…http://CPNLive.com at 7:00pm est. Neil McCluskey, author of Feds in the Classroom: How Big Government Corrupts, Cripples, and Compromises American Education, and Adam Schaeffer, author of They Spend WHAT? The Real Cost of Public Schools.

I encourage you to tune in at 7pm est and see how dire this situation is and why I have been ranting on and on about the Obama Administration’s machinations of nationalizing our public education system. You can watch, chat and call in with your .02.

Oh yeah,and invite your governors to watch with you.

The audacity of arrogance on parade! Since, the states and communities can’t do it, BHO can! The Administration insists you raise the bar on your education standards or lose funding; translation- adopt our superior national curriculum standards or no soup cash for you!

From an article on MSN:

Obama wants to expand the federal government’s role in education, which traditionally is a state and local responsibility. His approach has been to use the federal purse as leverage to encourage states to adopt his ideas.Many schools count on a key source of federal aid, known as Title I, to help disadvantaged students — $14.5 billion this budget year. Under Obama’s proposal, to qualify for that money, states would have to adopt and certify that they have “college- and career-ready standards in reading and mathematics.” The deadline for setting the new standards is 2014.

Obama wants to encourage states to enact education standards that the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State Schools Officers are developing. All states but Alaska and Texas have endorsed the effort; Kentucky adopted the standards earlier this month.

there’s more:

The Obama administration wants to see a uniform set of standards in schools nationwide, in hopes that it will make the U.S. more competitive internationally. Many other countries operate under a single set of standards.

National curriculum standards is the wrong direction for ed reform, however, plans are full throttle ahead. We must insist that our governors are not bribed or strong-armed into this heinous, losing scheme. Once the feds own our schools, we will never get them back.

The greatness of the national standard curriculum is utterly irrelevant. Students are not uniform in their abilities and cannot be expected to fit into some national or international mold. Not only will this one-size-fits all fail our students but it will kill innovation in curriculum development. Only a free-market creates the necessary competitive environment that facilitates progress.

I made the point in an earlier post that private schooled students consistently far outscore their public school peers. Now, we have homeschooled students outscoring the private schooled kids. Why is this? Simple: individuality. Homeschooled students are the freest learners. The homeschool curriculum market is vast and varied.

Public school students deserve the same benefits of private and homeschooled kids. We can realize this for them through universal school choice. The free market can see that their individual educational needs are met at half the cost.

We must insist education reform pursues what works, for the sake of our children.

Related articles by Zemanta

• New National Math, English Standards Drafted (usnews.com)
• Guidelines for U.S. Classrooms: States Closer to National Education Standards (abcnews.go.com)

Originally ran in the Chicago Tribune.

Public education is a fundamental and vital substructure of American society. It has often been the staging area for equality and civil rights. The attempts to bring a more egalitarian model for public education have been valiantly implemented since Brown vs. Board of Education. Despite these great efforts public education in America continues to receive a failing grade.

We must work to see that the federal and state funds for education from taxpayers are producing greater results for parents and students. Educational equality will only be realized when families of all income brackets have the freedom to choose from a diverse selection of educational programs that best suits the needs of their children.

Public schools are suffering from poor test scores, high drop-out rates, violence, and a plethora of social ills. Our government has attempted reforms and greater funding all of which have not produced the desired results.

It is time to break up the government monopoly on education and implement universal school vouchers. Universal school vouchers would finally bring about equitable educational opportunities for Americans regardless of family income.

Studies show that private schools produce greater student outcomes than do government ran public schools. Parents and students in private school settings show the greatest margin of satisfaction in teacher performance, school safety, academic standards, school discipline, parental involvement and administration. Public school students and their parents tend to be less satisfied on these same issues.

Parents in public schools are reported as desiring smaller class sizes, improved safety, better curriculum and higher academic standards. Despite, increases in federal funding, surpassing most private school per student costs, government schools are still unable to deliver consumer satisfaction.

In 1989, 530 random public school families and 250 random private school families from Dayton, Ohio and Washington D. C. received scholarships from the Parents Advancing Choice in Education program (PACE). The students and parents were polled about their educational satisfaction.

The Student Poll:

The Parent Poll:

(Read more after  the leap)

Tony Bennett is disappointed in Arne Duncan’s rejection of the Indiana Race to the Top application. Others are surprised that New York and Kentucky made the first cut. What does New York and Kentucky have that Indiana doesn’t have? An aversion to charter schools.

