- “America’s downfall doesn’t begin with the ‘low information voter.’ It starts with the no-knowledge student. For decades, collectivist agitators in our schools have chipped away at academic excellence in the name of fairness, diversity, and social justice. ‘Progressive’ reformers denounced Western-civilization requirements, the Founding Fathers, and the Great Books as racist. They attacked traditional grammar classes as irrelevant in modern life. They deemed grouping students by ability to be bad for self-esteem. They replaced time-tested techniques and standard algorithms with fuzzy math, invented spelling, and multicultural claptrap.” ~ Michelle Malkin, National Review Online
- “Under this new government-driven regime of testing and accountability, schools are no longer the schools I attended, taught in, or led. This new breed of accountability-driven schools is more interested in reaching some number at the end of the school year than with my grandson’s deep–and untestable–need to be known, respected, and educated. While these goals are still pursued at Sidwell [attended by Obama’s daughters], they no longer exist in schools that are focused on AYP [Adequate Yearly Progress] and reaching the top. When President Obama talks about good schools, he is talking about schools for other people’s children, not his own.” ~ Alan C. Jones, principal-mentor and education consultant
- “My experience with the Common Core Standards started when I was asked to sign on to them before they were written . . . I was told I needed to sign a letter agreeing to the Common Core, and I asked if I might read them first, which is, I think, appropriate. I was told they hadn’t been written, but they still wanted my signature on the letter. And I said, ‘That’s absurd; first of all, I don’t have the legal authority to do that because our [Texas] law requires our elected stated board of education to adopt curriculum standards with the direct input of Texas teachers, parents, and business. So adopting something that was written behind closed doors in another state would not meet my state law . . . Then I was told, ‘Oh, no, no, a state that adopts Common Core must adopt in its entirety the Common Core and can only add 15percent . . .” ~ Robert Scott, then commissioner of education in Texas
