Commentary: “ALEC Can’t Seem To Make Decision on Common Core Standards”
~~~~~~~By Donna Garner~~~~~~
~5.13.12~
[ALEC, which normally stands for “limited government, free markets, and federalism,” has been debating an anti-Common Core Standards Resolution since last December. Knowing that ALEC was on the verge of coming out against the Common Core Standards, Bill Gates utilized his usual strategy: Just give ALEC some money -- a $376,000 grant. Now ALEC can’t seem to make up its mind about the Resolution even after Texas Commissioner Robert Scott presented the strong case against the Common Core Standards.
I guess there is some truth in the old adage which says, “It takes money to make money.” Bill Gates, who plans to make yet another fortune off the Common Core Standards because they will be totally technology driven and tied together by a massive national database system (undoubtedly provided by Microsoft), also gave Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education $1,000,000 and the Council of Chief State School Officers $70,000,000. – Donna Garner]
====================http://caffeinatedthoughts.com/2012/05/alec-delays-vote-on-anti-common-core-model-resolution/ALEC Delays Vote on Anti-Common Core Model Resolution
Shane Vander Hart | May 11, 2012 |
I’m not surprised, but disappointed by the American Legislative Exchange Council executive board decision yesterday to delay their vote on a anti-common core resolution proposed by the American Principles Project, Goldwater Institute, and Washington Policy Center last summer.
American Principles Project sent out a press release on the vote:
Washington, DC – Today, the board of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), after considering anti-Common Core legislation introduced by the American Principles Project (APP), Goldwater Institute and the Washington Policy Center last summer, delayed a decision on whether to endorse the legislation until their next meeting.
“ALEC’s delay in endorsing the resolution is troubling and plays into the strategy of the multi-billion dollar private entities that are pushing the Common Core,” said APP’s Emmett McGroarty. ”This issue has been before ALEC for almost a year. The resolution was approved by the ALEC Education Task Force overwhelmingly last December, and ALEC has discussed it at three of its national meetings. The well-financed private entities and the federal government are moving forward with their implementation of the Common Core, and Americans have been cut out of the process.”
Dr. Tony Bennett, the Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, presented the pro-Common Core case to the board of ALEC. Dr. Bennett is also on the Board of Directors of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), one of the two trade associations managing the Common Core Standards (along with the National Governors Association). Additionally, he is the Chairman of Chiefs for Change, an initiative of Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education.
The Foundation for Excellence in Education and CCSSO have received $1,000,000 and $70,000,000, respectively, from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the primary force financing and pushing the Common Core.
Robert Scott, Texas Commissioner of Education, presented the case for the resolution to the board, which then deliberated behind closed doors.
State Rep. Dave Frizzell of Indiana, ALEC’s National Chairman, reported that the board found that there was much to like about the legislation but decided to send it back to the Education Task Force due to concerns about some of the language. He stated that the board would forward the details of those concerns to the task force.
This week, APP and Pioneer Institute released a white paper that makes the case against state adoption of the national Common Core State Standards.
Co-sponsored by Pacific Research Institute and the Washington Policy Center, Controlling Education From the Top: Why Common Core Is Bad for America argues in favor of a Common Core withdrawal resolution.
The white paper can be seen here:
The Resolution can be seen here:
Regarding the pro-common core model legislation does it really matter what the language says if the process is bad? I don’t think so. It’s amazing to me that a group whose tagline is “limited government, free markets and federalism” would even consider passing model legislation supporting the common core state standards as they have been an affront to limited government and federalism.
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