Hold up! I thought lifting caps on charter schools was a deal breaker for RttT?!  Maybe not. Kentucky has zero charter schools. New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and North Carolina (all finalists) have restrictive caps on charter schools.

Was Mr. Duncan ever really serious about charter schools? What is Arne serious about? Is it a federal infusion or will it be federal intrusion? Here are the four required significant areas of reform:

1. States expected to adopt common, internationally-benchmarked K-12 standards and assessments that truly prepare students for college and careers.
2. Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals;
3. Building data systems that measure student success and inform teachers and principals how they can improve their practices;
4. Turning around our lowest-performing schools

Note #1, common, internationally benchmarked K-12 standards and assessments. Is that what it sounds like? Yes. And that, Mr. Bennett is why you are NOT a winner in Duncan’s grade book. One can only speculate where the charter school rhetoric was coming from. Perhaps, it was a way to get conservatives onboard.

(Read more after the leap)

Here is the summary of the most important and productive points we need to take away from yesterday’s Health Scare Care Summit:

Evan’s out!

The decision ends one of the brightest political careers by Indiana Democrat, at least for now.

IndyStar.com article

Note: “FOR NOW”! It seems bowing out “for now” is the only way a Democrat can save their political tuchas.

…they managed to get one right, this time.

Louisiana high school student, Brandon Frost, wore his Colts jersey to school on “jersey day”. Frost is from Indiana and proudly sported Addai’s moniker across his shoulders. Once, the fascist school principal, Steve Vampran beheld the shiny blue in a sea of black and gold it was all over for Mr. Frost.

“He said, ‘I don’t recall telling you that you could wear a Colts jersey,” Frost said. Frost said he tried to protest and pointed out he was just showing support for a team in the same manner at his classmates.

But, according to Frost, Vampran replied: “If you like Indiana so much, why don’t you go back?”

Brandon was sent home. Colts not welcome in Louisiana schools.

Now, the ACLU, to the rescue:

“The law is clear that students do not shed their rights to freedom of speech at the schoolhouse gates. Whether or not you approve of a student supporting the Indianapolis Colts, if a school opens itself up for students to wear shirts in support of one team, it must recognize the right of other students to support the opposing team,” Esman wrote.

Marjorie Esman, state ACLU director, has demanded that Frost’s record be cleared of any disciplinary entries from this incident.

(Read more after the leap)

Our leader can’t compete with the real Messiah and had to cut out before the actual prayer. Another FAIL, President Obama.

Reports indicate Obama left shortly before Tebow’s prayer — and the video of his prayer shows Tebow not mentioning Obama.

via LifeNews.com

Tim Tebow is a wonderful role model for America’s youth. Did the government schools create this fantastic bulwark of character? That would be, NO. He was homeschooled through 12th grade.

Dear Jesus, thank you for this daytoday. Thank you for bringing together so many people that have a platform to influence people for you.

Lord as we disperse today, let us be united in love, hope, and peace. Lord, let us come together as one and break down all the barriers in between us that separate us. Lord you came to seek and save that which is lost, and we thank you for that. Lord we don’t know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future, and in that there is peace, and in that there comfort, and in that there is hope.

Lord we pray for the people all over the world that are hurting right now.

The verse that comes to mind is James 1: 2-4, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, whenever you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing.”

And we pray for the people in Haiti right now Lord, that you make them perfect and complete because you love them and have a plan for their lives, just as you do with our lives now.
So my prayer, as we leave today, that we are united as one because of you. We love you and thank you. In Jesus name, amen.

I have become a big fan of Mr. Tebow. Below is a segment from CPNLive.com with special guest Jedediah Bila. We discuss Tim Tebow, his Super Bowl ad, and the batty neo-feminists.

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Blip.tv video.

cross-posted at KristeeKelley.com

Governors, Mitch Daniels and Bobby Jindal are gambling with the dignity of their beloved states. When the Colts defeat the Saints in the Super Bowl this Sunday, the Louisiana Governor will fly the Colts flag in humiliation over the Pelican State. If, the Colts lose…well, not to worry.

Clearly, Jindal is glutton for punishment. I have a great deal of respect for Governor Jindal and we can only hope this giant of conservatism will recover politically after bringing shame upon his beleaguered state. Such a folly could haunt his career for years.

We can trust these men to live up to their end of the bargain…however, Democrat Governor of Maryland, Martin O’Malley disgraced the Old Line State when he reneged on a similar bet he lost with My Man Mitch over the Colts-Ravens playoff game. Did I mention he was a Democrat?

Go Horse!

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