Bradley County Schools Director Cash says “information about Islam is “just a tool” teachers can use.

Bradley County Schools Director Cash says “information about Islam is  “just a tool” teachers can use.

09192015
0848 am

The Cleveland Bradley Ministerial Association conducted a question and answer session recently in Cleveland Tennessee, inviting several local and private education leaders to share topics that are going on in their school systems. 

The association is seeking ministers and educators to come together to unite in their efforts to to enhance goals that will improve literacy scores across the county.

According to the Cleveland Daily Banner, a forum of four local leaders spoke to the group Wednesday: Dr. Bill Balzano, president of Tennessee Christian Preparatory School; Dr. Linda Cash, director of Bradley County Schools; Dr. Jeff Elliott, supervisor of curriculum and instruction for Cleveland City Schools; and Ramona Kim, principal of United Christian Academy.

Among the goals discussed was our county wide literacy rate of around 50 percent, Superintendent Linda Cash called this unacceptable. 

Many of the leaders provided input into what could make our schools better and what could better prepare them to excel and prepare them for college and beyond.

In summary from the Cleveland Daily Banner article, among the subjects listed to raise the schools literacy rates were promoting Coach Dungys book, “An Uncommon Life”, Read 20, dance and music classes, the “one-to-one initiative”, early reading and math, improving graduation rates and ACT scores, walkingthe halls praying, providing meals for teachers, landscaping schools, learning of their personal faiths, the K-12 program, etc.

After the introduction and small talk, in a question and answer session, the blended group was directed to Common Core, referring to the The Shahada and the 5 pillars of Islam being taught in public schools by an unnamed group member.

The Cleveland Daily Banner said the organizations unnamed member asked the school leaders about the religion of Islam being taught in schools, calling it “a harmful virus.” 

“The unnamed source referenced information about Islam allegedly being taught in seventh-grade history classes  in Tennessee public schools.”

TN Christian Preparatory Schools Director Dr Bill Balzano spoke first and said “Though there may be information about something in a textbook, he said one must actually look at an individual teacher’s syllabus and curriculum map to see what will be covered and when.”

“Though TCPS is a Christian school, he noted junior and senior students are taught some passages from Islam’s governing book, the Quran, in their Bible classes. Balzano said students must know what other religions believe in order to effectively defend their Christian faith.”

Jeff Elliott the Cleveland City Schools director of instruction and curriculum said “Cleveland’s schools do not push one religion over the others, and all classes are being taught in accordance with state standards which dictate students learn about religions to help them understand history.”

“Cleveland City Schools has also seen a continually increasing population of students learning English as a second language, and he said schools are seeing more students from families practicing different religions.”

“Elliott said students learning more about other religions can help them better relate to other people.”

“He added churches have the most important roles to play in making sure Christian students are knowledgeable about their faith.”

Most interesting to me during this charade was the comments made by the new Director of Bradley County Schools Linda Cash stating “textbooks which may feature information about Islam are JUST A TOOL teachers can use. They have to follow the standards that tell them to teach about various faiths, but they can use a variety of resources.”

Considering the words of Cash, We have now evolved from a Christian based school system to the teaching of Islam as a “tool” to teach our kids. 

She further stated we have to teach the standards (that contains the creed of Islam) to our children to teach them about other faiths. 

Many would say the the public school system is not who they would prefer teaching their child about faith.  Many parents would gladly take on that task within the family and at their places of worship.

Cash continued, “teachers are not going into a tremendous amount of depth when talking about religion.”

“Nothing is taught in isolation,” Cash said, adding that no one religion is taught without the others. 

I deem it ironic that not too long ago the Christian faith and prayer were literally removed from our schools and now that Islam wants us to be inclusive, we teach all religions now!

Dr Linda Cash has now endorsed the teaching of Islam in our Bradley County Schools. Regarding my own children, they have had little exposure to Islam or other faiths in school to date. With her statement supporting teaching Islam as a tool, it may drastically change the teaching environment as teachers may see her comments as a green light.   

Dr Linda Cashs statements could potentially lead to handing our kids over to the influence and will of Islam.   

Maury County TN Schools, particularly Spring Hill High School has been blasted recently for teaching Shahada and the 5 pillars of Islam, requiring their students to memorize the passage and proclaim Allah as the one and only god and Muhammed his servant and prophet, and then administering TCAP tests covering the subject. They were also told to write it on paper as “Allah is the one and only god and Muhammed is his servant” (see Brietbart news link below) All this under the direction of Common Core standards.

My thoughts are if it’s on TCAP, it must be taught in our schools, all of them. Thus, the emphasis on Dr Cashs words when she said teaching Islam is just a tool for teachers to use when they teach.  

The Shahada is a very dangerous Islamic “prayer” for our children to utter while proclaiming Muhammed as a prophet.

It is multifaceted and has many tentacles and is the creed for Islam. 

In very simple terms, by comparison, it’s basically the Christians version of the “Road to Salvation, the Romans Road, the Sinners Prayer or the path to salvation with specified duties to live a faithful life.

In Islam, to become a Muslim according to the Koran, the Hadith and the teachings of Muhammed you must say a prayer or passage to gain entrance to Jennah (Paradise) and to become a devout follower of Allah via Muhammed. That prayer is the Shahada and its proclamation that Allah is the only god and  Muhammed is the prophet. This is the  same prayer that our kids are memorizing and TCAP testing on.

The following is a direct quote from an Islamic website on the subject of Shahada.

“The complete statement of the creed of the Muslim is:
“Ash-shadu anna Laa elaha illa lah. Ash-shadu anna Muhammadar Rasoolulah.” (I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger).

“Every Muslim has been taught that the key to “Jennah” (Paradise) is the statement in Arabic:
  “Laa illaha illa lah.”  (There is none worthy of worship except Allah.) ”

“Many Muslims believe that as long as they have made this statement, nothing will harm them. They think they will be granted Paradise because of this mere verbal statement of the Shahadah.”

“There is no question that the mere saying of the shahadah: “I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger” is not sufficient for salvation.”

The article continues to elude to the fact that some Muslims only believe the Shahada is their path to Paradise when in fact the Pillars of Islam must be followed also. 

“True scholars of Islam are quick to tell us that this testimony of faith is our “Muftah ul Jennah” (Key to Paradise). The famous follower Wahb ibn Munabbih was once asked;
“Isn’t the statement of “La ilaha illa-lah” the key to Paradise?” 

He answered; “YES! But every key has ridges. If you come with the key that has the right ridges, the door will open for you. Yet if you do not have the right ridges the door will not open for you.” 

Much like the Christian faith and the prayer of repentance, the mere words are not enough, but must be followed by the statement of baptism and living the life, such as obeying the 10 Commandments and following the teachings of Jesus and messages of God almighty.

The 9 conditions of the Shahada are known as:
1) Knowledge  
2) Certainty  
3) Acceptance  
4) Submission  
5) Truth  
6) Sincerity  
7) Love  
8) Denial  
9) Adherence

Your kids are memorizing this prayer and proclamation in your schools!

The Five Pillars of Islam is essentially their rule book for Paradise after proclaiming the acknowledgement of Shahada, Muhammed is the prophet.

The 5 pillars from the Hadith of Gabriel:

1) Faith or belief in the Oneness of God and the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad;
2) Establishment of the daily prayers;
3) Concern for and almsgiving to the needy;
4) Self-purification through fasting 
5)The pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able.
6) The one that is frequently left out for obvious reasons is Jihad or Holy war on non believers.

Your kids unbeknownst to you have unknowingly pronounced their faith to Allah and Muhammed through the Shahada and introduced to the 5 pillars to live as a righteous Muslim. 

It is a stretch but like myself, to become a Christian I professed my sins and asked God to come into my life, and now your child by professing the Shahada and proclaiming Muhammed as his prophet and servant he or she has submitted and made a faith statement to Allah.

Think about it! If we use the same path of accepting Christ and uttering the sinners prayer to become a follower of Christ doesn’t it make sense that now, technically by virtue of a prayer, your child is now a follower of Islam and Allah?   

What an evil and  ingenious indoctrination “tool” to deliver your your children to Allah . What a statement this makes to Islamic leaders who are very aware of what Shahada is and the tools involved in influencing your children.

Your kids under the direction of our esteemed educators and political leaders have created the path, the “tool” to expose and convert millions of our kids and submit them to the will of Allah. 

The above scenario should enrage you! It amazes me at the lack of concern for what is being taught in our schools and the level of acceptance to co-exist with a political ideology that promotes the desire to conquer your country and dominate your religious beliefs. 

Can you imagine the uproar if our schools chose to make our kids memorize the sinners prayer and the path to conversion, follow Jesus Christ, pronouncing him as our Lord and Savior? The roof would be lifted from these schools and every teacher fired but instead your child in essence has been converted to Islam and you stand unknowing and unaware.

Islam and the teachings of Islam has been creeping into our lives and now the conversion has been placed in overdrive. Stunningly, the reactionary silence is deafening.

I personally doubt Dr Cash knows of the extent to which Islam is trying to gain control of our children. I also doubt she knows of the level of
Influence her simple statement can have on our children’s life. But her acceptance of Islam being taught in our schools as a tool is well worth providing her with the knowledge to retract her statement.

Please contact her or the school boards and let her know her words can be very damaging to our kids.

423-476-0620

http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.bradleyschools.org/mobile/default.asp&sa=U&ved=0CDwQFjAKahUKEwjiyebSiYPIAhVDdR4KHaa_Bto&usg=AFQjCNEq9cyue4sStxdjNB8DINS1pyVxxg

Sources of information: Please take the time to visit the sites below, they are full of great information. 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/21/tony-dungy-i-wouldnt-have-taken-michael-sam/

“Allah is the only god, Muhammed is the prophet, Shahada, 5 Pillars of Islam are the creed of Islam” are being taught in TN Schools most recently in Maury County at Spring Hill High School.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/09/10/7th-graders-in-tennessee-made-to-recite-allah-is-the-only-god-in-public-school/

http://www.islamtomorrow.com/9points.htm

Disclaimer: As with all my posts they are only my opinion based on researching the facts. My expressed opinions are to be used as a source of information only. I encourage us all to live peacefully and bring no harm to no one. If you choose to act and harm then that choice is solely yours! Have a blessed day and share this article.

Common Core: UNESCO and Bill Gates timeline to federalized education reform in US

Common Core: UNESCO and Bill Gates timeline to federalized education reform in US

4/29/14
0626 am

In most every state,community, every small town, big city or tiny rural town the education landscape is changing rapidly.

This newest form of change has been evolving for over a decade and has finally found a lucrative vehicle to carry it through to it’s completion.

The United Nations via its educational division, UNESCO is the main force that is pushing major education reform across the globe. Microsoft  billionaire entrepeneurs Bill and Melinda Gates are working closely with UNESCO to make sure
that reform is in place as the United Nations desires.

