This comes to us from the AFA of Indiana Weekly Email written by Micah Clark.
Education in Indiana consumes roughly half of our state budget. The issue itself is an enormous one that can feel like trying to wrap your arms fully around a Volkswagen Beetle. Even when I served on the Governor’s Education Roundtable, the amount of information that we were given about education issues and reforms was enormous.
The sheer volume of information and all the connections tied to various agencies concerning education issues over the years has at times seemed to feed a lot of scare tactics and conspiracy theorists who bemoan the direction of education.
Yet, when a respected national leader like the Heritage Foundation warns that Indiana’s schools are being taken over by the federal government, all Hoosiers should take note. What is more concerning is that it appears as though we may be turning over our authority voluntarily.
The issue surrounds a program called “Common Core Standards” and Indiana is one of the states that have signed onto these standards in place of our own state standards. In fact, one high placed state representative in education issues made an off hand comment to me last week “with common core, the I-STEP test won’t really matter in a few years.” The state I-Step test is sacrosanct to many in state government. There seems to be disagreement among experts I have asked if these common core standards will, in fact, spell the demise of I-STEP in favor of a federally composed test. If it ever does happen, private schools taking vouchers are going to be in an interesting situation.
We have posted a must read Op-Ed from the Heritage Foundation that ties the Common Core Standards to the news you may have heard last week of Indiana receiving a “waiver” from the Federal Government concerning “No Child Left Behind.” Usually a waiver is a good thing, but under this administration, even a waiver seems to be an opportunity for more government control.
Two weeks ago, the Senate Education Committee rejected a bill by State Senator Scott Schneider to opt Indiana out of the Common Core program in favor of maintaining our own state standards. The bill failed by one vote after Dr. Tony Bennett, an ardent supporter of Common Core testified against the bill. Interestingly, education experts from various think tanks, including the Hoover Institute had flown in to Indiana just to testify in support of the bill and to warn us not to go along with this program.
This afternoon the Senate Education Committee is expected to pass Senate Bill 25, also by Sen. Schneider, which sets up a summer study committee to investigate the pros and cons of Indiana’s involvement in the Common Core Standards program and report back to the 2013 legislature. (I have questions out to some national experts in regard to how or if this program might impact private and home school freedoms.) In any event, you should take a couple of minutes to read the article on the front of our web site to learn more about this matter at http://www.afain.net
The sheer volume of information and all the connections tied to various agencies concerning education issues over the years has at times seemed to feed a lot of scare tactics and conspiracy theorists who bemoan the direction of education.
Yet, when a respected national leader like the Heritage Foundation warns that Indiana’s schools are being taken over by the federal government, all Hoosiers should take note. What is more concerning is that it appears as though we may be turning over our authority voluntarily.
The issue surrounds a program called “Common Core Standards” and Indiana is one of the states that have signed onto these standards in place of our own state standards. In fact, one high placed state representative in education issues made an off hand comment to me last week “with common core, the I-STEP test won’t really matter in a few years.” The state I-Step test is sacrosanct to many in state government. There seems to be disagreement among experts I have asked if these common core standards will, in fact, spell the demise of I-STEP in favor of a federally composed test. If it ever does happen, private schools taking vouchers are going to be in an interesting situation.
We have posted a must read Op-Ed from the Heritage Foundation that ties the Common Core Standards to the news you may have heard last week of Indiana receiving a “waiver” from the Federal Government concerning “No Child Left Behind.” Usually a waiver is a good thing, but under this administration, even a waiver seems to be an opportunity for more government control.
Two weeks ago, the Senate Education Committee rejected a bill by State Senator Scott Schneider to opt Indiana out of the Common Core program in favor of maintaining our own state standards. The bill failed by one vote after Dr. Tony Bennett, an ardent supporter of Common Core testified against the bill. Interestingly, education experts from various think tanks, including the Hoover Institute had flown in to Indiana just to testify in support of the bill and to warn us not to go along with this program.
This afternoon the Senate Education Committee is expected to pass Senate Bill 25, also by Sen. Schneider, which sets up a summer study committee to investigate the pros and cons of Indiana’s involvement in the Common Core Standards program and report back to the 2013 legislature. (I have questions out to some national experts in regard to how or if this program might impact private and home school freedoms.) In any event, you should take a couple of minutes to read the article on the front of our web site to learn more about this matter at http://www.afain.net
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