State Senator Scott Schneider
BEECH GROVE, INDIANA, January 22, 2013 — The Indiana Republican Assembly (INRA) rejects the lowered standards for Indiana schoolchildren developed by Washington-based interest groups and pushed by the Obama administration. We endorse Indiana State Senator Scott Schneider’s effort to repeal Indiana’s ill-adopted Common Core State Standards and replace them with Indiana produced standards.
Senator Schneider has put forward Senate Bill 193 calling for Indiana to withdraw from the Common Core Standards.
Not only do the Common Core Standards lower Indiana’s math and English standards but the entire process bypasses parents, local, and state school boards and their elected officials. We echo Phyllis Schafly in maintaining that “Obama Core” should be held unconstitutional because the federal government has no constitutional power over education.
The national tests for students are tied to teacher evaluations. The standards instruct teachers what to teach their pupils so students can pass the tests and teachers receive positive evaluations. The federal government has been pressuring states to adopt the Common Core in order to be eligible for the $4.5 billion Race to the Top funds that originated with the stimulus package, and as a condition for receiving waivers to No Child Left Behind.
About the Indiana Republican Assembly
The Indiana Republican Assembly is an official charter of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies, “the Republican Wing of the Republican Party”, one of the oldest and largest GOP organizations in America. INRA, an independent expenditure Super PAC, supports Reagan conservative candidates and their causes and is dedicated to electing true conservatives to lead the Republican Party. INRA meets monthly at Pipers Café on Indy’s Southside.
Truth in American Education Information 
IObama had nothing to do with the impetus for these standards. These are NOT federal standards – states had a choice. I understand the connection to the funding but states agreed to developing a common set of standards prior to RttT. They believed it was the best thing for students.
Why is it so bad to have a common foundation for all students. This is the first time states are able to have common converstations about reaching the needs of all learners. Local school boards know their individual contexts but dont have the funds to access the best researchers in education in order to build high quality standards.
I am personally happy that my child will be able to have many more opportunities to engage with informational text and will be able to understand math, rather than merely regurgitate facts and processes back.
It doesnt make sense to have 50 different sets of standards or even more if we left it to the local levels. It doesnt mean that IN has lower standards, they can still use their “higher” standards to help contextualize the standards and build a solid curriculum at the local levels. It isnt an “or” it should be an “and”. Even with their “higher” standards IN was not helping all students be prepared for Careers,College and to be productive members of their communities. There needs to be a common ground we can all work from and we need to focus on working together to find solutions and common ground instead of always fighting.
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I’m sorry, but how are these not federal standards? Sure, a few states were instrumental in drafting the original plan, but it is the federal DoE that is pushing the implementation of CC. Several IN senators who support common core have admitted as much.
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Each state had to go through their own processes and state boards to adopt the standards. They were not crafted by a few states, there was an MOU that was signed by many states stating they were interested in the work, then scholars were brought together to draft the standards, then there was a period for public comment and then each state had to make the decision to adopt the standards or not. It was purely a state by state decision. The federal DoE is not pushing it and they had nothing to do with the development or adoption of the standards. They do not and should not have a role in implementation, that is a state and local process, not a federal government role.
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Nobody is saying the DOE developed the standards, but to say they are not pushing them is simply untrue. If you want Race to the Top money or if you want a No Child Left Behind waiver then you have to adopt the Common Core.
Sounds like pushing it to me. I know in Iowa when the State Board of Education (who is unelected by the way) approved the Common Core if was under the radar. Hardly a chance to give feedback or have a debate on them.
Stop defending the process, it stunk. To date no state legislature has voted on these standards.
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