For a while many have stood and watched the changes and have been puzzled at the break neck speed in which education was transforming right before our eyes and have wondered who could be behind this and why.

Common Core, Education for All, Race to the Top, Teachers for America, International Benchmarking, School Vouchers, Teacher pay for performance, ICT, Goals 2000 Act, the School-to-Work Act Opportunities Act, Connect All Schools and the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) called “Improving America’s Schools Act of 1994″, etc, are all the products of the United Nations, particularly the Millennium Development Goals or MDGs.

Since 1992 there has been a steady drum beat of radical change. This change combined with the right environment and billions of dollars now has a synergist, a vehicle to carry educational change to fruition. Bill Gates and UNESCO, the educational division of the United Nations is carrying the banner for the United Nations that has it’s sights solely on our children with this foray into nationalizing or should I say Internationalizing our educational system.

What started as a benign donation ended up being the catalyst that has finally arrived at Common Core. 

Bill Gates donates many grants to UNESCO and Common Core, this got the ball rolling pretty quickly but for more than a decade the leftist were working behind the scenes to make sure that education reform would be for all, the whole world, not just in the good ole USA. 

Behind the scenes and in conjunction with UNESCO, the Gates and an international body are the main minions carrying the ball for the UN.

http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/05/12/gates-gives-150-million-in-grants-for-common-core-standards/

http://www.unesco-ihe.org/About/News/Bill-Melinda-Gates-Foundation-grant-awarded-to-UNESCO-IHE-and-partners

I love timelines. Timelines organize many actions and events into an organized structure that is easy to read and refer to. So here is my latest timeline that if read carefully and with an open mind you can easily see this is far from initiated by the states. This was and is a deliberate top down internationalization of our school systems. From the very top of the education reform food chain, all the way down to our local school boards.

-Good ole Marc Tucker, Linda Darla Hammonds and a host of others are pressing forward to make Common Core and education for all a reality.

• 1988: Marc Tucker became the president of the National Center for Education and the Economy (NCEE) where he joined up with Hillary Clinton, Mario Cuomo, and Ira Magaziner to get states to move away from local control of their schools and migrate to national standards.

• 1990: George H. W. Bush signed an international agreement entitled, “World Education for All (EFA), the result of a United Nations “World Conference on Education for All” summit. 
http://www.restoreokpubliceducation.com/node/687

• 1991: Tucker and Lauren Resnick created New Standards that pushed standards-based reform.
http://mississippipep.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/controversial-author-marc-tucker-to-speak-at-ms-dept-of-education-statewide-forum-sept-14/

• 1992: Tucker writes “Dear Hillary Letter.” This letter, written to Hillary Clinton, addressed Tucker’s ideas for radical education reform after Bill Clinton’s presidential win. 

The goal is “to remold the entire American system” into “a seamless web that literally extends from cradle to grave and is the same systems for everyone,” coordinated by “a system of labor market boards at the local, state and federal levels” where curriculum and “job matching” will be handled by counselors “accessing the integrated computer-based program.” 

• 1994: Tucker’s ambitious plan was implemented in three laws passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton: the Goals 2000 Act, the School-to-Work Act Opportunities Act, and the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) called “Improving America’s Schools Act of 1994.”

• 1996: An organization called ACHIEVE, Inc. was formed by the nation’s governors and corporate leaders. (Many of them tied to Marc Tucker and the NCEE). The goals from an Education Summit in Palisades, NY were to ACHIEVE the goals of the 1994 school reform bills. (link)

• 1998: Tucker and Judy Codding created America’s Choice, a comprehensive school reform program, that made sure the national standards were further implemented into schools.

• 2001: George W. Bush renames ESEA “The No Child Left Behind Act” and signed it into law.

• 2004: Microsoft (Bill Gates) contracts with UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to fulfill part of UNESCO’S Millennium Campaign Goals—universal education and educating for a global economy. A “master curriculum” for teacher training in information technologies based standards, guidelines, benchmarks, and assessment techniques is to be developed. (link)
(UNESCO / Gates Foundation Agreement)

• 2005: Bill Gates funds the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce—created by Tucker. States begin adopting its education reform initiative, “Tough Choices or Tough Times.” In 2008, Utah’s Governor Huntsman touts it and joins with 5 others states (Massachusetts, Delaware, Arizona, New Mexico, and New Hampshire) who adopt it in order to “reinvent their educational systems.” 

2005- Bill Gates signs 26 page agreement with UNESCO:
http://www.edwatch.org/updates05/120205-gatesw.htm

2005- Bill Clinton: “We have to do away with our love of local control of our schools”
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/ed-watch/12-2-unesco-gates.htm

• 2008: Gates Foundation, along with two other foundations, created Strong American Schools (a successor to the STAND UP campaign launched in 2006, which was an outgrowth of UNESCO’s Millennium Campaign Goals for Universal Education). It calls for American education standards.

NOTE- This point in the timeline above and below is probably the most important transition from UNESCO, Bill Gates, the IBAG to passing the Common Core Standards to the NGA. Many think that the NGA just popped out this idea, when in fact it was handed to the NGA on behalf of Bill Gates and UNESCO.

This is the claim where the CCS were state led, “because they came from NGA, a group of state Governors, doing what is best for their states.”

• 2008: Gates Foundation funds the International Benchmarking Advisory Group report for Common Core Standards on behalf of the National Governors Association, Council of Chief State School Officers, and ACHIEVE, Inc. titled, “Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-Class Education.” This report shows the United Nations is a member of the International Benchmarking Advisory Group for Common Core Standards. 

The member of mention is the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) which developed UNESCO’s Millennium Declaration—partnering with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. (link)

The report states: While states must take the lead, the federal government can help. And the federal government can do that best by playing an enabling role grounded in a new vision for the historic state-federal partnership in education.

• 2009:  Marc Tucker writes a chapter in the book “Change Wars: The Inspiring Future for Educational Change.” One chapter is called International Benchmarking as a Lever for Policy Reform. The book says the UN’s OECD launched Programme for International Student Assessment in 2000 to monitor the outcomes of education. Linda Darling-Hammond also contributes a chapter. Darling-Hammond heads the SBAC.

• April, 2009: Gates Foundation members, along with a few dozen others, participate in a Washington conference and produce “Smart Options: Investing the Recovery Funds for Student Success.” These ideas were funded by the 2008 Stimulus (ARRA-American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) and supported Race to the Top. Priority 1: Develop Common American Standards—also called Career-Ready Standards—in most states by January 2012.

• 2009 (summer): Council of Chief State School Officers, National Governors Association, and ACHIEVE, Inc. agree to partner on a common core standards project.

• 2009 (fall): The U.S. Dept. of Ed signals it will fund $360M for summative assessments aligned to Common Core Standards and begins planning meetings. Two consortia begin competing for this funding: Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium and Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. States begin adopting Common Core Standards and join one of the consortia in order to receive No Child Left Behind waivers from the U.S. Department of Education Secretary, Arne Duncan.

• 2009 (December): Utah becomes a governing member state of Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and is obligated to use the online assessments created by the SBAC which is led by Bill Ayers’ friend, Linda Darling-Hammond. Judy Park, Associate Superintendent, Utah State Office of Ed, eventually co-chairs the Consortia.

• 2009 (December): Gates Foundation gives the National PTA a $1 million grant to mobilize parents for Common Core Standards.

• June, 2010: National Governors Association and State Education Chiefs launch Common State Academic Standards.

• April 2011: The SBAC Overview Curriculum and Assessment Conference issues a report stating that CCSS member states must adopt their assessments by Dec. 31, 2011. Further, they must develop tests to be administered in 2014-2015.

• 2011: The American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) education task force calls for the demise of the Common Core Standards, but puts it on hold after receiving a $376,635 grant from the Gates Foundation. (link)
http://www.missourieducationwatchdog.com/2011/12/bill-gates-gift-to-alec-376635-reasons.html?m=1

• 2011: Bill Gates speaks at the November G20 Summit in Cannes and issues his report, “Innovation With Impact: Financing 21st Century Development” stating, “My report will address the financing needed to achieve maximum progress on the Millennium Development Goals, and to make faster progress on development over the next decade.”

• 2011: Obama Education Secretary Arne Duncan announces “Today, I promise you that [the Department of Education] will be a committed partner in the national effort to build a more environmentally literate and responsible society… We must advance the sustainability movement through education… Education and sustainability are the keys to our economic future-and our ecological future.”

• 2012: States begin to recognize the loss of local control and enormous cost of implementation of the Common Core Standards. Many states begin pushing back. The Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute call the standards unconstitutional per federal education law.

• 2012: States not on Common Core and not meeting the Annual Yearly Progress requirements of NCLB petition congress for relief. Lawmakers working on options are undercut when the Obama White House circumvents congress to grant waivers from NCLB if states adopt Common Core.

-Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott stated that the common standards movement amounted to a “desire for a federal takeover of public education.” Now, additional states (who originally signed on), including Massachusetts, Iowa, Kansas, and Virginia, are expressing concerns about the common standards initiative.

-Gov. Nikki Haley just signed a letter supporting legislation in South Carolina to block CCSS implementation stating, “South Carolina shouldn’t relinquish control to a consensus of states any more than the federal government.”

2011-Larry Shumway, Utah state superintendent, a member of the CCSSO Board of Directors, a member of the Board of Directors at West Ed which is the project management partner for SBAC assessments, recommends Utah retain its relationship as a governing member of the SBAC (thus forcing Utah to use their tests).

“I am personally opposed to any changes in Utah’s public education governance, either by constitutional amendment or by statutory revision, that would have the effect of centralizing power and decreasing representation.  I oppose changes that would decrease the ability of local boards of education, elected by the citizens of that district, to guide their own schools to meet the needs of their communities as they see it, or that would diminish the ability of 104 elected legislators and 15 elected State Board members to fulfill their responsibilities to lead Utah public education as they represent their constituencies.” -Larry Shumway–State of Education Address October 11, 2011

This seems to me a clear conflict of interest for Mr. Shumway to testify to the Utah legislature on anything related to Common Core or the SBAC.

Gates’ Foundation other contributions during the time frame of consideration and development of the Common Core initiative.

Counsel of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO): 
2009–$9,961,842
2009–$3,185,750
2010–$743,331
2011–$9,388,911

National Governor’s Association (NGA): 
2008–$2,259,780,Mark Tucker’s NCEE: 
2009–$1,500,000

Total: $27,000,000

Bill Gates, via UNESCO and the United Nations and many willing participants taking bribes at all levels has successfully not only nationalized but Internationalized our educational system. 

To any who still harbor the illusion that Common Core State Standards were the product of the states simply coming together, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you.
Special thanks to the many people involved in digging this information up. Much work has been done by people all around the country to put this information together and help follow the money trail.

 Please do your part now in passing this information on to everyone you know so they can be educated about what the Common Core Initiative is really all about.

