Millions of Americans are marching, blogging, calling Congress, E-mailing friends, and writing to newspapers to say that President Obama and Congress are expanding government too far, too fast. We need to do more, because it’s clear that they’re not getting the message. The latest example: the House of Representatives is preparing to put the Department of Education into the business of creating educational curriculum for American students.
This week the House is scheduled to approve H.R. 3221, an education lending bill that CBO reports will increase the deficit by $50 billion. The bill includes a little-known provision to give the Secretary of Education $500 million - to be provided to to any entity he deems “appropriate” - to develop and disseminate free and “freely available” online courses.
This is unprecedented.
Federal curriculum is contrary to longstanding government policy - and it’s unnecessary. For decades, Federal law has prohibited the U.S. Department of Education from exercising control over the “curriculum, program of instruction . . . or over the selection or content of library resources, text books, or other educational materials by any educational institution or school system.”
Now the Obama Administration and Congress are poised to provide the Secretary of the Education half a billion dollars, and give him the authority to enter into contracts with any entity he deems “appropriate” to “develop, evaluate and disseminate” “freely available” “education courses.”
Why?
This provision comes under ‘open online education’ in the bill. But if the only goal is to expand online education, why not encourage states and districts to do that? They are already in the business of creating course curriculum. Why break decades (actually, centuries) of precedent, and allow the federal government to design course curriculum for the first time? And lastly, why give that authority with no guidelines whatsoever as to what groups qualify for the money?

Why create a education curriculum?
pac_NY Tuesday, September 15th at 12:26PM EDT (link)I am sure the question is rhetorical.
Obama is hellbent on changing America as we have known and cherished it, into something ugly and repulsive and entirely alien to what the Founding Fathers envisioned, and what Americans have always fought for.
As we have just seen on Saturday, Americans clearly want America to remain free of big government intrusions everywhere it has no business being.
But obviously, the change Obama wants aside from all else he’s attempted in pursuit of his evil agenda, will also include changing what our children learn in school, and have it become the national curriculum which he believes will ensure that all future students are more thoroughly brainwashed than they have already become, in accordance with his tyrannical ideology - and that of the Left.
How can we stop this man from continuing to destroy the most exceptionally great nation on the face of the earth?
To me, that is the only question we need to answer, the sooner the better.
Absolutely nothing good for America’s people is forthcoming from this man’s reign.
He toucheth the mountain - and it smokes
"Heather Has Two Mommies" is Baaaaack....
farstar99 Tuesday, September 15th at 1:36PM EDT (link)Do you moderates out there understand why William Ayers WAS an issue yet?
Control education, control the people
civil_truth Tuesday, September 15th at 12:30PM EDT (link)Putting on my conspiracy hat (which in this case has empirical evidence already at hand), given the Education Departments curriculum guides for Obama’s speech, it sure looks like the Communists in positions of power want to create a uniform curriculum that will indoctrinate all U.S. students into a government dictated instructional program. This is the kind of education/indoctrination that is part and parcel of every left dictatorship in the past century.
What makes this more insidious is it looks like this federal curriculum will be outsourced to private textbook companies who will find it most profitable to create “independent” texts that conform to the federal government mandates.
Two canaries in the mind to see if they start gasping or keeling over:
1) The federal government taking away the autonomy of states to set curriculum standards (probably under threat of withholding federal funds)
2) The regulation of homeschool curriculum to require them to conform to federal requirement or banning them outright as ”
a) injurious to children’s socialization or mental health by denying them interaction with other children, etc,” or
b)”failure to provide them an education with sufficient diversity of views [with the government determining what gets included in this “diversity” and what gets excluded) - as happened in NH recently or
c) deciding that children belong to the state and that therefore the state has the responsibility to educate them in that state’s value system (c.f. Germany)
Be very watchful; if our children are captured, the future by definition is grim.
And Rightly So!
civil I think letter c already happened
mom2oneson Tuesday, September 15th at 12:50PM EDT (link)with the compulsory attendance laws that started in MA in 1852.
Civil Truth
NH_GOP Tuesday, September 15th at 4:46PM EDT (link)This happened long ago in the 90s. When I was teaching, Goals 2000 took over and suddenly we were pushing a ‘global’ education agenda per the UN. We stopped using sane methods for fad methods and everything was political.
Education is lost and gone to the Ayers types and the only way to get it back is to stop government from managing it.
Brian F or someone good with the site
mom2oneson Tuesday, September 15th at 12:47PM EDT (link)Can you search diaries and posts by ocleverone? She knows a lot about this and has posted a lot about this issue. Maybe you can link her post and diary.
sorry my mistake
mom2oneson Tuesday, September 15th at 12:57PM EDT (link)It’s monstermom!! Sorry to you both monstermom and ocleverone.
