Alabama's Educational Standards and Criteria is OURS not to be dictated by the Federal Government.
- Download the petition to get Governor Bentley's attention to the dangers of Common Core. The original signatures must be in the mail no later than Friday, 17Oct, to Common Sense Campaign, P.O. Box 7646, Spanish Fort, AL 36577. The petitions will soon thereafter be personally delivered to the Governor.
- The most comphrensive resource package to take on common core in Alabama and right down to your county and local school boards. Posted on-line by Freedworks.org
- The best presentation I have seen exposing Common Core here in Alabama. Presented by my friend Ann Eubank of the Rainy Day Patriots. If you are really interested in protecting our children's education this is a must see-video.
- Alabama's central source for information opposing Common Core can be found at Alabamians United for Excellence in Education (AUEE).
- Press Release of April 11, 2013 upon a House amendment prohibiting the Superintendent of Education from diverting millions to benefit Common Core.
- Common Core will not benefit our students, specifically our minority and poor students.
- Points that WILL cause you some thought
- Bill Ayers, revolutionary and friend of President Obama
- Taxpayers will be paying dearly
- Data collection to the nth degree
- Open letter to Republican Leadership ...read AND an outstanding reinforcement of the message
- RESPONSE TO EDITORIAL BY JOEY KENNEDY
The Birmingham News; Sunday; March 17, 2013
By Elois Zeanah, President, Alabama Federation of Republican Women
eloisz@hotmail.comAs a grassroots volunteer, I would like to correct some of the misinformation concerning the Common Core curricula as published in the Birmingham News by Editor Joey Kennedy in his column on Sunday, March 17. Since I’m not a paid lobbyist or elected politician, I was surprised at the scorn and attention I drew from Mr. Kennedy. Common Core is one of the major issues facing this State, and I believe the people of Alabama deserve to know the truth.
Common Core does not prepare students well for college. Many education experts document this, including one of the creators of Common Core, Dr. Jason Zimba, whom Mr. Kennedy would like as a fellow liberal. Dr. Zimba states that Common Core defines “college readiness” as preparation for a two-year community college, not a four-year college.
The states did not develop Common Core standards. Common Core was written by Achieve, Inc. under the auspices of the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Both are trade associations, and members have no legislative authority to represent states. Both received millions of dollars to support and “shield” the writing of the Common Core standards from Congress, the public, and the press. While Mr. Kennedy may approve of national standards, I would hope as a newspaper man that he would disapprove of the lack of transparency.
Alabama cannot retain its education sovereignty under Common Core. Unlike past education reforms, parents, teachers, boards of education and/or legislators cannot change the standards for any reason since they are copyright by an entity outside Alabama. Nor can states fully control curriculum, assessments, tests, and all the rest, since these must be aligned 100% with Common Core. Yet Mr. Kennedy takes the word of “state Superintendent Tommy Bice” who “assured lawmakers the state Board of Education would retain sovereignty over state education standards” without questioning or checking this false claim. Nor did he question the unauthorized diversion of $50 million from the Alabama Reading and Math Initiatives, the most successful academic innovations in Alabama history, to pay for Common Core instead. Every legislator we’ve shown the documentation has admitted that he was unaware of this diversion and that it was not authorized by the Legislature. Do we have a state Board of Education that’s out of control and feels it can run roughshod over the Legislature? Wouldn’t this scandal be more worthy of ink than a personal attack against a grassroots volunteer?
At the end of his editorial, Mr. Kennedy comments, perhaps sarcastically, that despite the vote by a Senate committee on the repeal of Common Core, that “Zeanah and friends” will “keep making noise – because that’s what they do.” That is the public process and thank goodness, many of us are still willing to get involved, despite the risks of being personally attacked, and to speak out to protect our children -- because that’s what we do.
We ask that the Alabama Legislature “dare defend our rights” and exercise their duty under the Alabama Constitution as our last line of defense to protect our children from nationalized education, dictated by entities outside of Alabama – because that’s what they are supposed to do.
- 8March2013: The meeting scheduled and called by Senator Brewbaker did not go off as planned. Other than again showing favoritism while we played by the rules a vote was not taken. Word has it SB190 is still on the table and we are working hard for its approval in defeating Common Core. In the mean time the senate Education Policy Committee members and Pro Tem Del Marsh must be "encouraged" to listen and walk the walk the people are requesting:
- Dick Brewbaker, Chair, 334/279-0174 or 334/242-7896, dick@dickbrewbaker.com
- Gerald Allen, 205/371-6330 or 334/242-7861, ghallen62@yahoo.com
- Slade Blackwell, 205/396-1144 or 334/242-7856, SB@SladeBlackwell.com
- Bill Holtzclaw, 256/651-5921 or 334/343-7842, holtzclaw@knology.net(very important!!)
- Del Marsh, 256/237-8647 or 334/242-7112
- Shad McGill, 256/218-3090 or 334/242-7890, jclegislativedelegation@gmail.com
- Trip Pittman, 251/621-0535 or 334/242-7849, trip.pittman@alsenate.gov
- Quinton Ross, Vice Chair, 334/242-7880, Quinton.Ross@alsenate.gov
- Vivian Davis Figures, 334/242-7871, vivian.figures@alsenate.gov
- Hank Sanders, 334/875-9263, (334) 242-7860
Continue to full court press on the for support of HB254, sponsored by Jim Barton, with the House Education Policy Committee: Point of contact for the committee: Committee Clerk: Karen Reeves (334) 242-7251
- Chair; Mary Sue McClurkin
- Vice Chair; Phil Williams
- Ranking Minority Member; Marcel Black
- Elaine Beech
- Mac Buttram
- Ed Henry
- Thomas Jackson
- Joseph Mitchell
- Kerry Rich
- David Sessions
- Lesley Vance
- Educational programs in Montana are not off base here in Alabama
- Common Core Brochure and Flyer prepared by Alabama Federation of Republican Women
- A new Resource Guide titled Reasons to Rescind & Defund CCSSI To Save Alabama Values & States Rights can be viewed in pdf format.
- : Alabama GOP Executive Committee overwhelmingly passed the resolution to "Retain Local Control of K-12 Education by Parents and States." By this action the ALGOP is "asking the state legislature to withdraw from Common Core, to ban the collection and sharing of highly personal and non-academic information on students, and to ensure that future decisions which revolutionize education standards be widely advertised and members of the public get a chance to give input -- unlike what the state board of education did with Common Core," as reported by Elois, a member of the Executive Committe and author of the resolution.
- New docs posted 3Feb
Did you know your children and grandchildren's education is gradually being molded and removed by those in Washington, DC?
Turning back Common Core is vital to every student. During 2014 a point of no return will be crossed in rejecting this national educational program. Therefore, action MUST be taken during the 2013 legislative session to defund and put our hands behind our backs when the feds offer any carrot grown with our tax dollars.
As we all know, the federal government wants to contral each of us from cradle to grave. Per our Constitution all of this educational reach and most of what the federal government has been doing to us, as compared to for us, is unconstitutional.
must see:
- Glenn Beck examines data mining of our children, corporate involvement and host three guests with comments that should scare all.
- Michelle Malkin on Common Core Corrupts part 1 and part 2.
- Karen Bracken of Kentucky's turnback efforts here.
- American Principles Project on Common Core.
- Former Texas Commissioner of Education Robert Scott speaking at a joint committee meeting in Georgia in 2013.
- Professor Sandra Stotsky and Ze'ev Wurman comments in Montgomery November 2011.
- Georgia's press conference for the state to pull from Common Core.
Questions and your willingness to come to the State House for public comment committee meetings should be directed to Elois.