Links to above article:
Bill Gates timeline: best source
http://commoncorefacts.blogspot.com/2012/03/not-federally-led.html?m=1 

Ed for all 2015

Click to access class%20of%202009.pdf

http://whatiscommoncore.wordpress.com/tag/unesco/

IBAG
http://www.achieve.org/benchmarkingforsuccess

Click to access BenchmarkingforSuccess.pdf

http://whatiscommoncore.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/does-u-n-s-education-mandate-push-common-core-in-usa/

http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/55091

2004- UNESCO “Cooperation Agreement” with Bill Gates.

Click to access strategy_microsoft_agreement.pdf

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/partners-donors/the-actions/education/microsoft-and-unesco-together-to-promote-education-through-information-and-communication-technologies-ict/

Common Core: Report on Common Core/ PARCC delay in TN State House

Common Core: Report on Common Core/PARCC delay in Tn State House

Hello friends and readers. 

Alot of activity in Nashville this week. A Common Core and PARCC delay of 2 years was compromised after calling for repeal.

On the front lines and doing an exceptional job is none other than Karen Bracken of Tennessee Against Common Core, Lauri Day and Julie West.

These ladies went to bat for you and your children this week, although not getting a full repeal they managed to broker a  delay of 2 years while shedding light on the process and informing the public. Despite the circumstances and heavy political games this battle is to be considered a victory. “We have to stay diligent,” said Karen Bracken, founder of Tennessee Against Common Core. “It’s not what we want, but it’s more than we expected today. We’re very happy.”

Here is her update on the rally which offers some insight into the battle that waged and those legislators opposing their efforts.

Please go to: www.tnacc.net and read other interesting articles and offer them some financial support. This constant war on Common Core and the political elite is not cheap!

COMMON CORE RALLY DETAILS

“If education has become – as Common Core openly declares – preparation for work in the global economy, then this situation is far worse than Common Core critics ever anticipated.  And the concerns about cost, and quality and yes, even the constitutionality of Common Core, pale in comparison to the concerns for the hearts, minds and souls of American children.” Dr. Daniel Copeland, Hillsdale College

WOW WHAT A WEEK!!! BUT WE ARE NOT DONE!!!

On Monday we took over their hearing room.

On Tuesday we took over the War Memorial Plaza with a cast of quests that were unequaled and a crowd of citizens that warmed our hearts on a miserable cold day.

On Wednesday we saw our government at work.  At times it seemed more like a Laurel and Hardy movie but the point was made and the case won.  Our legislators attached 32 education amendments to HB1129/SB1266 in order to by-pass the Education Committees to repeal Common Core and withdraw from PARCC.  This tactic forced leadership to allow our voice to be heard. We did not get our repeal. But we did get a lot of good press and people in Nashville are very nervous.  We did get an amendment passed that will delay PARCC for 2 years; but be very cautious here.   New lipstick on a pig doesn’t change the fact that it is a still a pig.  And they passed an amendment to stop the implementation of Common Core.  Again, caution here.  Common Core is already implemented.  The other national standards coming down the pike ARE national standards but they ARE NOT COMMON CORE and we need to educate our legislators on this fact.  But take heart.  There are other pieces of legislation that spell this out.

So above you have a quick overview. 

URGENT ACTION ITEMS – We are getting down to the wire.  Only a couple more weeks of session left.  We cannot stop now!!!

1. Friday 3/14, Saturday 3/15, Sunday 3/16 and Monday 3/17 – hit the phone lines and emails hard!!!  List is attached.  We need you to call and email all Education Committee members in both houses. 
House Sub Committee –
YES vote on HB2332 (Repeal Common Core, Sponsored by Rep. Rick Womick)

House Full Education Committee –
NO vote on HB1693 (for-profits to open Charter Schools, Sponsored by Rep. John DeBerry) and HB1959 (Parent trigger, Sponsored by Rep. John DeBerry)
This is the same Rep. DeBerry that got over $100K from Students First in his last election.

Senate Education Committee –
YES vote for SB2405 (Repeal Common Core, Sponsor is Senator Mae Beavers) 

YES vote for SB2153 (will require State School Board to be elected instead of appointed – THIS IS A CRITICALLY IMPORTANT BILL, Sponsored by Sen. Niceley) 

SHARE AND GET EVERYONE TO CALL.  The only reason we have the repeal bills scheduled is because of your calls and emails and our 3 day event.  So making noise does work.
Be polite.  Please be prepared to let them know why you do not like Common Core.

2. Tuesday, March 18 – Pack up the kids again and come to an early morning hearing on Rep. Womick’s REPEAL COMMON CORE BILL (HB2332 is #3 on the lineup)   Room 30,  08:00am 

3.  Wednesday, March 19 – The Senate Repeal bill is scheduled as #40 on the list.  If you come on Wednesday be prepared for a long session.  We have not been making calls to the Senate Education Committee so they are not aware of how we feel. So hit them HARD HARD HARD.  There is no Senate Education Sub Committee so this is a big deal for this bill.  09:30am CST Room 12

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY NEWSLETTER YOU WILL RECEIVE BEFORE THE HEARINGS ON TUESDAY. For updates go to: 

http://www.tnacc.net 

Go to the TN TAKES ACTION tab for updates. Check often to make sure you have the latest details.

If you have any questions please contact:

Karen Bracken – 215-692-2147    karen.bracken@reagan.com

Lauri Day – 615-268-8855             twoday@wildblue.net

Julie West – 615-579-0104           juliewest08@gmail.com

Our mailing address is: 
Tennessee Against Common Core
231 Bob White Drive
Ocoee, TN 37361
 
Karen Bracken 
http://www.tnacc.net
http://www.americadontforget.com
215-692-2147

 

 

Common Core goes green: Next Generation Science Standards on the way

Common Core goes green: Next Generation Science Standards on the way

Ever since the appointment of Arne Duncan as the Secretary of Education, Governor Bill Haslam elected as our “radical education reformer,” Kevin Huffman,  Secretary of Education in Tennessee, ex husband of Michelle Rhee appointed by Haslam  and our State Representative Kevin Brooks, the recipient of 6,000 dollars of Rhees money our state and our kids have seen this day coming for a while. The perfect storm was formulated.

Common Core is rolling out the green carpet. A liberals dream come true. A radical reformist politicians bucket list has come to fruition.

In a world created by the highest bidder, the next progressive step in common core is to indoctrinate our children using the “green movement” as their platform. 

The big political arm of the green movement is now surfacing in our schools. Science, the EPA and the UNs next big step to further liberalize, globalize our school system in exchange for the minds of our children.

Common Core is teaming up with the “greenies” to provide a multi-pronged effort to promote “fun” contests and activities for students while promoting the new Common Core “state standards” in Science.
 
As reported by Mary Grabar in Front Page Magazine (See link below), she states  “For example, the Department’s latest Green Strides newsletter (February 28) announced three contests for K-12 students who display their agreement with the government’s position on climate change.”

“In that newsletter, the Department of Education announced that another federal agency, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and its National Environmental Education Foundation, have “launched an exciting video challenge for middle school students called Climate Change in Focus.”  

“In this contest, middle school students are asked to make a video that “expresses why they care about climate change and what they are doing to reduce emissions or to prepare for its impacts.”  

“To win loyalty to the EPA, it is announced that winning videos will be highlighted on the EPA website.”

 “The effort sounds like the kids’ cereal box promotions of yore: the top three entries will receive “cool prizes like a solar charging backpack,” winning class projects will receive special recognition for their school, and the first 100 entrants will receive a year’s subscription to National Geographic Kids Magazine.”

“Another contest, National Wildlife Federation’s Young Reporters for the Environment, invites students “between the ages of 13-21 to report on an environmental issue in their community in an article, photo or photo essay, or short video.”  Entries should “reflect firsthand investigation of topics related to the environment and sustainability in the students’ own communities, draw connections between local and global perspectives, and propose solutions.”

“Students are also encouraged to make nominations for “Champions of the Earth,” a “UN-sponsored award for environment, Green Economy, and sustainability.”  

“Students already get exposed to climate change and sustainability in textbooks which are bought with taxpayer funds, as well as in videos and online materials produced by taxpayer-supported Public Broadcasting.  Many students, of course, have had to sit through Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.”

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)—the next phase of Common Core—will make the situation worse, however,” Grabar continues.  

“Students will be even less capable of distinguishing science from propaganda.  These standards, like those for math and English Language Arts, were produced by Achieve, a nonprofit education group started by corporate leaders and some governors. 

 As in the standards for English Language Arts and math, the NGSS are intended to be transformative, or as Appendix A states, “to reflect a new vision for American science education.”  They call for new “performance expectations” that “focus on understanding and applications as opposed to memorization of facts devoid of context.”

“It is precisely such short shrift to knowledge (dismissively referred to as “memorization”) to which science professors Lawrence S. Lerner and Paul Gross object.  The standards bypass essential math skills in favor of “process,” they asserted last fall at the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation blog.”

“Common Core standards, in all disciplines, are written with a lot of fluff to conceal their emptiness.”

“The Common Core math standards themselves have garnered much criticism among teachers, parents, and students; focusing so much on “process,” they make simple problems bizarrely confusing, as a collection of examples illustrates.”

“With some sarcasm, they write, “It is charming to say ‘. . . students learn science effectively when they actively engage in the practices of science.’”  However, Students will not learn best if they practice science exactly as do real scientists. A firm conclusion in cognitive science contradicts that claim.  Beginners don’t and can’t ‘practice’ as do experts.”  

“Not only do the Next Generation Science Standards shirk the necessary foundations in math and science knowledge, but they explicitly call for including ideological lessons, such as “Human impacts on Earth systems.” 

“For grades K-2, students are to understand. Things people do can affect the environment but they can make choices to reduce their impact.” 

“In grades 3 through 5, students will learn “Societal activities have had major effects on the land, ocean, atmosphere, and even outer space.”  “Societal activities can also help protect Earth’s resources and environments.”  

This is from part ESS3.C of the NGSS standards. “Human impacts on Earth systems” are huge topics, when approached legitimately.  They present quandaries to scientists at the top levels.  Yet NGSS imposes them on kindergartners. The objective, of course, is not teaching legitimate science, but indoctrination.”

Amazingly, ten states have already voluntarily adopted the Standards.
Such efforts, coordinated by the Department of Education, threaten the future of science itself.

BCN Summary:
Common Core is clearly not doing what it was hyped to do. It is clearly time for us to abandon these standards and the curriculum that follows.

Our children are not available for the transformative thinking of liberals and the assault on their minds.

The ABCs and the 3 Rs need to be our focus, not the accumulation of liberal global indoctrination.

Let’s get back to teaching and let’s see less propaganda in our schools.

