On October 29, legislators and guests were invited to a Common Core rally, “Perspectives on Education Reform ” at the Legislative Office Building in Concord. The keynote speaker was Dr. Marc Tucker, from the National Institute for Education and the Economy (Economy?). Dr. Tucker has a colorful past and I have to say, he is a slick progressive bureaucrat who knows how to stack the deck in his favor. But, after sitting through his hour long presentation, I was amazed at what Dr. Tucker COULDN’T tell us. When I asked Dr. Tucker about FERPA (Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and the Dec. 2011 regulatory amendments which replaced parental consent with that of “authorized representatives” to include non- governmental agencies, trade unions, and companies who develop educational products and services, his response was “…well, I would not be in support of that…but I don’t know anything about it…”. Really? I find that most difficult to believe.
When I asked Dr. Tucker about specific information regarding the so-called “testing” and “benchmarks” of the Common Core Standards, he again said he “didn’t know which countries were included in the testing”. I may believe this because I do not believe the Common Core standards were EVER benchmarked. It doesn’t matter how many times the “Powers That Be” say these standards have been “tested”. We cannot find any verification of such (and neither could Mr. Smarty Pants), so they are empty words for me.
But, perhaps the most egregious moments of Dr. Tucker’s presentation may rest with his obvious distain for anyone who questions the power of the government in education.
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