An excerpt of the The Michigan Revised School Code Act 451 of 1976 380.10 says, Rights of parents and legal guardians; duties of public schools. [M.S.A. 15.4010 ] Sec. 10. It is the natural, fundamental right of parents and legal guardians to determine and direct the care, teaching, and education of their children. The public […]
Author: Karen Braun
Karen Braun is a writer and conference speaker on issues related education and family life. Her work has appeared in the American Thinker, Crosswalk, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, WatchDog Wire, and various other websites and magazines. She has also appeared on TV and radio venues. Along with blogging, Karen also enjoys homeschooling, running marathons, and spending time with her husband, their six children, and two grand children. For more information please contact Karen at spunkyhomeschool at gmail dot com
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Update on “rebranding” of SBAC
Last week, I wondered if the Michigan Department of Education was rebranding Smarter Balanced (SBAC) as the “new” MEAP. Here’s a brief recap: Language was added to an appropriations bill (SB 775 and HB 5314) which would require Michigan to use a “new” MEAP for the next two years and then in 2016-17 Michigan must […]
When Common Core began receiving strong push back from parents across the nation, pro-Common Core advocate Mike Huckabee urged lawmakers to ““Rebrand it, refocus it, but don’t retreat.” Governors and state leaders have taken his advice to heart. Recently, Gov. Pence, rebranded the Common Core in Indiana. Is Michigan going to do the same thing […]
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The Quest for the Common Test
The United States is being transformed from a decentralized educational system to a national system from P-20 right before our eyes. In 2010, 45 states adopted Common Core, a standard of college readiness for math and English Language Arts. Logically, ONE common standard cannot have FIFTY state tests. The question became what test would become […]
A package of two bills, HB 5223 and HB 5224, passed out of the House Education committee this morning. The Detroit News reports, A House education committee gave quick approval Tuesday to a pair of bills that would create Michigan’s first statewide teacher evaluation system, putting concerns to rest — for the moment — that […]
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Teacher evaluations suffer setback!
Earlier I posted about the hearing on teacher evaluation (HB 5223, 5224) being held in Lansing today in the House Education Committee chaired by Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons. A vote was expected today which would have tied student assessment performance to teacher evaluations and further entrench common core in Michigan schools. The bills suffered a […]
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Teacher Evaluations and Common Core
How will the federal government make sure that teachers teach exactly what is prescribed in the Common Core? Easy, they will make their job depend on it and make sure that the schools of education comply or go out of business. In 2009, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said, “I want to be able to […]
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Pressure mounts to save SBAC
Lobbyists are working overtime to pressure lawmakers to continue funding the Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBAC). MIRS News Service reports, “A coalition of around 40 education and business groups are putting on a “full court” press to get the Smarter Balanced assessment for K-12 schools funded for the coming 2014-15 school year. Education Trust-Midwest, a non-profit […]
According to a new study published by the Pioneer Institute, the Common Core State Standards lack proper validation. A press release from the Pioneer Institute states that, “Five of the 29 members of the Common Core Validation Committee refused to sign a report attesting that the standards are research-based, rigorous and internationally benchmarked. The report was […]
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Positive news in Michigan!
As most of you know, House Concurrent Resolution, HCR 0011, approved Common Core as the standards for Michigan math & English, last fall. HCR 0011 alllowed the implementation to move forward but the resolution also provided flexibility to local districts to deviate from the standards. However, the hammer behind the standards is the assessment, which […]