Please subscribe to her newsletter and read her info frequently. I have met Mary Grabar and heard her speak. She is an expert on this subject and was a big contributor to this blog entry. Please view the link below.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/mary-grabar/common-cores-little-green-soldiers/

Bradley County Commission votes NO to Common Core, Yarber gets decision

Bradley County Commission votes NO to Common Core, Yarber gets decision 

BCN Note: No one was actually hurt in the writing of this news blog. Humor was added to a very serious subject. The bout was fictional and fun, the details factual. My opinions are below based on my observations of the event as it unfolded.

2/20/14
0749 am

Bradley County TN Commissioners have echoed the efforts of the Bradley County School Board and said NO to Common Core.

Former semi-pro boxer County Commissioner Jeff Yarber, who long ago hung up his gloves, but Tuesday, took them off the shelf and delivered a show of might reminiscent of his days on the circuit.

He stood mighty tall in this setting and went the full 10 rounds and was left shuffling in his corner unscathed.

Throughout the meeting Yarber stepped up, squared up on his opponent, left hand slightly in front of the other, weaved left and right, steps in head low, chin down and delivered a barrage of thunderous blows that left the impression that Common Core is not welcome in our community in any form. Even some of his own debated him but were left in a heap on the canvas of this political arena.

As the debate continued, the formally trained athlete, was fully prepared to go the distance and he did.

The bout started with the introduction for approval of two bills getting cranked up in the House and Senate. 

A vote to back HB 2332 and its Senate companion bill SB 2405 was debated and Jeff Yarber was scrapping the whole time. He took a few jabs off his ample iron jaw while fending off blows to defeat support for these bills. The intent of these bills is to remove Common Core and it’s cronies from our children’s presence, period! The bills are not there so they can be tweaked, renamed or repackaged. They are to be REMOVED, DISCONTINUE! Period!!!

If passed, the House and Senate bills would amend Tennessee Code Annotated section 49-1-302 to say “on July 1, 2014, the state board and the department of education shall DISCONTINUE the use of the Common Core state standards in English language arts and mathematics.” 

At that time, the standards that had been in place before Common Core standards were first being implemented in 2010 “shall become the standards for use by LEAs [local education agencies] and schools until the state board develops and adopts new Tennessee specific standards for English language arts and mathematics.” 

With the final vote pending, just as the Bradley County School Board had done a couple of weeks ago, Yarber and the County Commission stepped up and knocked down the formidable Common Core opponent.

Our buddies on the education board said that Common Core “would be highly disruptive to student growth.” 

During this title match, It was also mentioned that changes like postponing of PARCC assessment tests and tying those scores to teacher licensure, student data collection and non parent or teacher involvement would not be in the best interest of our teachers and ultimately our children.

Let’s not forget the lightweight contender Michelle Rhee of Students First, the ex wife of Heavyweight TN Education Secretary Kevin Huffman and Bantam weight Bill Haslam appointee have advocated, by their support of Students First, for parents to get out of the way so Common Core can be delivered uninterrupted as stated  in past interviews with Rhee. 

How convenient would it be to get parents, teachers, school boards and elected officials out of the way so the deed can be completed. Sounds like a win-win scenario if you ask me.

Like any good story or bout in this case there is always the spoiler. Today that is twofold. Commissioner Jeff Morelock and Bill Winters are once again those wet noodle types among mighty oaks. 

Morelock expressed his understanding of the school board’s resolution was that the board was in favor of the standards as a whole, but some changes needed to be made to them. Did he read the same resolution I did? I dont believe he read the same resolution!  He continued with his drivel of liberalism and said “there were some necessary changes, doing away with the standards would not help.”

Commissioner Bill Winters, Morelocks liberal Co Co buddy chimed in. Remember Yarber is bouncing around doing the rope a dope waiting to be engaged. I know it’s suspenseful but keep reading.

Commissioner Bill Winters said he “had a problem with the fact the Commission’s resolution supported repealing the state standards.”

He sluggishly continued and said ” he would not vote to repeal Common Core because the standards being removed would “tie the hands” of the legislators working to fix the parts of the standards that were not working well.” Hello Bill? The consensus, bills and resolutions are to get rid of it, to DISCONTINUE them, not fix them! Focus! Please allow me to enlighten you in a little constitutional secret. You as an elected official are the voice of the people, you have the authority to limit government intrusion at any level, thus balancing the power! You are a microcosm of the bigger picture Bill! You can do this!

In addition, Winters went on to say he “did not think the vote would be in line with what the local school board wanted.” Really Bill? Once again and please allow me to reiterate, the vote today is to DISCONTINUE the Common Core standards, not fix or tweak them. The vote today! The one before you now! A liberal slant is not the seal of approval and doesnt change the fact that you are voting in a few minutes to DISCONTINUE the standards not fix or tweak them. 

He went on to zap out all the remaining energy out of the room room finishing his monologue “The school board did not ask us to repeal this,” Winters said. He finally gathered enough liberal strength to say “the standards “could be worked for the good of the schools.” Ooooh Yawn, please wake me Jeff Yarber.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, In the red corner, hailing from Clevegas TN, weighing in at probably a different weight from his previous days, lets here it for the one, the only, the scrapper, the commissioner of all commissioners, a Commissioner every one wants to be………..Jefffffffffff Yarrrrrrrrber! ARE……. YOU……..READY……. TO RUUUUUUUUUUUMBLE?

Commissioner Jeff Yarber relying on strength and momentum from his youth, meets gloves in the middle, and lands the first punch countering  “I am  in favor of Tennessee scrapping the Common Core standards altogether and creating new standards to replace them.” Kaaaa Pooooow!

Side step, 1-2 punch amongst a flurry of undercuts he continues “this means local education would not be “tied in with” the federal government. Yes! Morelock and Winters are punch drunk but not relenting.

Winters and  Morelock countered with a few soft jabs none phasing the Yarber. Yarber counters with a flurry, “Common Core is the problem, and we can do it better!!!!”

The crowd on their feet, Winters and Morelock on their heels, to the mat. Dazzled by the display of skill and precision of this prize fighter reborn, the ref steps in with the 10 count, 1-2-3… 

Commissioner Adam Lowe steps into the ring to finish off the opponent.

The atmosphere now has changed from a prize fight to a tag team WWF wrestling match, please allow the setting to morph in your mind.

A more cautious Lowe yet equally as effective mounts the ropes and from the top rope with bare chest, tight spandex shorts he shouts….. “the state bills in question were “simple” and “straightforward,” though he was not totally certain they were “a step in the right direction.”  The frenzied crowd yells “Deliver the fatal blow Adam! Jump down and deliver the fatal blow. The cautious approach allowed Yarber to suffer a few minor blows to his seasoned jawline but unable to daze him. Lowe is a thinker! He is contemplating his next move.

Lowe balancing on the top row, chest bare, pecs glistening continues….he believes “one of the problems the field of education has been facing has been the attention paid to reforming standards rather than actual teaching methods because “standards don’t have feelings.” “We continue to try to teacher-proof the classroom,” he said.  The standards dont have feelings!” Beautiful. Great skill from such a gifted orator, give the appearence that the standards are a living breathing set of standards. Im loving this approach. The crowd sinks back to it’s seats as Lowe steps down from the top rope.

Nice assist Commissioner Lowe, we need you in Yarbers corner, he needs water and some vasoline on his left eye.

Commissioner Caywood receives the tag from Lowe!

Commissioner Terry Caywood, a little long in the tooth, but still with the vigor and stamina of the young bucs weighs in.. 

Caywood cautiously enters the ring very aware of the mood in the room, the roar of the crowd, he becomes invigorated, picks up Bill Winters and begins to spin him around the ring tossing him into Morelock, like a bowling pin they both fall and he grabs the mike and begins to shout  ” I have spoken with a teacher who said Common Core standards “took all the fun out of teaching.” Take that and put it in your pipe and smoke it, I Imagined Caywood saying that last part. The part he is playing in my mind is quite the opposite, he is really a kind gentle christian man unwilling to engage his peers this way.

And from back of the room, much like Ralphie, from the Christmas Story engaging Scut Farkus and Grover Dill in a fight that won Ralphie some respect in the neighborhood, Commissioner Mel Griffith tags in and says he was “very supportive” of the standards’ goals, but they were not being implemented well.” That splatted onto the mat like an overhydrated cow patty. 

Has he been listening to Morelock and Winters?  Somehow, are we blaming this on the teachers now? Anyway, he tried to punch but couldn’t allow the standards to be done away with, Ralphie is retired quickly.

With the fighting done and the warrior weary State Representative Kevin Brooks steps into the ring with his shiny suit, crisp red tie, neatly tucked, half windsor perhaps, hair motif perfectly aligned and undisturbed, he bounces up uncharacteristically and says “the bills would have the state completely scrapping the current standards, meaning it would “throw out the baby, the bathwater — all of it.” Was that an apology? Or did he see his baby (Common Core) just get tossed out with the bath water? Mr Brooks, the baby (Common Core) and the bath water (the standards) are what we want gone! It’s ok! It’s not a real baby.

He continued, “Instead of completely repealing Common Core, he said he was in favor of making “incremental” changes to the standards and changing the name to reflect those changes.” It is pretty clear that the message being sent is not being absorbed. Our elected bodies are saying NO to Common Core, not parts, not increments, ALL OF IT! To DISCONTINUE IT! Not tweak, rename or repackage the standards!

Question to Mr Brooks? If Common Core is fully repealed does this mean he returns his campaigns number one donor Michelle Rhee and Students First campaign donations? It’s a legit question that needs answering.

Few have worked as hard as Representative Kevin Brooks to
bring RTTT and Common Core to Bradley County. Ok, now I’m getting sweaty from that flurry of punches. Jeff Yarber I need a tag out.

Brooks continues “I have been asked what is the most-debated topic in Nashville right now,” Brooks said. “It is Common Core. (Because parents, teachers and school boards are mad and don’t want it) There’s nothing in me that wants to lower our standard, but the name……the brand……is broken.” 

Ok, do we tweak it and change the name? Florida and other states are doing this also. It does not change the facts. If it walks and talks like a duck? It’s a duck!

Ok let’s pretend this epic battle is coming to an end and my children are safely out of reach of a few of our commissioners for the time being.

The 14-member Commission passed the resolution sponsored by the ex prize fighter Jeff Yarber supporting the state bills with nine in favor, four opposed and one absent. 

Yarber has completed the bout and by KO, he chalks up another win.

Wait! There was one more breath of life left in the two on the mat. In one final expression of defiance his eyes slightly swollen, Bill Winters tarries to center ring facing Yarber and 8 other Commissioners and whispers, “I propose a substitute motion to pass a resolution simply saying the Commission supported the school board’s resolution and not mentioning the proposed state bills.” And he collapses to the mat. That motion failed!

Known as an observer and more of a ring manager Commissioner Mark Hall countered with his own motion right before the event concluded, he quips “lets have a work session to be discussed further,” As if to be saying, in other words let me delay this vote so I can find out what this Common Core thingy is. The motion failed! Several Commissioners reminded him this matter had already been discussed in previous meetings.

