Common Core Education And More About Federal Government Control

[Ross]

Kansas House Education Committee
Votes to Repeal
Common Core

FEBRUARY 23, 2016 BY SHANE VANDER HART

Kansans Against Common Core sent out the following press release last Friday after their Common Core repeal bill passed out of the Kansas House Education Committee:

TOPEKA, Kan. (Feb. 19, 2016) – A step in the direction of upholding the U.S. Constitution and the Kansas Constitution was taken Wednesday. A step to uphold the state's purview over Education and uphold parent rights and responsibilities to educate their children was taken Wednesday.

A Kansas bill to cut off education related ties with the federal government including the withdrawal of the state from the Common Core standards passed out of the House Education Committee on Wednesday. This bill would nullify nationalized education in the state.

A combination of thirty representatives introduced House Bill 2676 (HB2676), the Local Control of Kansas Education Act, on Feb. 10th.

HB2676 is nearly identical to last year's bill, House Bill 2292 (HB2292), with only minor updates. HB2292 received a hearing and a vote in committee last year, but did not make it out of committee.

On Wednesday, a motion to reconsider HB2292 in committee was successful. This was followed up by a successful motion to substitute HB2676 into the bill, and finally a motion to pass Substitute for House Bill 2292 (Sub for HB2292). It was successfully passed out of committee, under Chair, Ron Highland. House members voting it out of committee were: Tony Barton, John Bradford, Rob Bruchman, Amanda Grosserode, Dennis Hedke, Becky Hutchins, Kevin Jones, Kasha Kelley, Charles Macheers, Peggy Mast, Marc Rhoades, and Jene Vickrey. Now it will move on to the full House for consideration.

The legislation declares "the state shall retain sole control over the development, establishment and revision of K-12 curriculum standards."

Additionally, the bill forbids any Kansas entity or official from ceding any authority over Kansas education to any entity not explicitly named in the Kansas Constitution. It then voids any past or future action taken to implement Common Core or other national education standards.

"Any actions taken by any education entity or any state official to adopt, implement or align programs, assessments, testing, surveys or any educational materials or activities to the common core state standards, the social, emotional and character development standards, the national curriculum standards for social studies, the national health education standards, the national sexuality education standards, core content and skills, K-12 or any other academic standards not in the public domain, free of any copyright, are void beginning July 1, 2017."

Local control of education is upheld. Parents' rights to direct the education of their child through locally controlled schools is upheld. Local schools and teachers will be responsive to parents rather than implementers of state and federal education dictates. The bill mandates that new academic standards shall be developed through a state process but also makes clear that any standards developed will be "model" standards with local school districts having the authority to maintain their own curriculum.

A first of its kind step was taken to explicitly ensure parents' and students' rights to protect their intellectual property. The bill upholds parents' control over their child's data in regard to its creation, collection, use, and privacy. A significant step was taken to protect students from intrusive data mining and collection, programs that are inherent with initiatives like Common Core.

As the House Education committee learned on Wednesday, the all-encompassing federal intrusion in education is being rejected across the country including in states like Washington and New York.

However, you can be sure that the Education Establishment, including the KNEA, KASB, State School Board, and State Department of Education, will do everything they can to maintain the status quo, resulting in "rebranded" versions of the same program.

You can be sure that people you elected, who said they were against the federal intrusion into education and would work to remove it, will staunchly claim their commitment to protect the state, but will act to water down or prevent passing this bill.

Some claim that a bill recently passed by Congress, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), places a great deal more control in the hands of states, local communities, parents, and educators including cutting the federal strings of Common Core. That could not be further from the truth. The ESSA actually requires states to comply with College and Career Ready Standards, which are Common Core. The bill does not remove the federal government from the business of education, as it requires the federal education secretary to approve each state's plans for education. In addition, state chief school officers continue to be held accountable for not reporting a 95% participation rate on student assessments. The ESSA also extends federal funding to states to review and improve their existing pre-K programs. We can fully expect, and have found, this extension of "assistance" to be laden with all the usual federal encroachments that accompany federal funding.

