting to think about that.

Joel Klein in an interview with Rick Hess, Education Week Blog, Feb 2, 2011

Why is News Corp buying [Wireless Generation]? Murdoch says it’s because education in the U.S. is a $500 billion sector “waiting desperately to be transformed by big breakthroughs that extend the reach of great teaching” and Wireless Generation is at the “forefront” of individualized, tech-based learning.

Forbes, Nov 23, 2010

Posted via email from concernedabouteducation's posterous

The Innovation Agenda

For some reason this one didn't cross-post simultaneously.

State of the Union and Education

Education in Obama's State of the Union

Jay P. Greene's Blog

These national standards, which the President promoted in his State of the Union address, have retreated from the decades-long consensus that we should strive to match top-performing countries by teaching Algebra I in eighth grade to as many students as we successfully can.

Education Message Didn't Add Up to Excellence

National Review Online - The Corner

Washington lacks both the constitutional authority and the capacity to manage local schools. The federal government provides less than 10 percent of the funding that goes to education, but far more of the bureaucracy and red tape.

Posted via email from concernedabouteducation's posterous