I shouldn’t post before having a Coke.
http://www.redstate.com/monstermom/2009/06/20/three-blind-mice/
Now we know the real reason
Flagstaff Tuesday, September 15th at 12:56PM EDT (link)behind the push to change the health care delivery system.
It’s a smokescreen to hide the same process as it’s being pushed on the national education delivery system.
This idea for a national curriculum illustrates everything that is wrong with a centrally directed economy. I recently responded to a writer in our local paper, who tried to make a comparison between public education and public health. Her contention was that private schools aren’t driven out of the market place by public schools, so private insurance should be able to complete equally with a national public health plan.
Among other things, one difference is that at the present time public education is controlled and funded by local people. It isn’t directed from Washington. That means there is almost no opportunity for ideological indoctrination of the school population by any Washington authority. If Washington gets into the business of telling schools exactly what to teach and how to teach it, that protection goes away.
Public school course content is bad enough as it is, but at least some school districts can insist that the British Invasion of 1812 deserves more teaching time than does the British Invasion of 1963 to today.
This is another good reason to eliminate the Department of Education. It’s only natural that they’d be looking for something to do with themselves. Put in an activist like Secretary Arne Duncan to write a prescription for oppressive government intrusion in education, and the Department gives him the vehicle to carry it out.
Even if the motives were completely innocent (which is doubtful), centralized direction of educational curriculum is a terrible idea.
Pluto, the Ninth Planet - Forever!
Future Obots
old1 Wednesday, September 16th at 11:51AM EDT (link)Give the evil in our country control of 51% of our children today, and they will own our country tomorrow. Be forever on guard. Our freedom is hanging by a thin frail thread.
What parents need to do
rangerwife Wednesday, September 16th at 12:07PM EDT (link)Two words people: Home School. Be involved. I constantly have to go through my kids books and decipher what is right and what is propaganda, it’s already out of control.
2 Reasons
melissatx Tuesday, September 15th at 1:33PM EDT (link)1. Indoctrination
2. Outlawing homeschools.
Both of things are at the heart of this piece of tripe.
But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever. John Adams
35-year teacher says NO
NH_GOP Tuesday, September 15th at 2:55PM EDT (link)Please look over the links and files in this Yahoo group to find out what they are doing to us.
Education is just another ACORN!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/USPEIN
http://www.thetruthaboutib.com
http://www.illinoisloop.org
Goals 2000 already handed the kids over to the UN.
They are being taught Marxism.
I was targeted when I taught and driven out for being conservative and wanting to TEACH.
The National Curricula will be out in December
monstermom Tuesday, September 15th at 4:03PM EDT (link)The House Resolution is simply the legislative mechanism to allow the Secretary of Education to require states to adopt the national academic standards currently being drafted as part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
The initiative is sponsored by the National Governor’s Association and backed by the US Dept of Education. They working group has been meeting since early this year and issued it’s first draft of college readiness standards in July. The draft of K -12 grade specific standards will be given to the states this week or next and will be issued in final in December.
Each state participating in the effort (and I believe 46 or 48 are) will be required to adopt at least 85% of the standards drafted by the CCSSI. Federal Education funds will only be given to states which have adopted at least 85% of the common core standards.
Secretary Duncan has already released $350 million in stimulus funds to support developing a common national assessment - though the date that will be available has not been released.
The entire effort has been cloaked in a veil of secrecy and getting people to pay attention has been a nightmare. I hope this bill finally gets people to wake up and realize that the public schools will have their standards and curricula set by the federal government next year unless we do something to stop it..
Join the RedState Strike Force
Not one dime, billions and billions of dimes. nt
Achance Tuesday, September 15th at 8:12PM EDT (link)In Vino Veritas
Don't know how that "Reply to this" fail occured. nt
Achance Tuesday, September 15th at 8:13PM EDT (link)In Vino Veritas
put aside all the creepiness
seesalrun Tuesday, September 15th at 8:07PM EDT (link)this administration exudes, I thought in the Joint Session speech we were just promised no bill would be signed that would add to the deficit, I believe the quote was “Not one dime”
PROPAGANDA 101
rrlandis Tuesday, September 15th at 10:49PM EDT (link)AMERICA—DO NOT LET ANY GOVERNMENT CONTROL YOUR CHILDREN. I HAVE MY OWN THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BIG O’s LEGITIMACY TO BE IN THE WHITE HOUSE, BUT REGARDLESS OF THAT, HE IS NOT A TRUE AMERICAN AT HEART. THEREFORE, I REFUSE TO CLAIM HIM AS MY PRESIDENT AND WILL NOT GIVE IN TO HIS PROPAGANDA. I AM ALSO DOING ALL I CAN TO HELP MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS STAND AGAINST HIM.
STAND UP FOR THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. EXERT YOUR RIGHTS IN SUPPORT OF THE LOVE OF GOD, COUNTRY, YOUR FAMILIES, AND YOUR VERY LIVES.
