Common Core has been portrayed as an issue involving Tea Party and conservative organizations that are against the federal government takeover of the educational system in the nation in violation of the 10th Amendment to our Constitution as well as the 4th Amendment which protects our right to privacy. But this is incorrect. There are Republicans and Democrats who are supportive of the Common Core Curriculum and Standards as well as Republicans and Democrats who are against Common Core. There are conservatives and progressives who defend Common Core and others who reject Common Core. In Florida, many members of the state legislature are supporting Common Core in part because they are followers and supporters of former Governor Jeb Bush, who is a strong supporter of Common Core.
Jeb Bush is out of step with the National Republican Party and on the wrong side of history. He is also in conflict with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, who is opposed to Common Core. Jeb Bush is defending President Barack Obama takeover of the educational system in our country in violation of the Constitution. This writer believes that this will hurt Bush deeply, if he were to seek the Republican Party nomination asĀ candidate for president in 2016.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) recently passed a resolution opposing Common Core. The RNC resolution states, in part, the following:
Resolved, the Republican National Committee recognizes the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for what it is an inappropriate overreach to standardize and control the education of our children so they will conform to a preconceived “normal,” and, be it further
Resolved, that the Republican National Committee rejects the collection of personal student data for any non-educational purposes without the prior written consent of an adult student or a child studentĀ“s parent and that it rejects the sharing of such personal data, without the prior written consent of an adult student or a child studentĀ“s parent, with any person or entity other than schools of education agencies within the state…
A multitude of Stop Common Core organizations have been created in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, and many other states as people in our nation are waking up to the danger of the Common Core implementation of this misguided, illegal, and unconstitutional effort by the Obama administration to fundamentally change the Ā schools of America.
Kathleen McCrory wrote an article entitled “Common Core faces liberal opposition” which was published in The Miami Herald on August 25, 2013. The reporter explained that liberal and progressive activists are now joining with conservatives to stop Common Core. A group called the Badass Teachers Association (BAT), made up of 25,000 liberal and progressive teachers in the nation, is attacking Common Core using Twitter and the Internet and holding town hall meetings. The reporter wrote that Bonnie Cunard, a teacher who manages the Facebook page for the 1,200 Florida BATs, stated that “it is not just the Tea Party that is skeptical of the Common Core, we, on the left, like the folks on the right, are saying we want local control.”
McCrory explained that the BATs represent a “new way of liberal opposition to the Common Core Standards, which includes some union leaders, progressive activists, and democratic lawmakers.” She pointed out that these liberals are joining forces with Tea Party groups and libertarians, who want states, like Florida, to slow down efforts to adopt the new benchmarks and corresponding tests. However, the reporter is incorrect since Tea Party and conservative groups want to kill Common Core, not to slow it down. A multitude of Tea Party, conservative, and patriot organizations, including Bear Witness Central, the Miami Tea Party, Floridians Against Common Core Education, Florida Parents Against Common Core, and Florida Stop Common Core Coalition, are actively working to stop the implementation of Common Core in Florida.
The reporter wrote that Mark Naison, a professor at Fordham University in New York and a co-founder of the Badass Teachers Association, said “the liberal critique of Common Core is that this is a huge profit-making enterprise that costs school districts a tremendous amount of money, and pushes out the things kids love about school, like our music.” Andy Ford, president of the Florida Education Association, stated that “the sand is shifting for us on Common Core.”
Ford fears that teachers are not adequately prepared for the transition to the new standards, even though they will be evaluated and compensated on how well their students perform. Susan Smith, who heads the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida, is concerned with the testing that will accompany the new benchmarks. Democratic state Senator Dwight Bullard is asking for a review before Florida moves further ahead with the standards and the testing. Senator Bullard stated the following: “I get what the intention was with Common Core, but it got lost in the shuffle with all the other education reform policies. Now, you might as well scrap the whole idea.”
On August 24, 2013, the Florida Stop Common Core Coalition, which includes many organizations, held a conference at the New Testament Baptist Church in Miami, Florida. Six speakers spoke on the reasons why Common Core Curriculum and Standards need to be stopped. The speakers and their presentations were the following:
Dr. Karen Effrem- Psychological Manipulation and Standard Disparities
Emmot McGroarty- The Origins of Common Core Who Benefits
Zack Whitson- How Technology Will Help Us Fight Common Core
Thais Alvarez- Common Core and the Constitution
Professor Frank de Varona- The Dangers of Data Mining
Randy Osborne- The Christian Perspective and How You Can Make a Difference
The conference was well attended and participants came from different parts of Florida, such as Port St. Lucie, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Bradenton, Palm Beach, and other cities. The fight to stop Common Core in Florida and in other state is just beginning.
This writer believes that the real issue regarding Common Core is whether or not this nation wants to preserve liberty and freedom. The Obama administrationĀ“s real intention is to have the federal government illegally and unconstitutionally takeover the educational system in the country. Together with the Common CoreĀ“s perverse data mining, President Obama wants to fundamentally transform the public, private, and religious schools in our nation, as the president is trying to do the same in other areas. All freedom loving Americans throughout the country must stand together and opposed Common Core.
Ā
