Indiana Withdraws from PARCC #stopcommoncore

IAHE received this from the Governor's office.  The testing is only a concern to those families who enroll in public school.  Home education is privately-funded, so we are not required to use state testing.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 29, 2013

GOVERNOR PENCE ANNOUNCES INTENT TO WITHDRAW INDIANA AS A MEMBER FROM THE PARTNERSHIP FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF READINESS FOR COLLEGE AND CAREERS (PARCC) GOVERNING BOARD

Indianapolis – Governor Mike Pence today issued a letter to Mitchell Chester, Governing Board Chair of the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), in regard to withdrawing Indiana as a member of the PARCC Governing Board, effective August 12, 2013.

On May 11, 2013, the Governor signed HEA 1427 into law, which provides for a comprehensive evaluation, and allows for reconsideration, of the Common Core State Standards that were adopted by the State Board of Education in August of 2010. The legislation also curtails the state of Indiana’s participation in a consortium such as PARCC.

“Indiana’s educational standards must be rigorous, enable college and career readiness, and align with postsecondary educational expectations to best prepare our children to compete with their national and global peers,” said Governor Pence. “Assessments must also align with these high standards. I support the legislative intent of HEA 1427 and firmly believe it is the right and responsibility of the state to make independent, fiscally responsible decisions regarding standards and assessments for the good of all the people of Indiana.”

Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz must also submit a letter of intent to PARCC’s Governing Board Chair in order for the state’s withdrawal from the PARCC Governing Board to go into effect.

New IAHE Region 15 Representatives

We are pleased to announce that Jeff and Lori Bennett of Howard County are our new IAHE Region 15 Representatives!

                                                                              

Here's their story:

I grew up in Logansport, Indiana and Lori is from Santa Maria, California. We met while both of us were serving active duty in the Air Force at Nellis AFB, NV. We married there in 1988. We became Christians at the same time while stationed at Misawa Air Base, Japan on July 30, 1990. We found fellowship at the Misawa Hospitality House, a ministry of Cadence International. After much time spent with a homeschool family in our fellowship, we knew that we would homeschool. We didn’t know it at the time but, it would be another 9 years before we had children! In 1993, we were relocated to Offutt AFB, NE. We left military service in 1994 and then moved back to my child hood home of Logansport. I began a career working in Retail Management first with Wal-Mart and then later on, Staples. We spent the next several years getting ministry experience, educated in the Bible and then having kids.

It went from “famine to feast” at our house. We went 11 years with no children and then suddenly within 3 years, had 4 children! Our first son, Matthew was born in 1999. 

Our twins Joshua and Timothy followed 10 months later in 2000. Yes, I said “10 months later”! That is not a typo!  And then, our son Nicholas was born in 2002. We began homeschooling Matt in the fall of 2005.

We also entered full time ministry in 2005. We served as missionaries to the military with Cadence International. That journey involved a lot of travel and finally a move to Ft. Lewis, Washington. It was such an unbelievable privilege to serve our men and women in the armed forces. However, after five years, God convicted us that this was not the time in our children’s lives for us to be serving in military hospitality due to the labor intensive ministry out of our home. The ministry coupled with homeschooling was simply too much. Believing that our family is our “first” ministry, I returned to Retail Management. I am currently a manager at T.J. Maxx here in Kokomo, IN.

Apparently, God had some other plans for us too! We have had countless opportunities to encourage young families to consider and begin homeschooling. And, in 2010, we formed a Co-op along with three other families. Lori and I serve as the Coordinators for the Logansport Homeschool Co-op (LHC) of 27 families. This was and is an “unexpected” ministry and a HUGE blessing! God has blessed each step along the way!

We see the opportunity to serve as Regional Representatives as yet another opportunity to serve, support, and encourage other home school families. We are grateful for the opportunity to homeschool and to serve others in the journey! 