Federal involvement in education is about control, not education. The partnership between the federal departments of Labor and Education to further the development of fully functioning statewide birth-to-adulthood databases on citizens, and commonality of standards and testing across the country is reshaping the nation. It will result, as intended, in only people whose education they can control getting jobs, getting into college, and getting into the military. It's a tool of control, not a tool of education.

It is extremely important that this bill move forward without any amendments. Changes that affect the intent or effectiveness of the bill will be attempted. "Rebranded" do-nothing bills occur when all aspects of federal intrusion are not addressed and repealed.

HB2292 (formerly HB2676) does address and repeal all aspects of federal intrusion, including Common Core.

We believe parents are those best equipped to direct the upbringing and education of their children.

We believe teachers are best able to be responsive to parents and meet the education needs of children when they are not encumbered by federal and state mandates.

We believe individual teachers are degreed professionals who are capable of creating their own lesson plans and deciding how to teach.

Rejecting nationalized education standards is the first step toward bringing true academic choice, freedom, and protection of personal property. Passage of this legislation, without amendments, into law represents a positive step forward for the children, parental rights, and the constitution.

http://truthinamericaneducation.com/common-core-state-standards/kansas-house-education-committee-votes-to-repeal-common-core/

[Ross]

The Problem with 21st Century Learning

MARCH 2, 2016 BY SHANE VANDER HART

I was emailed a link to an article on Psychology Today which I admit I do not read very often. It was a guest post written by a teacher in British Columbia in Canada. While there are some differences between American and Canadian education both are driven by the 21st Century Learning agenda and adherence to a workforce development model.

First I wanted to highlight commentary by Dr. Veronica Dunckley who introduced the guest post:

High-stakes testing, obsessive data collection, and lofty promises of technology's potential to "revolutionize" education are contributing to ever-increasing amounts of school-based screen-time. The invasion is occuring with complete disregard for what it taking away from in terms of basic developmental needs, as well as for screentime's negative influence on nervous system health.Health and development risks aside, research suggests computer use in schools drags down test scores(link is external  athttp://www.bbc.com/news/business-34174796  )

Why collect copious amounts of data if the process of data collection itself negatively impacts student performance? Or the ability to acquire real-life skills? Not surprisingly, when education policies are ineffective and impractical but continue to move forward like a freight train, what's typically greasing the wheels is–you guessed it–money.

Read the rest of the story at:
http://truthinamericaneducation.com/privacy-issues-state-longitudinal-data-systems/the-problem-with-21st-century-learning/

[Ross]

Education & Family

Computers 'do not improve' pupil results, says OECD

By Sean Coughlan
Education correspondent

Investing heavily in school computers and classroom technology does not improve pupils' performance, says a global study from the OECD.
The think tank says frequent use of computers in schools is more likely to be associated with lower results.
The OECD's education director Andreas Schleicher says school technology had raised "too many false hopes".
Tom Bennett, the government's expert on pupil behaviour, said teachers had been "dazzled" by school computers.

Tara Ehrcke, who teaches math in British Columbia, wrote:

Not surprisingly, technology is almost always identified as a component of 21st Century Learning. But this isn't simply adding new technology to aid in the delivery of curriculum or to allow new teaching methods. It is not a matter of adding a few computer labs or replacing textbooks with eBooks.  In the 21st Century Learning model technology defines the learning methods. It is absolutely backwards – rather than pedagogy defining if and what technologies are used, instead, it is technology driving the choices for learning. As such, it is fundamentally different than the type of technology integration we've seen in the past. It is also, ironically, antithetical to a student-centred or personalized approach because the technology is driving decisions, not student needs.