We really don't like ALL CAPS here. nt
Achance Tuesday, September 15th at 10:53PM EDT (link)In Vino Veritas
ALL CAPS
rrlandis Tuesday, September 15th at 11:37PM EDT (link)IF YOU ARE ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE LETTERS, I HOPE THE BIG O’s AGENDA DOES NOT CATCH YOU UNAWARE.
but you don't really need to yell at us...
DONTREADONME Tuesday, September 15th at 11:41PM EDT (link)you may have already known that, but if you didn’t it mainly reserved for denoting yelling/angry.
“The UN is right? you can’t be any more “un”; Than you are right now, the UN is undone, Another mushroom cloud, another smoking gun, The threat is real, the Locust King has come, Don’t tell me the truth; I don’t like what they’ve done, Just give me ammo for the United Abominations”-Megadeth
LISTEN UP YOU 18 DAY PINHEAD!
mbecker908 Wednesday, September 16th at 12:30AM EDT (link)Don’t be talking to your betters like that. You won’t survive the beatings. I checked your posting history and I notice two things, first that the content of your limited posts is just a tad better than a weak OK. Certainly nothing that would attract either particularly positive or negative attention. Second, this is your first “ALL CAP” post, although you do put the titles in all caps (which also is irritating) so it’s fair to say that a response like “Oops, I forgot the cap lock was on.” would have been accepted and folks would have moved on. Instead, you choose to act like a rightly offended jerk to a simple statement of fact. Keep this crap up and you better have asbestos underwear and body armor.
Listen punk, nothing you could say or see would catch me unaware. nt
Achance Wednesday, September 16th at 12:32AM EDT (link)In Vino Veritas
I wouldnt worry too much about an education curriculum
yoyo Wednesday, September 16th at 8:24AM EDT (link)Unless all of a sudden the Gov’t pulls a one-eighty and develops something of use (history tells a different story), this will be a non-starter. Plus, it isnt like ‘most’ kids listen that much in school, anyhow.
So, the leftist content that they develop would have to be interesting enough to keep a bunch of non-caring, attention-deficit jr. high and high schoolers involved.
I don’t know. Seems like a ‘Mountain Too Far’ to me. You cannot even teach them ‘Math’, nowadays.
Now, but seriously. This needs to be shouted down. “Public” education should remain at the state. NEA should not fall under the “General Welfare” clause.
Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum
‘If you seek peace, prepare for war!’
=============================
Pukin’ Dogs - The Fighting 143
Sans Reproache
=============================
The ‘yoyo’ replaced my cigarettes Four Years Ago….
A bunch of Obama supporters are on the
monstermom Wednesday, September 16th at 10:40AM EDT (link)committee drafting the national English and Math standards. A number of them took time off from their jobs to work full time for the campaign. The others work for textbook publishers and assessment companies. Few are mathematicians and English majors.
Join the RedState Strike Force
Read your previous post
ohmom23 Wednesday, September 16th at 12:50PM EDT (link)on Common Core. Where are you getting your information? Is there a really good website or two that I should be reading regularly? I try to stay up to date with education issues, but even Eagle Forum hasn’t mentioned the developments discussed here. How to we keep up with the latest machinations?
Now THAT is RICH!
yoyo Wednesday, September 16th at 3:56PM EDT (link)MATH Standards? “Obama” and “Math Standards”!
Someone needs to tell that yahoo that $1.7T revenue - $10.2T cost = YOU DON’T HAVE THE FRICKIN MONEY TO DO THIS CRAP!
….math standards. whatever.
I would opt for a $10 tax increase if it would buy him $0.10 of common sense.
Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum
‘If you seek peace, prepare for war!’
=============================
Pukin’ Dogs - The Fighting 143
Sans Reproache
=============================
The ‘yoyo’ replaced my cigarettes Four Years Ago….
Chicago Schools, Obama and Ayers
leehazel Wednesday, September 16th at 12:33PM EDT (link)This bill should be no surprise at all, two reasons:
The Annenburg Trust. Money to the Chicago School System to promote Leftist educational goals and the Union.
1) This was Obama’s job as the Titular head of the Annenburg Trust in Chicago. His partner was none other than William (the bomber) Ayers whose career has been in promoting Left Wing education in the US.
2) Obama has made no secret that as soon as he gets “finished” with Health Care it is his intention to “nationalize” public education in the US.
What you see here is “The Camel’s Toe”.
PC is Thought Control
LEE
It's the "camel's nose".
realskinny Wednesday, September 16th at 3:50PM EDT (link)Camel toe refers to something else. It wouldn’t be surprising if “curriculum development” was being done by some ACORN like group specifically organized for this purpose. They can collect $millions for a few thousands worth of work. BHO is building multiple pipelines into the Treasury for the Left.
You are right
leehazel Wednesday, September 16th at 10:46PM EDT (link)The camels nose, What could I have been thinking?