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Reports, bills, and other documents which help explain past and current education policies.

U.S. House of Representatives passes onerous HR5 — with Republicans’ support

Wednesday, July 8, 2015, despite many phone calls from citizens against the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as No Child Left Behind, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill which helps cement the Common Core, its assessments, and intrusive data-collection into place. Also a prominent feature of the bill is an emphasis on the social emotional aspect of students even though parents want more emphasis on academics.

The vote was 218-213.  All 218 of the “yes” votes were cast by Republicans.

See the voting results.   Read a commentary by Emmett McGroarty here.

This means it is even more important than ever to stop the corresponding bill in the US Senate.  Call your U.S. Senators, and tell them to vote “No” on the “Every Child Achieves Act,”  S1177.

The Capitol Switchboard number is (202) 224-3121,  or toll free (877) 762-8762

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ALERT: Stop the federal ECAA (Every Child Achieves Act)

Please call your Congressman/Congresswoman and federal Senators to stop the Every Child Achieves Act (ECAA – S 1177) in the Senate and the Student Success Act (SSA – HR 5) in the House. These are updates of the No Child Left Behind Act. Federal moneys to the states started with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, begun—unconstitutionally—by Lyndon Johnson in 1965. The Tenth amendment states that the powers not delegated by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. Control of Education is one of those powers not delegated to the federal government.

Read the alert notice from our friends at Education Liberty Watch here.

It would be better if the ESEA were left to expire and control of education was returned to the states.

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Vote No on Initiative 1351

Please vote No on Initiative I-1351.

Initiative I-1351 calls for the lowering of class size in Washington State .

CURE does not support I-1351, not because we like large class sizes, but because it is an expensive remedy for education problems, and in austere times, policy-makers must make careful, cost-effective choices.

It would be wonderful if class sizes in Washington were small, and teachers could devote their attention to each student’s needs. However, the Washington state Office of Financial Management (OFM) estimates that over four years this initiative could cost as much as $6.6 billion in state and  local funding—higher taxes and levies for you, the taxpayer.

Is it worth the price?

According to a 2011 Brookings Institute report “There is no research from the U.S. that directly compares CSR (Class-size Reduction) to specific alternative investments, but one careful analysis of several educational interventions found CSR to be the least cost effective of those studied,“(emphasis added).  The same report also states that supporters of smaller class sizes “cherry-pick their evidence”.

There are other considerations. An Education Week commentary explains that in California , when a new class-size reduction law went into effect in 1996, teachers had to be hired quickly, and many inexperienced teachers, some with only emergency credentials, were brought on board causing major problems. In addition, the lack of a sufficient number of classrooms resulted in the use of non-classroom spaces such as closets, and more portables had to be brought in—an additional cost.

There are other less-expensive solutions for improving education, such as:

  • eliminating or at least scaling down the costly and anxiety-producing system of assessments,
  • eliminating preschool and kindergarten assessments, including preschool data-collection efforts,
  • eliminating the intrusive and costly collection of personal student information from preschool through college,
  • improving the curriculum (e.g. rejecting the Common Core) which would eliminate the need for extra tutors, summer school, and other remedial measures,
  • improving discipline so that classrooms can better focus on academics,
  • eliminating some of the “in-service” time periods during which students are not in school,
  • eliminating the “double-dipping” policy whereby retired administrators can return to work and collect a salary in addition to their pension,
  • scaling back the emphasis on all-day kindergarten,
  • eliminating the push for universal preschool, especially since studies show that preschool advantages fade out by second or third grade, and that preschool children suffer socially and emotionally the longer they are away from their parents.
  • A related savings could be achieved by eliminating the entire Department of Early Learning, without which the states’ private and governmental preschool system functioned well until the department’s creation in 2006.

The Washington Education Association supports I-1351 stating its concern for the students’ welfare. However, another reason is its desire to increase the membership rolls and add dues to the coffers. That may be the reason it is pursuing this remedy over alternate ways of improving instruction.

In summary, the Brookings Institute report states that the question is not,” ‘Does this policy have any positive effect?’ but rather ‘Is this policy the most productive use of these educational dollars?’ “

I would say, “No.” Please reject Initiative I-1351.

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“Teaching and Learning Mathematics” – March 2000 – the “experts” say math isn’t about getting the right answer.

Teaching and Learning Mathematics is a compilation of research from the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. We were stunned to learn that finding the right answer to a math problem was no longer the point of mathematics class! On page 58, the manual describes the following as “dysfunctional mathematical beliefs”:

1. The goal of mathematical activity is to provide the correct answer to given problems, which always are well defined and have predetermined, exact solutions.
2. The nature of mathematical activity is to recall and apply algorithmic procedures appropriate to the solution of the given problems.
3. The nature of mathematical knowledge is that everything (facts, concepts, and procedures) is either right or wrong with no allowance for a gray area.

See for yourself. Click here and scroll down to page 58.

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Promoting Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance

See what our government has in mind with respect to collecting data from the children and using it to “improve” education. Although this US Department of Education report is still a draft, it is valuable as a glimpse into the minds of the elites who plan to shape our children.
Read the report.

FERPA changes loosen students’ and parents’ privacy rights

FERPA is the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. On 12/02/2011, this administration published the final report on the changes it made to the Act. Educational and governmental agencies may now authorize more people and agencies to handle private student information, and those agencies, in turn, may authorize others to handle the information. The agencies […]

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The law that brought School-to-Work and Standards-based education to Washington

“..reading, writing, speaking, science, history, geography, mathematics, and critical thinking. ……” Before 1993 when Washington state adopted the education “reform” law– EHSB 1209— education included these subjects. In 1993, these subjects were replaced with “Essential Academic Learning Requirements” also known as EALRs. These EALRs appeared to include solid subject matter, but they ushered in an […]

Senator Rubio’s letter to Secretary of Education Duncan: Common Core Standards are illegal

In September of 2011, as the Common Core State Standards were being completed, Senator Marco Rubio wrote a letter asking Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to justify his program, since there were at least three laws stating that such a program was illegal. Read Senator Rubio’s letter. In the letter he cites three laws that […]

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The General Education Provisions Act – prohibits a national curriculum

Senator Marco Rubio, in his letter to Secretary Arne Duncan, cites the General Education Provisions Act as one of the laws prohibiting a national curriculum. That prohibition, along with other directives, are in the citation which states: “No provision of any applicable program shall be construed to authorize any department, agency, officer, or employee of […]

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No Child Left Behind Act prohibits a federal curriculum and tests.

As we have stated before, education is not an enumerated power of the federal government under the U.S. Constitution’s Article I, Section 8. It is a power delegated to the States respectively, or to the people as stated in the 10th Amendment. Nevertheless, we have numerous federal education laws. We are somewhat fortunate in that […]

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