Big Solutions: Now That Maine Has Adopted the “Core”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Maine, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) April 14, 2011 --

Houlton, Me. April 15, 2011- Having adopted the Common Core (CCSSI), so called education experts both in Maine and elsewhere, suggest that finally we are on the road to improved testing scores for our schools. The Thomas Fordham Institute to which Bill Gates is a contributor, gave the Maine Learning Results a C- and has been pushing CCSSI nationally. How convenient! Maine's new Commissioner of Education, Stephen Bowen, formerly of the Maine Heritage Policy Center (a neoconservative think tank), believes students and teachers need clear expectations so schools can begin the task of adjusting their curriculum to more rigorous standards. Wasn't that the intention of the Learning Results back in '94 when Maine adopted those standards?

The Constitutional Coalition has grave concerns along with educators and parents that the adoption of the Core may be just another attempt at reforming education in our schools by TEACHING TO THE TEST. Research has shown that high stakes test can lead to a watering down of the curriculum. The CC is suggesting that the very nature of reform after reform adoption in Maine coupled with high stakes test of those standards has led Maine down the path of declinning scores for our students. Decades of reform have driven Maine students away from proven methodologies and hence the apparent decline. What is even more absurd is that Maine has now adopted a national curriculum. Some states like Texas turned down the offer to adopt the Common Core siting their desire for control over what happens in their schools at the local level. The Constitutional Coalition is extremely concerned about losing control of our schools at the local level and question the need for a national curriculum.

The CC realizes that early Amrican education was rooted in the desire to create American citizens who understood that our freedoms are based in a literate citizenry imbued with an understanding of natural law, the Constitution, , the elements needed for maintenance of a free society, etc. The current reform crowd clearly have a globalist orientation and a bent toward a 'one size fits all' system of education which can be directly tied to America's involvement in UNESCO. Citing a position paper by UNESCO entitled “Towards a Conceptual Model of Life Long Learning” makes it clear that the goal is top down control of education through a national/international curriculum of standards for all students and paired with a national teacher certification. Going even further the UN says....”local boards of education should not themselves be elected bodies, but should be appointed.”

In “Schooling for a Global Age” by the Rockefeller Foundation-connected author James Becker, the cat got out of the bag when he said....'otherwise children and youth enrolled in globally oriented programs may find themselves in conflict with values assumed in the home.”

The Constitutional Coalition wants to know why Maine has now adopted a national curriculum. Why should the Maine taxpayer foot the bill for another reform when many of those past reforms have failed Maine before? All of Maine's citizens should demand an answer from their elected officials as to the reason why they voted for the implementation of the Common Core. They still represent us, the taxpayer, don't they?

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