The full article by Ehrcke can actually be found The full article by Ehrcke can actually be found here Psychology Today just highlighted an excerpt. Be sure to check it out..https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2013/02/osos110_21stCenturyLearning_0.pdf

Psychology Today just highlighted an excerpt. Be sure to check it out.

http://truthinamericaneducation.com/privacy-issues-state-longitudinal-data-systems/the-problem-with-21st-century-learning/

[Ross]

Investing heavily in school computers and classroom technology does not improve pupils' performance, says a global study from the OECD.

The think tank says frequent use of computers in schools is more likely to be associated
with lower results.

The OECD's education director Andreas Schleicher says school technology had raised
"too many false hopes".

Tom Bennett, the government's expert on pupil behaviour,
said teachers had been "dazzled"
by school computers.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34174796

[Ross]

Eventually the Truth Actually Surfaces !
The education and drop out problem lies with
the School Administration and Teaching!
Not with the poor students or the minority students!
Which is apparently an excuse for the Schools,
Teachers and Administrators to Cover their Failures !
We read and hear these excuses frequently!
Perhaps there is something here for our educators to
READ AND LEARN !

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Asian countries are taking extraordinary measures
to keep students from dropping out
and it's working

Marc Tucker, The Atlantic
17hours ago

South Korea.

Closing the achievement gap between the United States' disadvantaged students and the rest of our students has been the major focus of federal education policy since 1965, when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed.

Compared to the countries with more successful education systems in the world, how is the US doing? The answer is not very well.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development just released a very revealing report on low-performing students in the countries that participate in the Programme for International Student Assessment survey. In places like Hong Kong, Shanghai, South Korea, and Vietnam, fewer than 5 percent of 15-year-old students performed below the basic-proficiency level in reading, mathematics and science.

But, in the United States, 12 percent—half a million students—fell below the same level in all three subjects. The performance of the average student in the US falls below the OECD average for all 64 countries in its survey, and far below the average for the major industrial countries. The proportion of our students who score below the OECD basic score is also well above the average for the major industrial countries. Equally troubling, the proportion of our students who score in the upper ranges of the OECD spectrum is also well below the average.

Some argue that the US's lagging behind has nothing to do with our schools: The US has a much higher proportion of disadvantaged poor and minority students than higher-performing countries. But the data show that 37 countries outperform the US in the degree to which socioeconomic status predicts low achievement.

Both Vietnam and Latvia have far smaller percentages of low-performing students than the US If it is poverty that accounts for the US's high proportion of low-performing students, it is hard to explain how these two countries are doing better than the United States. Vietnam's average income, adjusted for purchasing power, stands at just one-tenth of the US average, Latvia's at less than one half.

The OECD also tracks the proportion of low-income and minority students who score at high levels on their assessment. This metric shows that the US has a smaller proportion of low-income high achievers than all but a few of the countries studied.

It turns out that a number of East Asian countries, which account for the majority of nations with high-average performance, also have the lowest percentage of low-performing students. Indeed, Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea all rank in the global top ten in terms of achievement as measured by OECD's PISA, and each of these jurisdictions has less than 10 percent of its students scoring at the lowest levels. That makes it clear that improving the performance of the low performers does not require a country to sacrifice the performance of the average or top performers.

East Asian countries, like Hong Kong, have the lowest percentage of low-performing students.

What are these countries doing to cope with this dynamic that we are not? The answer begins with the observation that, in the American system, as students start to fall behind, they find it harder and harder to comprehend what is going on in class and fall even farther behind as they go through the years. Their morale sinks, their embarrassment rises, they stop coming to school, and then they drop out.

The East Asian countries essentially deal with this downward spiral by stopping it before it gains momentum. They are able to do this because they start from a commitment to the idea that all students can and will meet high standards as they progress through the years. This is not a slogan. It is the basis of their policy and practice. The policy makers and educators in these countries whom the researchers in my organization have talked with seem to understand that if students are allowed to fall behind, failure will feed on itself.