Enters Dan Rawls posing as the clean up crew, while lifting chairs, kicking aside popcorn boxes and candy wrappers, shouting from the observation deck, crowd dispersing around him he shouts “the passage of this resolution was “brave, calling it “a big vote.” 

The big victor tonight was Commissioner Jeff Yarber and the kids of our county. He stepped up for the teachers, Students, parents all over the county. 

Lowe deserves an assist. 

Yarber stands tall after this bout, the victor.

When all was said and done the County Commission as our elected representatives did what they needed to do.

In a big way, standing in the gap for the kids, parents and teachers who have been left out of the process but are now speaking up and winning small battles to regain our educational system from the hands of the federal government./

Source of quotes: Cleveland Daily Banner. Please continue to read this fine paper and buy it daily, they get paid to deliver the news, I report for free!

http://www.clevelandbanner.com/view/full_story/24610297/article-County-vote-opposes-Common-Core

Bradley County School Board says “NO” to Common Core

Bradley County School Board says “NO” to Common Core

2/17/14
0909 am

The Bradley County Board of Education in Cleveland Tennessee, has passed a  resolution that says no to Common Core, with all  7 board members voting unanimously in favor.

The measure was drafted by board member Charlie Rose, a long time board member with the ability to influence decision making in our county on school issues. Select members of the board to include Chris Turner, contributed time and facts to the compilation of this resolution.

The resolution addresses and cites  many concerns about Common Core implementation in Bradley County  to include cost, lack of teacher, student and parent involvement, inadequate testing components, teacher licensure and data collection of students.

Common Core has been labeled the nationalization of our schools by many critics with unique ties to socialism and a system of John Dewey and pedagogical theory. 

Many have said it is another step toward Socialism by indoctrination of our children.

The realization of a top down globalization of our schools and how the federal government plans to control every aspect of your child’s education is a big motivator for stopping Common Core in it’s tracks and our school board has taken a definite step in the right direction by signing this resolution.

Common Core is heavily centered on teaching to a test without real learning of the basic tenets of education, like the three R’s. Teachers need to have the ability to teach without constant interruptions from the federal government.

This resolution has pushed the debate beyond talk, sent a strong message to elected and appointed leaders that teachers, parents and now board members do not want Common Core in our County.

Common Cores empty promises and unproven results with Socialist overtones has forced the Bradley County Board to act. 

Local control of our schools must be established and this resolution sends that message. 

Our school system as it exists in Bradley County already has higher grade standards and results than Common Core promises to achieve. Why change to a system that will at best dumb our children down to the national standard?

It doesn’t make sense and our local school board has pointed out this truth. Is “improving” our system worth a loss to our children? 

The Bradley County School Board has responded positively to
parent and teacher concerns despite the continued efforts of Johnny McDaniel and Martin Ringstaff of their undying support of Common Core!  

The likes of Bill Haslam, Kevin Huffman, Michelle Rhee and our elected reps have made good money off this venture and stand to gain even more  if Common Core is allowed to advance.

Some detractors claim this resolution has no teeth and carries no real weight. I also heard this with the Agenda 21 resolution coming out of our TN State house early last session. Don’t dismiss this as “just a resolution.” 

Bold statements such as this carry alot of clout in this town. Many pushing for radical education change wouldn’t dare raise their heads and oppose a board that says no, political suicide comes to mind. 

With RTTT/Common Core money already spent, our reality is now we have a burdensome, costly program lingering in our midst that smells of nationalization of our public schools with still no means to pay for it. 

The Common Core debate has now been shifted from a conversation of heresay and rumors to one of confirmation with no doubt about the boards intent.

I emailed my first District school board member Chris Turner and asked for a statement from him regarding this resolution and how it was formed, 

“The board was asked by the county commission to quantify the impact of common core implementation on our students and teachers.”

Mr. Rose was tasked with authoring the resolution and I gladly offered conclusions from my research.”

 “Major points I thought should be quantified include the fact that costs for implementing PARCC have not been finalized or communicated to local school systems and the tax payers of Bradley County.”

“Also, impact on teacher evaluation of the global conversation to PARCC has no formal remedy.”

“The biggest issue to me has been the recent pro-common core message claiming improvements in test schools, such as NAEP,  as the sole result of radical reforms made by our Commisioner of Education.” 

“The real impact to these results has been the meaningful changes in state standards made in 2009 implemented by our teachers.”

” Common Core is no silver bullet, Turner continued.”

“There are no quick fixes. Ask any classroom teacher and they’ll tell you that results take hard work and time.” 

“The results we’re getting are the return on investment from the hard work of our students, parents, and our teachers,” he concluded.

These words by my representative are wise and was constructed from much thought, research, teacher input and parents concerns. These statements and the resolution were not made on a whim. It was well thought out and deliberate.

The message to all sent by this board is our kids are not for sale, our teachers are not puppets,the parents and this board are not idiots.

I believe it is important to review The main points inside this resolution and I have compiled it below. 

These main points are from the Bradley County School Board resolution, shortened somewhat but content remains, a link is provided for exact details.

The Bradley County School Board Resolution on Common Core.

Click to access Bradley_County_Board_Of_Education_CC.pdf

1) The implementation of the Common Core Standards could be highly disruptive to student growth.

2) The CCS, Common Core Standards, with current TN Standards dilutes the effectiveness of teacher lesson planning.

3) The Board recommends that the use of PARCC assessment results not be used as part of TVAAS for the purpose of teacher evaluation, licensure, renewal or removal.

4) The Board rejects the collection of personal student data without consent.

5) Rejects the sharing of Personally Identifiable Information, PII, without consent.

6) The implementation resources of Common Core Standards for the teachers of Bradley County TN schools have been variable and dependent upon the source of training and professional development.

7) The variation above has created the opportunity for inconsistency of the implementation of Common Core standards.

8) Bradley County will be tasked with implementing Common Core Standards regardless of the fact that teacher evaluation and student achievement gains will be measured with EOC/TCAP assessments based solely on current TN standards.

9) It does not have a PARCC assessment plan that assures that every student in Bradley County will have equivalent instructional time to cover and reinforce standards prior to administration of PARCC assessments. 

10) Will distort student growth data thence teacher evaluation as measured by the TVAAS system.

11) Has no money set aside for per student test adminstration for the current EOC/ TCAP test.

We the people have created this change. Concerned teachers, angry parents, tax payers and voters have spoken. The politicial puppets that beat the steady drum of Common Core regardless of the consequences on our children must now hear from you.

Let it be forever etched in every citizens mind that this week the Bradley County School Board in Cleveland Tennessee stood side by side many in the fight against Common Core. 

The result is our children and their loved ones were considered. The elected body that represents them sent a resounding message and are willing to stand up against the grain and the lure of an almighty dollar.

I hope the news of this bold stance spreads across our state and nation and more school boards do the same.

Bradley School Board member Chris Turner sums it up best when he said, 

“It (the resolution) expresses the facts and wipes away the opinions and rumors.” 

“Above our lowly school board as elected officials, time and action will tell the story.”

Links of interest concerning this subject:

http://www.chattanoogan.com/2014/2/7/269147/Bradley-School-Board-Told-It-Has-Solid.aspx

Directors of Schools hang on to Common Core despite huge opposition.

http://www.clevelandbanner.com/view/full_story/23929237/article-Directors-assess-Common-Core–McDaniel–Ringstaff-point-to-misconceptions

BCN Note- There are many that have been involved in this and many issues and my hat is off to you. Extended credit goes out to those warriors that stand and fight in local and state issues. I believe information’s the key. Keep supporting this venue. We are taking our state back one community at a time.

TN: Parent banned from school for protecting his daughter from harm

TN: Parent banned from school for protecting his daughter from harm

January 28, 2014
0808 am

White House,Tennessee: A city approximately 22 miles north of Nashville Tennessee, nestled below the Kentucky line is a Robertson County school system that by it’s actions, has once again brought national attention to it’s liberal policies.

A protective father has been banned from school property for allegedly protecting his daughter from harm as she exits the school for routine pick up.

Damon Holligan (father) observed his daughter strolling to her fathers vehicle as she has probably done many times before.

The casual stroll, observed by Holligan, turned violent for his daughter as he witnessed her being assaulted by a male child as she was exiting the secure confines of her elementary school on her way home.

A male child was grabbing his daughters arm and kicking her in the legs, according to reports.

Mr Holligan I am guessing instinctively reacted to these threats upon his daughters safety and exited his vehicle running to her side to protect her from further harm and securing the area.

The male perpetrator according to Mr Holligan ran away and was later confronted and asked why he would do such a thing to his daughter and demanded an apology.

Police reports state that Mr Holligan was the one that found the male child and asked for an apology but sadly now it’s his word against the schools and will more than likely be determined in a court of law.

Seems reasonable doesn’t it? A father seeing his daughter being abused, running to her side, stopping the assault, verbally confronting the person doing the assault and preventing further harm, right?

In a pre modern education era, this would have been the end of the discussion. Damon and his daughter would return home, the offender knowing he didn’t get away with the crime and all is well, right? Afraid not!

What happens next will blow you away and leave you scratching your head.

Two days after this event, the Principal Kathy Schwab reportedly responded by calling a meeting to discuss the events surrounding Damon and his daughter.
Principal Schwab notified the father that he could not again step on to school property.

“She immediately handed me a letter saying I was no longer allowed on the grounds of the school property until further notice because it was inappropriate for me to even say anything,” Holligan said.

He says the boy who kicked his daughter was never punished and no punishment has been reported in local media to date.

“She doesn’t understand why she’s the one who got physically assaulted and yet now her daddy can’t come to lunch with her,” Holligan said.

Mr Holligan left the impression he plans to sue stating that the school failed to enforce it’s own rules and policies which ended with the Principals verdict being tossed in the wrong direction.

BCN post assessment note:

Inside a liberal machine chocked full of indoctrination with Common Core type equality policies and reasoning lies an underlying vein of distorted equality for all, a judgement that leaves all on a level playing field although the rules of the school demand otherwise, the laws of nature and the consequences of an aggressive child are challenging the debate despite rationale calling for a differing and appropriate outcome.

The school inflicting a banning of a father from his daughters own school leaves one to question the effectiveness of policy intended to protect our children inside a public educational device.

A piecemeal socialist quilt of blind and partial justice, sprinkled with “a trophy for all” mentality is distorting our God given ability of the species to balance themselves with natural progression of the fittest, the best known law of nature given to us by our creator.

By progressive design, a vehicle inside our schools is rolling over into our social environment, overwhelming and perhaps is unintentionally leaving the stronger, more aggressive subject as the protected by liberal policy. More often than not this is leaving the victim wounded and the perpetrator the victor. With this determination and analysis neither ends up being protected.