Common Core News #stopcommoncore

IAHE has learned that of the three legislative study sessions only one will be dedicated to review the standards.  From Heather Crossin, "Obviously, the "quality" of the math and ELA Standards are of utmost importance to many, who had hoped they would get a fair and thorough vetting.  With the time for each topic divided up evenly, it is likely that this crucial aspect will be short changed.  (The "cost" of implementation, on the other hand, will likely not require an entire four hours of discussion.)  In our opinion, testing and cost do not require the amount of time they have been allocated, while standards deserves more."

Even more unsettling is the fact that each witness will be given only ten minutes to speak. The people of Indiana fought hard this last session - they deserve for these hearings to result in a thorough review.  Furthermore, it is insulting that professors and others, some of whom are busy conducting research, should be asked to travel and take time off work to be given only ten minutes to present their findings.  

Action Item:  Please contact Senator Kruse at (317)232-9400 and Representative Behning at(317)232-9600 immediately to share your concern.  Respectfully, tell them that more time should be dedicated to looking at the standards themselves and, at the very least, the ten minute rule should be lifted.

Here is a link to an article that contains the details of the meeting.  

Have you marked your calendar for August 5, 1 p.m. for the first of the three legislative study meetings at the Statehouse?

A National Common Core Conference will be held at University of Notre Dame on September 9.  Details TBA.

How do I make time for that?!

I was with a group of moms recently, and we were all bemoaning the status of our weight. "How do you find time to exercise?" a friend asked. Her question took me back 15 years to a conversation when I asked, "With all these children, a husband, home school--how do I find time for morning devotions?"

A friend gently responded, "You don't find time; you make time."

She then went on to teach me one of the most important lessons of my life. "Everyone has the same 24 hours," she said. "Nobody finds more time than someone else--they just make different uses of their 24 hours.

Time limits are really a gift from God. When you look at how you spend your time, you are looking at what you've made most important. The real question is--do you want your present time investments to define your life? If not, make some different choices."

While I was inwardly cringing (and a little resentful that she didn't have more sympathy for all that was on my plate), I couldn't deny the truth in her words. Everyone has the same 24 hours. If people were accomplishing things I was not, they were simply making different choices with their time.

Did I need to make some different choices?

More importantly--what time investments did I want to define my life?

Mike and I made the choice to let God define the size of our family. God was generous. That choice led to some time investments--diapers, nursings, spit-ups, settling quarrels. I wasn't missing the important; I was living the important. Just  realizing that I was spending my time on the priorities I wanted to define my life--the nurture and care of my children--made me feel less overwhelmed by the sense that others were doing so much more than me.

My friend's encouragement to make time for the important also pushed me to get up earlier to make time for being with God. If I truly wanted to nurture these children, I had to be fed and guided by Him. That couldn't happen without some time alone with Him. I had 20 minutes that could be spent on sleep or time with Him. I wanted time with Him more.

Recent life has taught me that sometimes life circumstances define our choices. Or, as God puts it, "The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." Proverbs 16:9. Mike's stroke has me spending enormous time blocks on areas I would never choose--paperwork, therapy, the "man" jobs of the house. Yet, how I carry these out--emotionally, spiritually, physically--brings concreteness to the choice I made 30 years ago to be with Mike for better or worse till death parted us. I'm now spending my time keeping that promise. That's a legacy I want to leave.

As home schoolers our plates are so full. It's easy to go from one thing to the next. Yet, how we spend our time defines our lives. We won't just find time for the important. If we aren't accomplishing what we want--we must invest time differently.

Meanwhile, as we intentionally focus on where our time goes--we might just discover our passing moments really do live out the important. It's hard to anticipate how big choices will look day-to-day. When we intentionally examine our time and find we are living the priorities, we can thank God that the limits on time affirm that we are following His plan for our steps.

Tess Worrell writes and speaks to groups regarding issues of family life and living as a Godly woman. She and husband, Mike Worrell, live in Madison, Indiana, where they are in their 14th year of home schooling. She would love to hear your insights. Comment here or email her at tess@YourFamilyMatterstous.com. If you would like Tess to speak to your home school or church group, you can learn more about her speaking at YourFamilyMatterstous.com.