In Singapore, students undergo a thorough literacy and mathematics assessmentwhen they enter first grade. Those whose diagnosis indicates they need extra help get it. They get more teachers and teachers who specialize in students who are behind. In other countries, these students not only get more teachers, but also the best teachers. The teachers understand that they are expected to do whatever is necessary to get students who start behind back up to speed as soon as possible. If that means coming into school earlier in the day, staying longer, or coming in on Saturday, then that is what they do.

Hong Kong has a special six-month program for immigrant children before they enter the regular schools and provides resources to schools that can be used for supplementary lessons, extracurricular activities, and to organize orientation sessions. In Shanghai, city schools are paired with rural schools serving low-income students. The city schools help the rural schools with curriculum, instructional strategies, and management systems.

The career ladder for principals and teachers is structured so that city teachers and school administrators cannot climb the ladder without providing this kind of help to schools serving large numbers of disadvantaged students. Japan subsidizes voluntary activities undertaken by university students to help families that need it, assisting low-performing students with their homework, tutoring them, and helping parents interact with the school system.

Ability grouping is largely avoided in the top-performing countries, and, if utilized, is for the minimum time necessary. Schools with high concentrations of low-performers get more teachers and are often asked to partner with high-performing schools.

The teachers in schools with high concentrations of low-income students make the same amount of money as teachers in schools serving students in wealthy communities, unlike the United States, where they typically make less. Teachers as a whole are also more likely to make more money relative to the high status professions than is the case in the United States.

But the expectation and insistence that all students will meet high standards is the single most important explanation of the success of these Asian countries with students of every description, including disadvantaged students. But it is realistic only in countries in which the progression of topics as a student goes through school is fully specified and agreed on through the whole state or country. In countries like the US, where there is often no such agreement at the state level, students may enter a classroom having widely different knowledge in any given topic.

A teacher who, in general, gears her lessons to the average student will necessarily leave students who have never studied the topic behind. In places that spell out clearly what topics are supposed to be studied in what order as the student moves from one year to the next, the teacher knows which topics have been studied by all the students and can count on all the students having mastered those topics. This does not require the state to mandate a full curriculum. Teachers are still expected to develop their lesson plans. But all teachers are expected to get their students through the same topics at about the same point in their development.

If the key advantage enjoyed by disadvantaged students in these Asian countries is the conviction that all students can perform at high levels, then the main obstacle faced by disadvantaged students in the United States is the high degree to which different expectations for students from different educational backgrounds are embedded in our culture. Larger and larger shares of our future workforce are coming from students whose background would predict low academic performance.

If we continue to expect little from them, we can confidently expect to get little. The experience of the East Asian countries shows what can happen if policy is based on the assumption that all children can learn at high levels. And it shows, in detail, how policy has to change to make that possible. The high proportion of low performers in the United States is not a function of poverty. It is a function of our inability to act as if we actually believed the slogan we have long embraced in theory but not in practice: the idea that all children can learn.

http://www.businessinsider.com/asian-countries-prevent-students-from-dropping-out-2016-3?nr_email_referer=1&utm_content=BISelect&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_campaign=BI%20Select%20Weekend%202016-03-06&utm_term=Business%20Insider%20Select

[redcliffsw]

Government schools are not about education, they're for indoctrination of the next generation.

You have two (2) of 'em right there in Elk County.

[Ross]

TRUTH IN AMERICAN EDUCATION
FIGHTING TO STOP THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS,
THEIR ASSESSMENTS AND STUDENT DATA MINING.

Data Privacy & Opt-Out Bills Before Arizona Senate

MARCH 10, 2016 BY SHANE VANDER HART LEAVE A COMMENT

Data Privacy & Opt-Out Bills Before Arizona Senate
The Arizona Senate will consider bills that relate to protecting student privacy and a parent's right to opt their students out of assessments.

