This is the way that the Common Core Standards and Race to the Top work.  [The arrows mean “lead to.”]
 
National standards  →  national assessments  →  national curriculum → teachers’ salaries tied to students’ test scores  →  teachers teaching to the test each and every day  →  national indoctrination of our public school children  →  national database of students and teachers
 
Donna Garner
Wgarner1@hot.rr.com
 
================================
 
http://www.educationnews.org/ed_reports/edu_assoc_articles/155783.html
 
Association of American Educators Signs on in Opposition to National Curriculum
May 9, 2011 12:49 pm
 
Excerpts from this article:
The Association of American Educators has joined a coalition of other influential groups and individuals from across the political and education spectrum in opposition to a nationalized curriculum.
In conjunction with opposing a national curriculum, AAE also opposes the ongoing effort by the U.S. Department of Education to have two federally-funded testing consortia develop national curriculum guidelines, national curriculum models, national instructional materials, and national assessments using Common Core’s national standards as a basis for these efforts.
…AAE does not agree that a one-size-fits-all, centrally-controlled curriculum makes sense for this country or for any other sizable country with regional identities
…AAE and this coalition are deeply committed to improving this country’s schools and as such, cannot support this effort to undermine local and state control of public school curriculum in favor of an inside-the-Beltway bureaucracy.
Furthermore, transferring this kind of power to the federal government will only further subject our students to political whims….Centralized control in the U.S. Department of Education would upset the system of checks and balances between different levels of government, creating greater opportunities for special interests to use their national political leverage to distort critical education policy. Our current decentralized fifty-state system provides some limitations on special-interest power, ensuring that wrongheaded reforms don’t harm children in every state, and that local systems can teach curriculum meaningful to their region.
AAE’s positions on national standards reflect those of our members. Only 31% of our surveyed membership believes that the federal government should mandate curriculum standards, while 64% supported the states making the final determination about the standards. Teachers in the field recognize that students in addition to being held to a high academic standard, ought to be given the opportunity to learn from state-based curriculums designed with the goals of their state in mind.
It is our hope that in signing on in opposition to a nationalized curriculum the voices of our members will be heard. American children deserve a robust curriculum that prepares them for a demanding world that is free from centralized special interests.
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ARTICLES ON COMMON CORE STANDARDS/RACE TO THE TOP
[If you should click on a link and find the article difficult to read as posted, please write to me at wgarner1@hot.rr.com ; and I will be glad to e-mail you the original article. -- Donna Garner]
5.9.11 — “Why One Curriculum Is Bad for America” — by 100+ signatories –
http://blog.ctnews.com/kantrowitz/2011/05/09/why-one-national-curriculum-is-bad-for-america/
 
4.18.11 — “Child Abuse by the Federal Government — How and Who?” — by Donna Garner –
http://www.educationnews.org/political/society/154330.html
 
4.12.11 — “The Other Shoe Drops: National Testmakers Worried” — by Donna Garner –  http://www.educationnews.org/ednews_today/153790.html
 
4.9.11 — “Congressmen: A Great Place To Cut Funding — National Assessments” — by Donna Garner –
http://www.educationnews.org/political/153529.html
 
 
 
4.6.11 — “Standards Overreach, or According to Plan?” — by Neal McCluskey –
http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/standards-overreach-or-according-to-plan/
 
 
 
3.24.11 — “Obama’s Carrot and Stick Control of Our Nation’s Public Schools” –  http://www.educationnews.org/commentaries/152238.html
 
 
3.20.11 — “Our Hope Rests with Congressman Kline” –
http://www.educationnews.org/commentaries/151843.html
 
3.18.11 — “Taxpayers, Grab Your Wallets” – 
 
http://alicelinahan.net/2011/05/11/%E2%80%9Ctaxpayers-grab-your-wallets%E2%80%9D/
 
 
3.18.11 — “The Further Dumbing Down of America: Marc Tucker, GED” –
http://www.educationnews.org/headlines/151603.html
 
 
 
2.24.11 — “The Race to the Top Scheme” — by Henry W. Burke and Donna Garner –
 
http://www.educationnews.org/ednews_today/108436.html
 
 
 2.14.11 — “Let’s Get off the National Standards Train” –  by Henry W. Burke and Donna Garner –
 
http://alicelinahan.net/2011/05/11/lets-get-off-the-national-standards-train-2/
 
 
8.5.10 — “The Ascent of America’s Choice and the Continuing Descent of America’s High Schools” — by Dr. Sandra Stotsky –  http://jaypgreene.com/2010/07/29/stotsky-on-the-common-core-vote-in-ma/
 
 
7.10 – “Common Core Standards Still Don’t Make the Grade” — a Pioneer Institute White Paper –
http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/pdf/common_core_standards.pdf
 
 
12.10.10 — “Obama’s National Data Base Is Upon Us” –
http://www.educationnews.org/index.php?news=104319
 
 
10.23.10 — “What Is the Centers for Disease Control?” –   http://www.educationnews.org/breaking_news/health/101841.html
 
 
10.26.10 — “Bullying Agenda” – 
 http://www.educationnews.org/index.php?news=101979
 
11.7.10 — “Open Letter to Parents, Legislators, School Personnel: Which Policy Are You Going To Promote?” – 
http://www.educationnews.org/blogs/102489.html
 
9.16.10 — “Am I a Wacko Now? –
http://www.educationnews.org/index.php?news=100137
 
 
7.28.10 — “Where Have All the Caring Parents Gone? –
http://www.educationnews.org/commentaries/insights_on_education/96839.html
 
 4.19.10 — “Marc Tucker’s Bologna” –
http://www.educationnews.org/commentaries/89899.html
 
 
 
3.4.10 — “Obama’s Doublespeak” – 
 
http://ramparts360.wordpress.com/obama%E2%80%99s-doublespeak/
 
 
1.29.10 — “Cradle-to-Career Plan by Obama and Duncan” – 
http://www.educationnews.org/ednews_today/39076.html
 
 
 
1.13.10 — “Texas Tells Feds ‘Enough Is Enough’” – 
 
http://www.educationnews.org/ednews_today/29200.html
 
 
12.12.09 — “Children and the Future of Our Country” –
http://www.educationnews.org/blogs/7704.html