Indiana Association Of Home Educators (IAHE)

The Indiana Association of Home Educators (IAHE) is a non-profit organization founded in 1983 to support and encourage Indiana families interested in home education. As a state homeschool organization, we maintain visibility with civil government leaders, monitor and seek to influence the legislative process to protect our freedom to home educate, publish information of interest to home educators, and sponsor an annual state-wide home educators’ convention in Indianapolis and other seminars and events to encourage families.

Volunteer homeschooling couples make up the IAHE board of directors. Sixteen regional representative couples serve as direct links between local support groups and the IAHE board.  Contact your Regional Representatives at R_@inhomeeducators.org. (Put the appropriate region number after the R.)  To learn more about your region, see the IAHE website. 

IAHE publishes a quarterly magazine, The IAHE Informer. Subscriptions are free upon request, but a $12 donation is appreciated.  Sign up for a subscription on the IAHE website.  

You can keep up to date with Indiana home education information by requesting a free account on the IAHE website.  When you register, you will receive the IAHE's Legislative Updates.  IAHE can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.  In addition, IAHE has a Blog with various forms of encouragement, parenting tips, and information.

IAHE relies on HSLDA for legal counsel, but IAHE has the "boots on the ground" at the Indiana Statehouse.  We need your financial support to enable us to better protect Hoosiers' home education freedom.   Financial donations should be mailed to IAHE, 3391 W 1000 S, Pendleton, IN 46064.

Subscription inquiries and other correspondence should be directed to IAHE, P.O. Box 217, Stilesville, IN 46180. Phone: (317) 467-6244. Fax: (317) 467-6246. E-mail: info@inhomeeducators.org . Web site: www.iahe.net.  

UN Disabilities Treaty Could Come up Next Week—Call and Visit Now

Action Item from @HSLDA.  #stopCRPD

Help defeat this treaty again.

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,

Yesterday, The Hill reported that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) will be resurrected. The Hill is correct about this. But we do not know when it will be brought back up for consideration in the U.S. Senate. We have heard that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee may hold hearings next week, or later in July, or sometime in September.

Your calls to senators after we heard that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was planning a June 4 hearing on the treaty resulted in the hearing being postponed. The longer the treaty is delayed, the more we are able to expose the dangers it poses to parental rights, homeschool freedom, and our nation’s sovereignty. This treaty would restrict the ability of the U.S. to adopt policies that protect people with disabilities because it surrenders this right to unaccountable (and many times corrupt) bureaucrats at the United Nations. (On a related note, you may be interested in reading about the furor that surrounded a recent UN honor to Robert Mugabe.)

Action Requested

The U.S. Senate is on recess this week in honor of Independence Day. We urge you to take your friends and family and visit your senators at their district offices. Please also call their Washington, D.C. offices and give them this simple message:

“I urge you to oppose the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This treaty surrenders U.S. sovereignty to unelected UN bureaucrats and will threaten parental care of children with disabilities. Our nation already has laws to protect Americans with disabilities. This treaty is unnecessary and will hurt families by giving bureaucrats the power to decide what is in the best interests of a child with disabilities, not the child’s parents.”
Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. To find the specific phone numbers, district offices, or webpages for your two U.S. senators (their personal webpages will include the full list of their district offices) please visit HSLDA’s Legislative Toolbox and select your state. To find out more about the CRPD or print out materials for your visit with your senators, please click here. To read the text of the CRPD, please click here.

It is likely that the staff who answer the phones or who meet with you will tell you that they haven’t heard about the treaty coming back. Politely tell them that while you know there is no scheduled hearing date, you want to make sure that if and when the treaty is brought back your senators know that citizens across this nation staunchly oppose ceding any authority to the United Nations.

Thank you for joining us in this battle to protect our children and our children’s future. You defeated this treaty last year. Standing together, we can defeat this treaty once again.

For liberty,

Mike Smith
HSLDA President