FILED UNDER: EDUCATION AT STATE LEVEL
TAGGED WITH: 2016 BILLS, ARIZONA SENATE, ASSESSMENT OPT-OUT, HB 2010, HB 2088, PARENTAL OPT OUT, SB 1455, STUDENT DATA PRIVACY
No Surprise, West Virginia Senate to Consider Weaker Common Core Bill

MARCH 9, 2016 BY SHANE VANDER HART LEAVE A COMMENT

No Surprise, West Virginia Senate to Consider Weaker Common Core Bill
The West Virginia Senate Education Committee passed a watered down version of the House Common Core delegate.

FILED UNDER: COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS
TAGGED WITH: 2016 BILLS, COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS, NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS, WEST VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA HOUSE, WEST VIRGINIA SENATE
Common Core Repeal Bill Heard in Massachusetts Legislature

MARCH 8, 2016 BY SHANE VANDER HART LEAVE A COMMENT

Common Core Repeal Bill Heard in Massachusetts Legislature
The Massachusetts Legislature's Joint Committee on Education consider a bill, if passed, would rescind the Common Core State Standards.

FILED UNDER: COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS, EDUCATION AT STATE LEVEL
TAGGED WITH: 2016 BILLS, COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS, H.3929, MASSACHUSETTS, MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE
What Can a President Do to Address Common Core?

MARCH 7, 2016 BY SHANE VANDER HART 1 COMMENT

What Can a President Do to Address Common Core?
Shane Vander Hart provides eight action steps a presidential candidate can do to address the involvement of the federal government in education.

FILED UNDER: COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS, FEDERALIZED EDUCATION
TAGGED WITH: COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS, ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT, EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT, PRESIDENTIAL POWER, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Virginia Gov. McAuliffe Keeps Common Core Door Open

MARCH 3, 2016 BY SHANE VANDER HART LEAVE A COMMENT

Virginia Gov. McAuliffe Keeps Common Core Door Open
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe may say he doesn't want Common Core, but it is apparently clear he wants power in the hands of an unelected board.

FILED UNDER: COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS, EDUCATION AT STATE LEVEL
TAGGED WITH: 2016 BILLS, COMMON CORE, TERRY MCAULIFFE, VIRGINIA, VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES, VIRGINIA SENATE, VIRGINIA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Stop Common Core Warrior, Heidi Huber, Running for Ohio House

MARCH 2, 2016 BY SHANE VANDER HART 1 COMMENT

Stop Common Core Warrior, Heidi Huber, Running for Ohio House
Heidi Huber, a conservative activist and leader in the fight to stop Common Core, is running against State Rep. Tom Brinkman in Ohio House District 27.

FILED UNDER: CANDIDATES ON EDUCATION, EDUCATION AT STATE LEVEL
TAGGED WITH: COMMON CORE, COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS, HEIDI HUBER, OHIO HOUSE DISTRICT 27, OHIO REPUBLICAN PRIMARY, TOM BRINKMAN
The Problem with 21st Century Learning

MARCH 2, 2016 BY SHANE VANDER HART LEAVE A COMMENT

The Problem with 21st Century Learning
High-stakes testing, obsessive data collection, and lofty promises of technology's potential to "revolutionize" education are contributing to ever-increasing amounts of school-based screen-time.

FILED UNDER: PRIVACY/SLDS
TAGGED WITH: 21ST CENTURY LEARNING, PSYCHOLOGY TODAY, TARA EHRCKE, VERONICA DUNCKLEY
A Common Core Bill Passes West Virginia House

MARCH 1, 2016 BY SHANE VANDER HART LEAVE A COMMENT

A Common Core Bill Passes West Virginia House
The West Virginia House of Delegates passed HB 4014, a bill that would review and revise Common Core, on Friday by a 73 to 20 vote margin.