The overwhelming conclusion is this, the victim, in this case, Damon Holligan and his child is left with numerous questions placed into a forced situation where their rights were overlooked by a Principal that yielded to political correctness instead of reasonable action calling for a balanced and just judgement.

The intent to protect the rights of his daughter and her father, who chose to rightfully protect his daughter are being overlooked and the privilege and will of the father to protect his child is being squelched.

We are staring at the newest most progressive version of education in America, in Tennessee, and it should concern every parent and citizen of this great state and nation.

We now have a government controlled indoctrination engine that is purring loudly and is saturating our children’s brains with socialistic
propaganda.

A system where parents and the school board have less and less say so in the decisions that affect our kids.

A system where parents input is no longer valued and its leaving bureaucrats with top down decision making to drive decisions that affect our children.  We are no longer at an empasse where we are thinking this may happen, it is upon us now and is showing it’s ugly fangs.

We now have a system that breeds an environment of secularism, indoctrination and liberal left leaning policies controlled by our federal government.

I will be the first to say let the kids sort this out and allow peer pressure to flush bullies out with natural progression.

Before objectors attack and they will because exposure of the truth in any form brings out vitriolic emotions from the left, even to the point of sadistic and violent.  With that said, I do not condone violence and practice that daily. I do believe God has given us the ability to recognize right and wrong and I also believe that certain repercussions and consequences accompany those decisions.

I also believe that long before a Principal is allowed to inflict his or her will on me or my child with their pre determined set of values allow me to inject this comment.

If two kids get into an argument, as in the old days, we used to allow them to sort it out individually where the offender ended up getting a strong message that the next time he or she decides to be the aggressor there will be a certain consequence and action rendered when you choose to bully or harm another child.

I am not advocating harm for harm but there used to be a system that took care of a bully and didn’t result in a father being banned from eating lunch with his daughter and the school granting the prepetrator a free pass because social justice and equality to all does not allow for a judgement of bad behavior because someone, although the guilty will be offended or his/her social structure may become disrupted.

I know at least 99 percent of my readers will see this point of view, the other one percent consider your self a part of the problem and not the solution.

The liberal left with the establishment of popular “anti bullying”, “anti violence”, “zero tolerance” and “social equality” policies have created a very litigious environment with the advent that we all should be treated the same regardless of the crime.

Little boys and girls, children of parents looking for equality under liberal banners have trapped the very children they untended to protect.

The children are now left at a disadvantage and powerless because every choice is somehow muted by indecision.

We live in a world where stiff policies often leave the victim and their protectors vulnerable to backlash from the equality police as parents/students, our children, assert their individual rights working within this rigid system of equality.

There is no system intact to protect the afflicted. The system that calls for equality presents a duality and an observance of punitive action for those asserting their inalienable rights inside a machine that favors the aggressor with liberal policies and judgement based on the fact that involvement and intervention somehow makes you a guilty party.

Our educational system is swaying too far to the left and is leaving children broken and confused.

P.S.- It is also interesting to note from the links below that the same school district that is rendering this “inequality” of justice upon it’s parents and students is the same system that is not allowing the 10 commandments to be displayed and the 5 Pillars of Islam with Jihad, Holy War upon Christians to be displayed upon it’s walls.

This Common Core exercise in “tolerance” and “equality” is acceptable for all except those being offended or sanitized.

Yes, this particular incident has nothing to do with Islam but the comparison is being made only to show the lack of disparity and annihilation of some people rights are diminishing inside a system that favors equality, banishing our civil liberties for a minority.

Inside a constitutional republic there should be equality and a sovereign balance. Sadly inside a democracy where the whims of a few are saddled with liberal alienation inside a communistic socialist system is emerging and the benefactor is the social trapping of the day, the parent protecting their child.

.http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/24534997/dad-says-hes-being-punished-by-school-for-protecting-daughter

Principal and Staff: Kathy Schwab, Principal
http://www.rcstn.net/hes/faculty_and_staff

Principal  Schwab and Vice Principal email addresses:

Principal
Ms. Kathy Schwab      kathy.schwab@rcstn.net

Assistant Principal
Ms. Angie Freye         angie.freye@rcstn.net

Robertson County anti bullying policy which admonishes kicking, fighting, hitting, pushing and threats.

Click to access bully-harassment_procedure_2012-13-2.pdf

5 Pillars of Islam to include 6th Pillar, Jihad, to be displayed on Robertson Counties, Springfield High School.
https://bradleycountynews.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/tennessee-5-pillars-of-islam-replace-10-commandments-in-public-school-tolerance-reigns-supreme/

Araini of Islamic Mosque in nearby Robertson County states community has seen 156 percent growth in Muslim families and 2 families per month converting to Islam.
http://www.wkrn.com/story/12730407/islamic-centers-spurred-by-muslim-population-growth

Movoto Real Estates 16th best places to live:
http://cityofwhitehouse.com/news/372-white-house-ranks-sixteen-in-best-places-in-tennessee

Post note: This post as with all my blogs are my opinion only. I base my opinion and expression on what I see happening all around me only a daily basis. These posts should be taken at face value and realize it is a culmination of many hours of research with every attempt to be factual, fair, without harm and accurate. With this said, although my opinion may vary from your opinion this does not make you wrong and me right or vica versa, it just means we have a differing view. Simply disagreeing with my point of view does not make the story untrue and unfactual.  I usually dont edit my content or remove posts. I was asked recently to remove a mothers childs name and the school she attends from this blog entry. I was approached in a very nice and professional manner and because I am also a parent with school age children, I reviewed the content and saw that this was a reasonable request and I have granted this mothers wishes. She made a very good argument as to why select content should be removed. I apologize for any inconvenience my words may have caused. It was the best decision for all involved. This blog has been edited and re published for this reason. I learn and grow from worthy advice. Thanks and have a great day.

Common Core: Libyan owned Pearson at the core of TN Governor Bill Haslams Islamic policies in our state

Common Core: Libyan owned Pearson at the core of TN Governor Bill Haslams Islamic policies in our state

In the last few years we have seen a movement in our country to nationalize our educational system, to implement Common Core in all our schools. 

Inside the schools, the most drastic change has been an overwhelming  theme of driving acceptance of different religions in our schools, particularly the overwhelming influence of Islam and Sharia law! I was left with the overwhelming question as to why such a push toward acceptance of multiple religions, in light of the recent push by the left to eliminate “religious” influence from our schools the last 40 years or so.

I believe I have followed the money trail to Pearson Education and our own TN State Governor Bill Haslam, with many assorted tentacles intertwined to deliver Haslams brand of bad policy towards education reform. Together they are deliberately spearheading this drastic change in tandem by implementing pro-Islamic literature and a global policy agenda that supports acceptance and integration of Islam into our communities. 

In my research, I had to look no further than the middle east, to Lybia and the regime of the late Muammar Gadaffi, Bill Haslam, Pearson Education and assorted friends for a connection.

Lybia and their regime own 26 million shares of Pearson stock, a huge 4 percent share, valued at nearly one half billion dollars. 

The LIA, Lybian Investment Authority and five members of Gaddafi’s family own the stock. With a Pearson portfolio this huge it surely carries great influence on the content inside it’s books and on our elected leaders. (See links below)

In the middle east, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood have invested heavily in Pearson Education and K-12 learning vehicles. 

It has even been reported by Bill Korach, at http://www.thereportcard.org 
that Pearson owners are deeply involved in the Muslim Brotherhood and linked to CAIR.  “Muslim Brotherhood documents seized by the FBI and presented at the Holy Land Foundation Trial in Texas revealed a plan by the Muslim Brotherhood and their subsidiary organizations like CAIR to penetrate and indoctrinate American K-12 students.”

” Key Pearson textbook consultants on Islam, Susan Douglass and Shabbir Mansuri have both been connected to the Muslim Brotherhood and voiced strong support of Islamic Madrassah, Islamic schools where hate for Jews and Christians is a daily lesson. (At the very least) The Pearson Libyan connection and others who may own Pearson bear deeper scrutiny.”

As perhaps one of the strongest lobbying groups in the US, you can easily see how Pearson educational books content could be swayed to contain an Islamic bias and may well explain the strong Islamic literature contained within many of their books.

Pearson has reportedly “frozen” Gaddafi’s holdings and the only explanation given was to keep his regime from funding Jihad against the Lybian people during the 2011 uprising. No mention of freezing the assets because of it’s influence on our K-12 system or on our Common Core curriculum. It has been reported that Pearson has gone on to say that this controversy has not affected their business greatly in the Middle East.
http://www.sharecast.com/news/pearson-freezes-libyan-stake/4079462.htSherRiff 

It seems wherever there is Islamic influence, Middle East money or big oil influence, the money trail always seem to end up in Tennessee and to Tn Governor Bill Haslam. It just seems this way. If it makes money Haslam seems to have his hands near it and allows it to influence his decision making in our state of Tennessee.

It appears Haslam is up to his neck tie in special interest or middle east money. His obvious actions listed below shows him extremely involved, a willing vessel for acceptance or the luckiest man on earth possibly making hundreds of millions on his educational endeavors. Figure in his TN Secretary of Education nominee Kevin Huffman and you have the perfect cocktail to make money off his endeavors into education reform,ie, Common Core, testing materials, online education tools, elearning modules, textbooks and assorted computer software for it’s implementation. It’s a strong suspicion with many links and warrants heavier scrutiny, perhaps in another opinion piece.  

Enter TN Governor Bill Haslam! 

If participation and facilitation make you a guilty party to benefitting off Common Core implementation and all it’s tentacles, then actions and outright policy changes to benefit self makes you part of the problem and responsible for the recent influx of Islamic and Sharia influence in our state, and renders you guilty.

Timelines and pointed data do more to establish this connection and basically renders fact and conjuncture along an organized path for easier consumption, for this reason I am a fan. Critics find it very difficult to dispute facts with links in an organized fashion. This once again tells me that where the flak is heaviest I have a confirmed target!

Let’s just look at what we do know then follow up on my research, then we draw our own conclusions, hopefully piecing the big puzzle together. Remember, this data is based on my opinion first and then while looking for facts I attempt to substantiate and support my claims. Some link up, some don’t. Please consume the info, make your own mind up, and if you find it palatable, pass it along to your friends.

This grouping of assumptions and facts do not follow a specific “timeline” but are instead grouped according to topic with discussion. Enjoy the read.

1) One of the first actions of our Governor was to put out a policy to not allow Pearson or McGraw Hill books to be reviewed by the public and warning of any leaks of their content will be dealt with a stiff hand. The simple phrase that info cannot be reviewed or critiqued because of copyright restraints, sounds like he has a vested interest or the very least for some reason protecting the book companies, for whatever reason, scrutiny would be my guess and don’t try to get a book  of choice from your child’s school. My kids can’t even take their books home. What is the big secret? Bill Haslam declares no books on Common Core be reviewable, claiming copyrights laws protect us from looking at them!

