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"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela

GOP’s ‘Christmas Miracle’ for President Obama

By Carole Hornsby Haynes, Ph.D. | January 11, 2016 Education Views

The American people have voted in massive numbers for Republican congressional candidates over the past several elections. Yet nothing has changed in Washington. GOP leadership and establishment Republicans once again betrayed their constituents as they voted to codify Obama’s radical education agenda into federal law.

Democrats lawmakers were stunned at the GOP betrayal with one even calling it a “miracle.” Obama touted the bill as a “Christmas miracle” as he signed it.

This miracle bill is the Every Student Succeeds Act that further federalizes education designed to dumb down American children in government schools.

Lawmakers and special interests are trying to deceive Americans about the true intent of ESSA. In an Education and Workforce Committee press release, U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) explained how they had saved the Union:

“We have reversed the trend toward a national school board, repealed the federal Common Core mandate, and enacted what the Wall Street Journal called ‘the largest devolution of federal control to states in a quarter century.’”

However, a Common Core mandate never existed!

Despite false claims by lawmakers to the contrary, the unconstitutional legislation embeds the Common Core Progressive philosophy.

During the House proceedings prior to the vote, Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, made the stunning statement that Common Core is being redefined as social-emotional learning, which must come first in the learning hierarchy -- with academics ranking second! READ MORE

This is confirmed at the official website of the White House that states the bill embraces the administration’s “principles for reform.” The website admits that ESSA “affirms” the path taken by the Administration to impose Common Core on the states, “The Obama Administration supported those efforts [nationalization of education through Common Core] through its Race to the Top grant program and the federal-state partnership established in its ESEA flexibility agreements.” It was this program that employed bribes and bullying to impose Common Core on states.

Defending their vote for ESSA, Republicans are publicly stating that the bill

  • prevents the federal government from forcing states to adopt Common Core,

  • prohibits the Secretary of Education from dictating national education policy,

  • ends the era of federally–mandated high-stakes testing, and

  • reduces the federal role in education, restores local control, and empowers parents.

This is a misrepresentation of the bill which, in fact, reauthorizes a broad array of programs that usurp even more control over education from communities and states.

States Forced to Adopt Standards Aligned to Common Core

States are required to “demonstrate” that they have adopted standards aligned to “college and career standards” – the alternate term used on the Common Core government website. That state plan must be coordinated with 11 different federal statutes which include these:

  • Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (connects K-12 to government controlled Soviet style workforce development),

  • Head Start Act (centralizes preschool standards), and

  • Education Sciences Reform Act (increases student data collection).

Because Common Core Standards are focused on minimal workforce-development and social-emotional learning rather than academic knowledge, state standards based on classical learning (traditional) philosophy will not coordinate with the requirements of the above statutes. Therefore, states will be forced to adopt Common Core Standards without the Secretary ever mandating it.

Feds to Control Test Content – Includes Psychosocial

The federal government has now taken control over test content which includes both academic and psychosocial questions. During testing, computers will collect personal information including student attitudes, behavior, and mindset.

States Must Align Standards to ESSA College Requirements

State standards must be aligned to the requirements of higher education and “career and technical education standards,” which are federally approved under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Since the bill does not define the level of higher education, the states will be forced to prepare all students only for a community college, not a four-year institution.

States Cannot Opt Out of ESSA

ESSA does not include the A-Plus Amendment which would have allowed states to opt out of ESSA.

Massive Wasteful Spending Continues

ESSA continues massive spending on dozens of ineffective programs.

Federal Testing with No Opt-Out

Federal testing continues with opting out strictly forbidden. Already the administration has issued stern warnings to some states about the loss of federal funding if students opt out. School officials will be forced to use heavy handed tactics to meet federal requirements and avoid loss of funding.

Federal Charter School Expansion

Title IV includes federal funding for charter schools, which would increase from $253 million in 2015 to $300 million by 2020. Federal charters must be aligned with Common Core and federal dictates. Though seen by some as the antidote to deplorable traditional public schools, the surge in charters has been deemed by analysts to be a threat to the viability of independent and private education not dominated and funded by government. With more federal money pouring into charters, this will facilitate the federal takeover of all public schools.

Expansion of Pre-K

The scope of ESSA is expanded with the codifying of a new $250 million federal preschool program. This move continues the growth in federal pre-K programs even as new evidence emerges about theharmful effects of government preschool programs.

Family Engagement Program

Title IV provides $10 million in federal funds for statewide Family Engagement in Education Program. The states must adopt their own plan or they can use the plan the USDOE is creating.

The draft policy statement (see pages 13-14) jointly issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education, states that family engagement is “the systematic inclusion of families as partners in children’s development, learning and wellness.” Engagement and decision opportunities are to be provided to parents. Home visits from program and school officials will be conducted for each child.

Through this program, the government is subordinating parents to a secondary role in the rearing of their children. Parents will become partners with the government in the rearing of their young. Government officials will be entering private homes to assess how parents are caring for their children and will be able to remove the child from the home at their discretion.

21st Century Community Learning Centers

Title IV authorizes $1.1 billion for 21st Community Learning Centers (with mental-health services) designed to replace family and church as the child’s center of life. This cradle-to-grave reform is modeled after the Soviet system. It includes longer school days and year-round programs, school-based mental health services and mental health data gathering. Services include home visitation services by teachers and nurses, early childhood education, primary health and dental care, mental health counseling services, nutrition services, parenting education activities, and child care services.

The bill mandates programs to “improve” student “health” and “well-being,” with the government now involved in the family and every aspect of the child's life.    

Private schools to be regulated (See pages 186, 833-840)

ESSA now controls private schools. It mandates on page 186 that, “Educational services and other benefits for such private school children shall be equitable in comparison to services and other benefits for public school children.”

The section beginning on page 833 outlines regulations imposed when federal funds are “allocated to a local education agency for educational services and other benefits to eligible private school students.” It should be noted that it is through federal student loans that colleges have become entangled in federal regulations.

In-school mental health clinics not covered by HIPPA privacy laws

Included in the bill is a broad expansion of school-based mental health services and the collection of mental health data.

There has been a deliberate effort to shift the focus of public education from academic knowledge to the changing of student values, beliefs, behavior, and attitudes. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, and Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, acknowledged that the ESSA bill supports the social and emotional learning agenda.

International mental health policies have been established to force citizens to change, adapt, and conform to the planned society. Students are being assessed to determine if they meet the new mental standards of the new world government.

Monitoring the progress of their mental health is crucial to the implementation of one-world government. Non-compliance is identified, reported, and remediated before it becomes entrenched.

Expansion of data driven computer adaptive testing

The bill requires that computer adaptive testing be employed in the classroom. CAT is a Skinnerian operant conditioning system designed to influence the student’s attitudes, behavior, and beliefs.

Expansion of data collection

The bill encourages the beginning of data collection at birth and continuing through post-secondary education. In public schools, the monitoring of student progress in non-cognitive attitudes, behavior, and mindset is accomplished through frequent testing. Non-academic data of student and family information far beyond standardized test scores is collected and stored in statewide longitudinal data systems, which are required by the federal government in all 50 states.

As analysts study the bill, there will undoubtedly be more negative surprises.

The indoctrination of children under this radical education agenda is so dangerous for our nation that the repeal of Common Core and the abolition of the USDOE is a mandate for the 2016 election.

Click here to see House votes – Click here to see Senate votes)

 

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