FILED UNDER: COMMON CORE ASSESSMENTS, COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS, EDUCATION AT STATE LEVEL
TAGGED WITH: 2016 BILLS, COMMON CORE REVIEW, COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS, HB 4014, SMARTER BALANCED, WEST VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA HOUSE, WEST VIRGINIA SENATE
Michigan Legislators Launch Bipartisan Effort to Repeal Common Core

FEBRUARY 25, 2016 BY TRUTHINAMED 1 COMMENT

Michigan Legislators Launch Bipartisan Effort to Repeal Common Core
Rep. Gary Glenn, R-Midland, will be joined next week by a bipartisan group of lawmakers in introducing legislation to repeal Common Core in Michigan.

FILED UNDER: COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS, EDUCATION AT STATE LEVEL
TAGGED WITH: 2016 BILLS, BRUCE RENDON, COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS, DAN LAUWERS, GARY GLENN, HARVEY SANTANA, JASON SHEPPARD, JIM RUNESTAD, JIM TEDDER, JOEL JOHNSON, KEN GOIKE, LANA THEIS, LEE CHATFIELD, MARTIN HOWRYLAK, MICHIGAN, MICHIGAN HOUSE, MICHIGAN SENATE, PAT SOMERVILLE, PATRICK COLBECK, PETER LUCIDO, PHIL POTVIN, PRESS RELEASES, ROBERT KOSOWSKI, THOMAS HOOKER, TRISTON COLE
Lamar Alexander's Past Discernment on Secretary of Education Nominees

FEBRUARY 25, 2016 BY SHANE VANDER HART 1 COMMENT

Lamar Alexander's Past Discernment on Secretary of Education Nominees
With U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander's past with the Secretary of Education nominees, John B. King should expect a love fest, not a tough confirmation process.

FILED UNDER: FEDERALIZED EDUCATION
TAGGED WITH: ARNE DUNCAN, JOHN B, LAMAR ALEXANDER, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION

There are pages galore involved with this topic at:  http://truthinamericaneducation.com/

I will post one more statement in the next post for Kansas citizens.

[Ross]

TRUTH IN AMERICAN
EDUCATION

[/glow]

FIGHTING TO STOP THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS, THEIR
ASSESSMENTS AND STUDENT DATA MINING

.

Kansas House Education Committee Votes to
Repeal Common Core

FEBRUARY 23, 2016 BY SHANE VANDER HART

The Kansas House Education Committee passed out
of committee the Local Control of Kansas Education Act,
a bill that would repeal Common Core in Kansas.

The second report at:   http://truthinamericaneducation.com/page/2/

[Ross]

-------Original Message-------

From: Kansas Campaign for Liberty
Date: 3/11/2016 10:45:54 AM
To: ross_lw@XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Subject: Outrageous Claims

Dear Lloyd,

You won't believe the latest claims from the education establishment in Kansas.

Here's a direct quote from USD 259 School Board President, Betty Arnold:

"We couldn't even teach basic math if Common Core was eliminated."

They want you to believe Kansas didn't have math before Common Core.

It seems there really is nothing the education establishment won't do or say to protect the status quo.

The good news is their willingness to make such outrageous statements means your hard work is making a difference.

The bad news is, yesterday our Common Core Repeal bill (H.B. 2292) was removed from the House floor and sent back to the House Education Committee.

Our opponents are trying to destroy, warp, and weaken our bill.

That's why it's extremely important you contact your state representative right now.

Demand they support H.B. 2292 as is and insist they fight for a recorded vote on the House floor.

You can find contact information for your state representative here. http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2015_16/chamber/house/roster/

If you are not sure who your state representative is, you can find that information here.    http://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/

Additionally, be sure to read John's email below about the shenanigans coming from the education establishment and how your involvement can stop them.

With your help, we can fight back against the nonsense from the education establishment and expel Common Core from Kansas schools forever!