Click to access TextbookCollectionSitePolicies.pdf

2) Who owns Pearson? At least 26 million shares belong to the Muammar Gadaffi family via the Lybian Investment Authority and his five family members who have put together a nice portfolio! Enough said there! But then I question, what could be Haslams involvement in the Middle East, ie; Lybia, Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia? See links below, I’m building on this here, be patient.
http://education-curriculum-reform-government-schools.org/w/2013/03/pearsons-libyan-ownership-and-islam-biased-textbooks/

Pearson is partially owned by Lybian government and the late Mohmar Ghadaffi!
http://www.pfspublishing.com/workshop/2011/03/pearson-shuts-down-libyan-shares-in-company.html

3) Who once owned stock in K-12 education, a key component of Common Core, a complimentary reform measures that makes Pearson and other book and software companies multiple-billionaires? Ok, the cat is out of the bag, Bill Haslam invested 10,000 dollars in this program, but “didn’t know it” or failed to recognize that his portfolio contained this investment. He supposedly dumped it from his name and ditched the stock as it was uncovered by a Democratic foe as he was running for Governor.  My intuition would lead me to believe he perhaps got rid of the stock but has it close to him somewhere in another co-owned business, non profit or someone else’s name. Even early on he realized that 10,000 dollars invested in this up and rising stock would reap him possibly millions upon millions. A shrewd businessman and politician he is, a wise man he may not be. He knew education reform was on the way.
Michael Milken, “Haslam Invested in K-12.”
http://www.wbir.com/story/news/local/2013/09/09/haslam-k12inc-investment/2785759/

4) PILOT Oil is deeply associated with Lybia and Iran. Before his election, the then Democrat Gubernatorial candidate McWherter brought many of these issues to the table for review that I have discussed this evening. It is not to far a stretch to assume that Haslam is influenced by big oil and the middle east. To tie these together much less prove or implicate and tie them to Haslam is a stretch, but it makes you wander when most of his decisions are made about education reform it somehow seems to be tied to the middle east or big oil, you begin to think, where is his alliance? What is he protecting with these repeated bad policies with a middle eastern flare to them? Where is his ability to benefit personally from his policy? He has paved a way for Sharia Compliance with other actions in TN, why not with Education Reform? Who is in his pocket and pulling his strings?  And why do most of his decisions seem to tied to that common theme.
http://m.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/sep/21/mcwherter-ties-haslam-business-to-iran/

5) Is there a Saudi, Iranian, Muslim Brotherhood, Middle East, Turkey, Big oil, Education
Reform connection of book companies such as Pearson textbooks  to Pilot oil or Bill Haslam? The verdict is outstanding but the trail is warm. Further research may reveal many more personal interest connections.

6) The mere fact that Informational textbooks are replacing great works of literature in TN sets one to think that big corporate America is driving education reform changes. The recent endorsement of the US Chamber of Commerce of Common Core and recent private meetings in Bradley County Tennessee with members of SCORE, Kevin Huffman at least shows intent and an attempt to keep info sharing on the down low!

Click to access PESF_G2_3-8_v4web.pdf

7) An Anti-Terrorism, Anti-Sharia, Anti-Jihad bill was introduced, SB 1028, that was spawned from the jihad attack on military personnel and other acts of “homegrown” terrorism acts in TN to include Haslams policies. Haslams actions have resulted in Legislators feeling strongly enough to enact laws to protect its citizens from Haslams bad policies and influence. 

Click to access FAQ%20anti-terrorism%20bill%2011.pdf

Click to access SB1028.pdf

8) PARRC Testing and Kevin Huffman, a Haslam appointee for Education Czar in TN, is shifting the load, favor and money to Pearson to conduct the tests, develop the tests and get them online with loads of software development to support it. This action leaves a lucrative money trail benefitting once again Pearson Education and vested parties, Haslam and Huffman. Can anyone say money,  investments and lobbying influence driving decisions?
http://lastcar.blogspot.com/2013/11/text-book-review.html?m=1

9) Bill Haslams Drive 55 initiative gives the TN GED testing contract to, you guessed it, Pearson Education, yet another obvious push to give Pearson more of our state tax dollars. Can you see the set up and the cronyism displayed in these actions?  The Islamic influence in our childrens schools and text books? He doesn’t seem to make a step without including a benefit package for known associates of K-12, Pearson, PARRC, or Common Core. It makes you think that he might even be in cahoots with Jeb Bush and Bill Gates?
http://businessclarksville.com/education/the-new-face-of-ged-testing-to-debut-in-2014/2013/10/29/58251

10) Jeb Bush and Bill Haslam partner to bring Education Reform to TN. What do you know? Coincidence? I don’t think so!! 

After stepping down as governor in 2007, Jeb Bush created the Foundation for Excellence in Education, which advocates for school choice and higher standards in public education, he announced after speaking to Tn Governor Bill Haslam.

Bush admitted that “it was helpful to have money behind the reforms,” “You’re asking people to eat broccoli—it’s always good to have some hot-cheese sauce. The money is like that hot-cheese sauce,” Bush said.

At the meeting Haslam asked “As Republicans, what do we think the government’s role is in higher standards?” Sinking feeling!!! “What is the Governments role in higher standards?” Did Bill Haslam really ask that?

Jeb Bush went on to correct Governor Haslam and again reiterate, although falsely, that this is not a government program but a state led, school board, teacher and superintendent led education reform plan- emphasis added for maximum impact!

 Mr Bush added, “I’m a conservative, but this is a national imperative. We have close to no standards.” No standards? What have we been doing for the last 50 years?Just a note of interest, with Common Core there are actually much fewer standards than are currently in place, by the way Mr Bush.

Note to self, Bush’s and Haslam’s partnership and education foundation receives funding from major Republican Party donors as well as the philanthropic foundations run by Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg. 

“The event was hosted by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (S.C.O.R.E.), a Nashville think tank founded by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. Members of the Tennessee General Assembly were also in the audience, the source below reveals. The Bush-Haslam reform partnership came a few weeks into a legislative session where Tennessee lawmakers were expected to vote on controversial education bills, including a statewide authorizer for charter schools and a generous school voucher program. ” Another reform measure to take away our school board and parents voice. Bring on WGU.
http://m.wknofm.org/?utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fatthechalkface.com%2F2013%2F08%2F23%2Fhaslam-bush-wgu-and-mcgraw-hill%2F#mobile/25392

10) Charter Schools: Haslam signs bill making charter schools more accessible, his idea of bringing new businesses and jobs to TN.
http://news.tn.gov/node/7341

Haslam threatens to take away money from schools in TN for not implementing charter schools! Remember, this man is vested somehow and he doesn’t make a decision without a check in his hand.
http://nashvillepublicradio.org/blog/2012/08/16/haslam-backs-off-threats-to-withhold-state-money-from-mnps/

Charter schools jump 12 fold and growing under Haslams reign.
http://timesfreepress.com/news/2013/nov/17/charter-schools-prompt-concerns-about-money/?news

11) School Vouchers: The timeline continues. Remember Jeb Bush came to town and suggested it and Haslam assumed the lead!  It’s that simple! Does Haslam have an original thought?
http://m.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jan/14/gov-haslam-to-push-for-limited-school-voucher/

12)  WGU, Western Governors University an online Diploma mill, another venture for Bill Haslam coming out of the meeting with Jeb Bush. McGraw Hill  gets the nod to provide the material. . .” a landmark agreement to establish a “pay-for-performance” model in which McGraw-Hill will receive variable compensation for those WGU students who use MHE technology and services for a particular course and pass.”

Through the partnership, McGraw-Hill Education will provide e-books and access to industry-leading adaptive learning tools including McGraw-Hill LearnSmart to Western Governors University’s (WGU) online courses.” 

Meanwhile back in Tennessee just a few weeks later after Bush met with Haslam to talk corporate education reform, Haslam once again was doing the “I’m vested and will do whatever you want dance” and produced the following informercial on YouTube to promote a sweetheart deal to hand over $5 million in public money to set up an office for WGU in Tennessee., with Bill Gates kicking in $750,000.  This public largesse for an out-of-state corporate diploma mill comes at a time when public universities and community colleges can’t pay the light bills or cut the grass.  Please watch (it’s short):
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=O0uqrWSecpM

Could there ever be a sweeter corporate welfare deal?  Move right into the State, with taxpayer support and become a state university overnight!
http://atthechalkface.com/2013/08/23/haslam-bush-wgu-and-mcgraw-hill/

13) Bill Haslam, the United Nations via the Gates Foundation awarded $90 million to Memphis City Schools almost a year ago to improve teacher quality. Teacher quality? Are you beginning to
see where teacher evaluations, pay for performance complete with hiring and firing decisions, loss of teaching licenses based on a child’s performance on tests was born? 

 In attendance at this meeting was the then newly elected Governor Bill Haslam, who quickly accepted Gates money for Tennessee schools, but it didn’t come without the favor for money given. Does Bill Haslam do anything he is not told while a check is being written? It doesn’t seem so!

And Bill Gates praised the state’s (Haslams)  willingness to try new things:

“This idea of measuring teachers is very important because a teacher wants to know what they could do better…”

Gates also said  he “wants data to drive teacher evaluations nationwide!”

And as the attention turned to Haslam as the new Governor, Bill Gates essentially tells Haslam what he will do, with a 90 million dollar bribe of course and Haslam does it!

Melinda Gates, Bill Gates spouse offered this challenge to our spongy Governor,

“For a governor-elect, it’s really ‘Continue the course,’ and there will be tweaks to make along the way; there are going to be some hard times ahead, as you try to make sure you get an effective teacher in every classroom. It’s going to take some political will to do that with the parents and the teachers, but I think he’s very committed and we’re excited to be here, and will continue to work with whatever administration is here working in Tennessee.”

The Governor wet and soiled himself in this instance and has in one fell swoop appeased the United Nations/UNESCO/Education Reformer. Gates continued,  “I’m excited by the momentum around education reform, and will maintain it going forward.” Notice, no questions asked, Bill Gates says do it this way, and it is done. No questions asked! Done!

Gates, a UN puppet ended the meeting with this; “Countries with educational systems outperforming the United States academically all have three things in common:
— Students spend more time in school.
— Schools in different areas share the same curricula, or “common core,” meaning a student moving cross-country can arrive in a classroom studying the same material as the old one.
— Teachers get lots of feedback about their strengths and weaknesses.
 (Lets pretend that we don’t know that most countries only report their top students against our median average of all students, let’s leave that fact out of the equation, Mr Gates. Bill Haslam the whip has been  snapped and another set of bad policies are well on their way to
changing the way TN educates it’s children.
http://nashvillepublicradio.org/blog/2010/11/04/bill-and-melinda-gates-visit-praise-tennessee-on-education-reform/

Here is a picture of Bill Haslam and Bill Gates with Phil Bredesen at the meeting.
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/fdmi45fmj/bill-gates-phil-bredesen-bill-haslam/

Bill Gates inks agreement with UNESCO, given to Haslam, to do exactly what the UN wants him to do. Remember, not to long ago the Governor refused to sign off on the anti-Agenda 21 bill from the legislature and senate. Agenda 21 specifically addresses education in it’s plan. Gates and Haslam seem to know that!
UNESCO Agreement with Gates.

