What you can do to STOP Common Core

Across the nation, many people are beginning to raise concerns about implementing Common Core in our schools.

Wondering what you can do?  Here are some suggestions that add to what you’ll find in Truth in American Education’s action center tool kit.

1) Check this map of the U.S. to see if legislative educational liberty movements are happening in your state.

2) Check this spreadsheet to see if there are people fighting common core in your state and join them.

3) If nothing is happening at all in your state, do an internet search for Race to the Top application  (name your own state) and find the application from Jan. 2010
4) Go to your state school board’s minutes site and find out at which meeting the CCSS were approved (June 2, 2010 the standards were finalized… states such as Illinois approved them 22 days later!)
5) Like “Truth in American Education“ because this is a main hub for national cooperation.

6) Start speaking to friends, teachers and family about common core — many use Facebook FB, Twitter, Pinterest, email, etc.

7) Call or write your state representatives.

8) Sign your state’s educational liberty petition  or start one.  If you need assistance, ask people from other states for help.

9) Attend local and state school board meetings and visit or call your state superintendent to find out who actually cares about this issue.  Sample questions to ask:

• Where can I read our state’s cost analysis for implementing Common Core and its tests?
• What is the amendment process for Common Core standards if we find out they are not working for us?
• Where can I see for myself the evidence that Common Core standards have been proven to be of superior quality and that they are internationally benchmarked?
• Where can I see for myself evidence that Common Core’s transformations  (deleting cursive, minimizing classic literature, moving away from traditional math, etc.) –will benefit our children?
• What is the American process of representation of individuals in the Common Core education and assessments  system?
• Does it seem good that the meetings of the standards writers (the CCSSO/NGA) are all closed-door meetings?
• I read that there is a 15% cap on a state adding to the Core; so what do we do if we need to add a whole lot more to actually prepare our children well?
• Although I have been told that Common Core is state-led, I missed the invitation to discuss this before it was decided for me and my children; please explain the analysis and vetting process for the upcoming national science and social studies standards.
• The Constitution assigns education to the states, not to the federal government.  Also, the federal General Educational Provisons Act (GEPA) states: “No provision of any applicable program shall be construed to authorize any department, agency, officer, or employee of the United States to exercise any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum, program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational institution, school, or school system, or over the selection of library resources, textbooks, or other printed or published instructional materials by any educational institution or school system…“    In light of this, please explain why our state has agreed to intense micromanagement by the federal government under Common Core testing.