In Liberty,

Blake Branson
Deputy State Coordinator
Kansas Campaign for Liberty


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


Campaign for Liberty

Dear Lloyd,

We've told you in previous emails about the lengths opponents of H.B. 2292 will go to in order to keep Common Core in Kansas.

Now Randy Watson has decided to join in on the shenanigans. And your legislators are falling for it!

You see, several members of the Kansas House have reported that Mr. Watson -- the highly paid Kansas Commissioner of Education -- has been spreading false information to Kansas legislators.

He's saying Common Core is gone from Kansas classrooms.

In reality, Common Core standards remain in Kansas classrooms, under the name of "College and Career Ready," and other aligned standards and curricula.

In addition, assessments used in Kansas today are all aligned with Common Core!

Randy Watson knows if our legislators know the truth, they will be much more likely to insist on passing H.B. 2292 to fully repeal Common Core!

The simple truth is many programs, curricula, and standards are aligned with Common Core, including College and Career Ready and AP courses, to name only two.

Until your Kansas legislature passes H.B. 2292, Kansas schools will continue to use these and other Common Core aligned standards, assessments, and curricula.

That's why it's so important you contact your state representative immediately.

Tell them to stop believing Randy Watson's deceptive claims about Common Core and to support and vote YES on H.B. 2292.

If you are not sure who your state representative is, you can find that information here.

Also, please contact the following house leaders and demand H.B. 2292 receive a recorded vote on the house floor!

Speaker Ray Merrick
785-296-2302
ray.merrick@house.ks.gov

Education Committee Chair Ron Highland
785-296-7310
ron.highland@house.gov

Speaker Pro Tem Peggy Mast
785-291-3500
peggy.mast@house.ks.gov

Majority Whip Willie Dove
785 296-7677
willie.dove@house.ks.gov

Majority Leader Jene Vickrey
785-296-7662
jene.vickrey@house.ks.gov

Assistant Majority Leader Mario Goico
785 296-7663
mario.goico@house.ks.gov

It should be no surprise that you and I would see this kind of nonsense from the education establishment.

After all, we saw the same shenanigans from them last year, as well as from legislators that wanted to appear supportive of Common Core repeal. . .

. . . but instead, they worked to discredit our bill.

We expected opponents to our bill would use the same tricks and schemes on the House floor they tried last year in the House Education Committee, including:

>>> Lying about our bill costing taxpayers, when it will actually save money;
>>> Lying about the contents of our bill;
>>> Lying about the constitutionality of our bill;
>>> Proposing large, last minute amendments to gut our bill;
>>> And even proposing last minute amendments to replace our entire bill.

But we had no idea that Randy Watson would be willing to publicly state something so blatantly false, repeatedly insisting that Common Core is no longer in Kansas schools!

And your legislators are falling for it!

This only confirms your hard work is making a difference.

You see, attacks against H.B. 2292 by the education lobby are a testimony to the fact that this bill would completely expel Common Core from Kansas schools.

The education lobby knows they must defeat this bill to preserve their power!

That means the closer you and I get to repealing Common Core, the more shenanigans we can expect.

So your hard work cannot stop here; you must remain vigilant.

If you stop now, Speaker Merrick might choose to ignore H.B. 2292 and never give Common Core repeal a recorded vote on the house floor.

If you stop now, Kansas legislators might continue to believe Randy Watson's false claims.

That's why it is so important you take action immediately!

So contact your state representative right now. Tell them to stop believing Randy Watson's deceptive claims about Common Core and to support and vote YES on H.B. 2292.

You can find contact information for your state representative here.

If you are not sure who your state representative is, you can find that information here.

Also, please contact the house leaders listed above and demand H.B. 2292 receive a recorded vote on the house floor!

Repealing Common Core is now more important than ever!

With the passage of the federal "Every Student Succeeds Act" (ESSA) last fall, Randy Watson and many others want us to believe Common Core has been eliminated by the federal government.

That could not be further from the truth!