Click to access UNESCO-MS.pdf

14) Teacher Evaluations and pay. Bill gates said it, Haslam does it! Let’s rethink our teacher evaluations and tie their license to how well their students perform on tests and decrease their pay too!
http://news.tn.gov/node/8213

Haslam taps SCORE to do teacher evals! Cha Ching !
http://www.nooga.com/mobile/#149893/haslam-taps-score-to-review-new-teacher-evaluation-system/

15) Do I even need to post a link of what happens next, in true Haslam fashion, if it benefits him and you give him money, he’ll do it!

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today launched WGU Tennessee — http://tennessee.wgu.edu/ — an online, competency-based university aimed at expanding access to higher education for Tennesseans.

16) Haslam and K-12 investments led by Saudis? Again, the anthem repeated by Haslam. The following summary was provided by the link below ” It turns out that the system of federal subsidies to university programs of Middle East Studies (under Title VI of the Higher Education Act) has been serving as a kind of Trojan horse for Saudi influence over American K-12 education. Federally subsidized Middle East Studies centers are required to pursue public outreach. That entails designing lesson plans and seminars on the Middle East for America’s K-12 teachers. These university-distributed teaching aids slip into the K-12 curriculum without being subject to the normal public vetting processes. Meanwhile, the federal government, which both subsidizes and lends its stamp of approval to these special K-12 course materials on the Middle East, has effectively abandoned oversight of the program that purveys them (Title VI).
Enter the Saudis. By lavishly funding several organizations that design Saudi-friendly English-language K-12 curricula, all that remains is to convince the “outreach coordinators” at prestigious, federally subsidized universities to purvey these materials to America’s teachers. And wouldn’t you know it, outreach coordinators or teacher-trainers at a number of university Middle East Studies centers have themselves been trained by the very same Saudi-funded foundations that design K-12 course materials. These Saudi-friendly folks happily build their outreach efforts around Saudi-financed K-12 curricula.”
http://bwcentral.org/2013/11/prentice-hall-and-pearson-educations-libyan-ownership-and-islam-biased-textbooks/

17) Bill Haslam invests in K12. Yes he did and supposedly dumped his stock before running for office.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130909/NEWS0201/309090034/Gov-Haslam-invested-K12-education-company-one-time

18) For sake of time, I will only mention further radical groups that Haslam has embraced as a tool to change education results in our state of TN and they are SCORE, Teach for America, Students First and Achieve Inc ! It’s worthy to research these organizations because they are the catalyst to do the Governors dirty work!

In summary, you can easily see who is really driving education reform in TN and across the nation, big corporate money, special interests,  a seedy middle east influence, education reformers, self made millionaires, opportunists, big oil,  government controllers and they all have one thing in common and that is our Tn State Governor Bill Haslam. 

Other sources of information:

Pearson who are they?
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/1850169

Pockets of rebellion: Many educators are calling for Huffman and Haslam to stop their assault and push toward education reform.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/04/20759234-parents-teachers-join-pockets-of-rebellion-against-common-core?threadId=3830961&commentId=79453394#c79453394

http://www.networkforpubliceducation.org/news/tn-school-superintendents-ask-gov-haslam-to-rein-in-commissioner-huffman-the-tennessean/

Is Bill Haslam turning TN into Saudi Arabia?
http://www.zimbio.com/Mayor+Bill+Haslam/articles/oxAhrKLMukc/Governor+Haslam+tuning+Tennessee+Saudi+Arabia

http://education-curriculum-reform-government-schools.org/w/2013/03/pearsons-libyan-ownership-and-islam-biased-textbooks/

http://tn.gov/education/cte/Career_Clusters/Career_Clusters.shtml

An added bonus: Many other allegations about the Haslam dynasty.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130425/NEWS0201/304250057/Pilot-Flying-J-mess-could-hurt-Bill-Haslam-s-political-ambitions

Pearson Middle East
http://www.pearsonmiddleeastawe.com/

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/feb/28/libya-pearson-financial-times

Gadafis assets frozen
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/feb/27/gaddafi-family-assets-frozen-queen

Common Core: Arne Duncan speaks to “white moms” opposing reform, “your child, not as bright as you thought they were”

Common Core: Arne Duncan speaks to “white  moms” opposing reform, “your child, not as bright as you thought they were”

On Friday, November 15th, 2013, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, in a meeting with state education chiefs and Superintendents spoke regarding opposition to the Common Core State Standards. 

Speaking to parents, “white moms” upset with test results and weaknesses within the educational system Duncan had this to say:

“I  find it fascinating that opponents include “white suburban moms” who — all of a sudden discovered that their child isn’t as bright as they thought they were, and their school isn’t quite as good as they thought they were.”

Duncan apologized on Monday afternoon for the remark.

According to CNN, Duncan said: “My wording, my phrasing, was a little clumsy and I apologize for that.”

Soccer moms, those “white moms”, dads, parents, teachers and basically anyone concerned about how Common Core will affect their children have been completely dismissed by Duncan and with one comment has shown his insensitivity for parents concerned or opposed to Common Core.

The failure of the elite left swept up
in their own personal bubble of self righteousness have once again failed to listen to the populace that speaks against their so called weak reform measures.

Duncan is talking to concerned parents, who happen to be white, injecting race unnecessarily into a bitter fight over common core, deliberately talking down to parents as if to shame them into shutting up? Where is his shame?

Duncan fails to recognize that these “white moms,” these suburban moms, are mothers that care deeply about their children and what they are exposed to on a daily basis. Did he directly infer that “black moms” or other minorities don’t care about the education of their children? 

The disconnect of the education elite to not be sensitive to parents and teachers concerns is mind boggling to me. 

It seems in a perfect world the steam roller approach to education reform would not be necessary to apply. It seems a collective approach encompassing all would be the preferred, less controversial approach to reform.

One could argue that this block of mothers are driving the successes we have today and why are you trying to shame them into submission? 

To somehow minimize this concern and underhand a mothers efforts to assure her child receives a top notch education is beyond conceptual thought.

This recent “verbal blunder” by Duncan shows a willful intent to nationalize our educational system and concerned parents are not gonna stop him. 

It is evident that they will leave no one standing that dares to stand in their way of it’s implementation, fully revealing it’s purpose.

Duncan by his actions and speech confirms that the US Department of Education is not concerned with parents concerns about common core, its going forward regardless, instead focusing only on the standards and raising test scores, not well intended opposition.

We have seen this locally also where many “private meetings” are being held without parent input or allowed attendance. Parents! You are not a necessary ingredient in this recipe of reform!

Duncan revealed  his true feelings when he said “their child isn’t as bright as they thought they were, and their school isn’t quite as good as they thought they were.” 

This seems to echo Michelle Rhees type reform measures passed down to Tennessee Education Czar, her ex husband, Huffman and his little lap dog TN Governor Bill Haslam, where the impetus is that teachers and parents are why education in the US is so bad.

The top down bashing by the Secretary of Education speaks volumes of his agenda. 

There is a bigger picture and we got a glimpse of it Friday and it is bigger than you and I. 

We are in the way and the education plow is going to get you out of the way so their agenda can be fulfilled, regardless of how you think. 

My immediate questions are this and I would like for you to ponder these thoughts.  How are education reformist going to explain Common Core failures to a group of angry moms that tried to tell them it wouldn’t work in the first place?” How can raising standards assure academic success? Doesn’t  it take a village to educate a child? Doesnt it take an engaged white mom, or any mom or dad to raise the level of their childs education by being deeply involved in their education?  I would love to be a fly on the wall when that day arrives as poor results trickle in and parents realize that indeed, our kids are not as smart as we thought they were.

White moms and dads, everyone regardless of race, everywhere, stay engaged. Continue to attend school board meetings and demand your voice be heard on this issue. Write blogs, contact your elected officials and post info on social websites and make more people aware. This is our only defense. Get more active, stay active.

For Duncan to make such an insensitive racial comment shows me we are over the target, where the flak is heaviest and we are being heard!

We are where we need to be!

Sources of info:

CNN reports on “White Mom” comment.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/18/politics/duncan-comment-controversy/index.html

(Video) Fox News Megan Kelley reports on Duncan white mom comment.

Politico reports on “white mom” comment.
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=9F5C9690-85F5-4951-897F-8C7215D66382

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan apologizes for “White Mom” comment.
http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2013/11/19/dnt-marsh-arne-duncan-white-moms-remarks.cnn.html

Chamber conducts “private” meeting about Common Core, parents forced to stand outside and protest

Chamber conducts “private” meeting about Common Core, parents forced to stand outside and protest

11/19/2013

A protest is planned this Friday as once again a closed meeting is being conducted inside a taxpayer funded (yes the COC is partially funded with taxpayer revenue) venue about Common Core away from the general public.

If this does not convince you that something sinister is happening you will never be convinced of it. This is the second time in as many weeks that “private” meetings are being held and the public is not being invited about Common Core.

It is obvious that this is a deliberate attempt to slide an agenda into place without parent or school board influence or input. Corporatism and Nationalism of our schools are one of the biggest mistakes that can be made that affects our children.

The subversive and covert actions by these sinister organizations with a hidden agenda is surely enough to convince you that something is up and you are not supposed to know about it.

Here is a support letter from the Chamber of Commerce as it relates to Common Core. 

Corporate America and Big expansive Government is now running the show and the direction of our schools. School board influence is dwindling and parents can no longer direct decision making. This is a very sad statement.

Click to access StatementK12USChamberofCommerce.pdf

A message from Karen Bracken of Tennessee Against Common Core, tnacc.net .

Friends,
 
On Friday, November 22, 2013 the Cleveland/Bradley County Chamber of Commerce will be conducting a closed meeting for members only about Common Core with representatives from SCORE.  We plan to conduct an anti-Common Core rally outside the meeting.
 
We are speaking with Channel 12 and Times Free Press to cover the rally.  SO PLEASE grab your neighbors and join us on Friday, at 8:30am.   We suggest parking by Starbucks.  We will all gather there and then walk to the area where we will conduct our rally (the Chamber office is located in the same shopping center as Starbucks).   LETS SEND A HUGE LOUD message to the Chamber and to SCORE.
 
The Cleveland Starbucks is located at 653 West Inman St., Cleveland, TN.   Throw a coat on the kids and bring them with you.
 
Please share this information with neighbors, friends and relatives in the Bradley County area that might be interested in supporting our efforts.  Thanks.
 
Karen Bracken
http://www.tnacc.net
http://www.americadontforget.com
215-692-2147