Unfortunately, ESSA keeps the College and Career Ready standards, which are essentially Common Core.

Worse, ESSA forces states to comply with these standards to receive money from the federal government!

If Kansas complies with ESSA, the feds will control the standards and assessments in Kansas schools, possibly forever.

The feds only contribute about 8% of total Kansas spending on education, but they want to control 100% of the standards and outcomes.

The good news is H.B. 2292 will fully repeal Common Core, including College and Career Ready and other related standards and curricula.

The other good news is the original 2016 bill lists 30 cosponsors in the Kansas House.

But we could lose this opportunity if Kansas legislators continue to fall for Randy Watson's shenanigans!

That's why it's so important you contact your state representative immediately.

Tell them to stop believing Randy Watson's deceptive claims about Common Core and to support and vote YES on H.B. 2292.

Also, please contact the following house leaders and demand H.B. 2292 receive a recorded vote on the house floor!

Speaker Ray Merrick
785-296-2302
ray.merrick@house.ks.gov

Education Committee Chair Ron Highland
785-296-7310
ron.highland@house.gov

Speaker Pro Tem Peggy Mast
785-291-3500
peggy.mast@house.ks.gov

Majority Whip Willie Dove
785 296-7677
willie.dove@house.ks.gov

Majority Leader Jene Vickrey
785-296-7662
jene.vickrey@house.ks.gov

Assistant Majority Leader Mario Goico
785 296-7663
mario.goico@house.ks.gov

Last year, you and I forced a hearing on Common Core repeal in the House Education Committee, but the debate and vote were fraught with shenanigans!

This year, thanks to grassroots efforts, our bill has already passed out of the House Education Committee!

But you can expect opponents of our bill are planning to use the same tricks and schemes on the house floor they tried last year in committee!

And you can expect Randy Watson will continue to spread false information to legislators in Topeka.

Sources are already telling us that some folks -- who claim to be against Common Core -- are saying our bill will cost astronomical sums. . .

. . . when our bill will actually save $9 million every year on superfluous and time-wasting assessments required by Common Core!

The opposition is also playing games and spreading misinformation about the non-existent 2017 Kansas standards.

They are falsely claiming the 2017 standards would ban AP and IB courses, but these standards are well over a year from even being prepared!

You can see the despair of the education establishment in their games and shenanigans!

We will face down every one of these tricks, traps, and schemes. Truth can prevail.

This year -- with your help -- we will get a roll call vote on the house floor.

With your help, we can pass a clean bill that is not watered down or destroyed by bad amendments.

You can help pave the way for a victory against Common Core. . . forever.

But this is a slow process, and winning takes hard work.

So contact your state representative right now. Tell them to stop believing Randy Watson's deceptive claims about Common Core and to support and vote YES on H.B. 2292.

Also, please contact the house leaders listed above and demand H.B. 2292 receive a recorded vote on the house floor!

With your help we can expel Common Core from Kansas schools permanently!

In Liberty,

John Axtell
Kansas Coordinator
Campaign for Liberty

P.S. Thanks to the hard work of grassroots activists across the state our bill to fully expel Common Core from Kansas schools has been passed out of the Kansas House Education Committee!

Call your legislator and house leadership immediately and tell them to stop believing Randy Watson's false claims and insist that they support H.B. 2292 with a recorded vote on the house floor!

P.P.S. Thank you for your continued support in the fight for liberty. Please chip in today to help Campaign for Liberty reclaim the Republic and restore the Constitution.

[Ross]

I have several post this morning that may be of interest to some of you.

I'm starting with links for Kansas Data Banks that can provide considerable information.

DATABANK
This databank provides access to hundreds of reports showing how your tax dollars are spent:
http://www.kansasopengov.org/kog/databank#report_id=36



DATABANK
This databank provides access to hundreds of reports showing how your tax dollars are spent:
http://www.kansasopengov.org/kog/databank#report_id=38&county=Johnson