Tag Archives: Charter Schools

Educational, Homeschooling, Legislation

SB 706 May Affect Homeschooling Freedom/Autonomy

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Tomorrow afternoon, Jane Cunningham’s, SB706, an educational reform bill, will be heard in committee, and there may be something in the content of this 37 page bill that could affect your homeschooling freedoms

The bill is a conglomeration of Race To The Top elements which include the foundation to establish statewide charter schools, longitudinal data systems, and controlled curriculum (common core standards). It takes away local control of schools and promotes control under the federal Department of Education. In short, in an effort to address inadequacies in city schools, the state is establishing a reform that could affect future autonomy of homeschoolers who utilize virtual programs.

What does this mean to homeschoolers? This bill’s foundation promotes the ability for students in unaccredited urban districts to attend schools, in adjoining districts. The state intends to “equalize” financial discrepancy by awarding scholarships, to circumvent the Blaine amendment, which prohibits public money to go to religous schools, or tax credits to the districts that accept the transferring students.

Virtual schools, another component of Race To The Top will affect any homeschool families that enroll in virtual school programs. The present bill states,

A student may enroll in the virtual courses or programs offered by any virtual education provider or school district in Missouri that meets the standards of the department of elementary and secondary education and is accredited. The department may offer its own virtual courses or programs. Any student who enrolls in a virtual course or program under this section shall be considered a public school student and shall take the components of the statewide assessments under section 160.518 that relate to the virtual course or program in which they are enrolled.

So, no longer will homeschool students, who enroll in virtual education under these parameters, maintain autonomy by enrolling in these programs. Additionally, they will be required to submit to testing/assessments which will be aligned with the common core standards that the state has already adopted.

As a public school student, homeschoolers enrolled in virtual programs must comply with the release of information to the director of the department of economic development including, but not limited to your student’s participation as a scholarship recipient and testing results for state wide assessments.

There is no specific evaluation criteria listed in the bill as to how the DED use this information to qualify the use of tax credits issued for educational purposes? Why is this information going to the DED and not the State Board of Education or the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education? Will your children’s assessments and testing be used to track them into specific career tracks? How will it be funneled into national longitudinal data systems?

The funding mechanism of this bill is complex. The fact remains, once you dip your toes into the public pool, and public money, you will be obligated to comply with the mandates that go along with the benefit of accepting the public money.

While Cunningham’s bill addresses urban schools, and districts adjoining them, there are several additional bills in this legislative session that address the operation of charter schools. How long will it be before the effects of SB706 spread across the state?

Educational, Elections, Homeschooling

Time To Vet Candidates Who Support Educational Freedom, And Those Who Don’t

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/user/SplashLPN?feature=mhee#p/a/u/0/SC9fscufcJI]

Missouri is a hot bed of anticipated educational reform. Not much different than the rest of the country, actually. Since the inception of the Obama administration and its trend to nationalize “everything,” Arne Duncan, his education secretary, has been instrumental in pushing for the same in education. In Missouri, the legislature has struggled with finding a way to solve the problems of its abysmally poor performing public education system by way of various “school choice” and “educational reform” initiatives.

Why should homeschooling families be worried about what goes on in the public education realm? With Arne Duncan at the helm of the department of education, it may not be long before private schools and homeschooling will fall under the same mandates as public education. Common core standards have been adopted by most states in the country and Missouri has fallen in line with the trend. The promotion of Charter Schools is the latest school reform, flavor of the month in Missouri, but they promise nothing in the betterment of education as they are sure to fall under the same common core mandates as the rest of public education.

So, what’s a parent to do about the education of the nation’s future generations? Well, perhaps it is time to think outside the traditional education reform box, elect some non-establishment leaders and consider giving the decisions and responsibility of education back to the people. Bill Randles, candidate for governor in Missouri spoke to a group of concerned voters, recently, and thinks the people should make educational decisions for their children and their tax dollars should be directed as they see fit, for educational purposes, not the government. He proposes a voucher system for Missouri in addition to amending the Missouri Constitution to change how the budget addresses education.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC9fscufcJI]

Homeschoolers have always been wary of vouchers and HSLDA has issued a statement on their stance regarding the issue. Strings attached has always been a major stumbling block in wide spread acceptance of vouchers. Randles feels he can devise a system that will be free of the ‘strings attached’ problem and just give taxpayers their money back, to spend as they see fit.

Homeschoolers need to engage, int he current election cycle, and educate themselves about who will best represent them, and advocate for the freedom to choose the appropriate education for their own children.

Legislation

Missouri Legislation Status Update

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As of January 23rd, the status of the following bills are as follows:

SB13 – Requires the Joint Committee on Education to oversee a task force on teacher compensation and effectiveness.

Status: Hearing scheduled for 1/26/2011 – Education Committee

SB14 – Requires the State Board of Education to establish criteria for the transfer of students from an unaccredited school district to an accredited district in the same or an adjoining county.

Status: Received its second reading on 1/12/2011 and advanced to the Education Committee

SB20 – Modifies the compulsory attendance age for the St. Louis City School District so that students must attend school from five years of age to eighteen years of age

Status: Received its second reading on 1/12/2011 and advanced to the Education Committee

SB21 – Requires kindergarten attendance at the start of the school year for children who turn age five at any time during the calendar year

Status: Received its second reading on 1/12/2011 and advanced to the Education Committee

HJR10 – Proposes a constitutional amendment removing the current ban on providing state funding to educational facilities controlled by religious organizations

Status: Introduced and read on 1/18/2011. Received its second reading on 1/19/2011.

Watch SB13, SB14 and HJR10. They are crucial to teacher compensation, addressing open enrollment issues and advancing Educated Citizenry 2020. HJR10 may also invoke vouchers in Missouri.

The coming week is National School Choice week and the legislators are being wooed by various educational organizations. They will all attend a screening of “Waiting For Superman,” a movie on the failure of public education and how Charter Schools can save the system. Very timely since Republican leadership is pushing Educated Citizenry 2020 of which the cornerstone is Charter School expansion. We expect more legislation to be introduced next week during the pomp and circumstance of the week’s festivities.

Legislation

Tying Up All The Loose Ends And Connecting The Dots: RT3/Educated Citizenry 2020

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Representative Scott Dieckhaus responded to a previous post on this blog with some accusations as to the validity of the information presented here regarding Race To The Top and Educated Citizenry 2020.

To tie Educated Citizenry 2020, Race to the Top, and the Common Core Standards together as one movement is erroneous.  To assume that they are being hatched from the same group of people is laughable. To jump to the conclusion on a previous post that just because someone (myself) listens to Arne Duncan speak somehow indicates that the person supports everything that Arne Duncan does is irresponsible.  I do hope that facts and responsibility find their way onto this blog soon – otherwise I am sure that the main stream, left-wing media could use a few more reporters similar to these.

–Scott Dieckhaus

Homeschooling United stands by the information we provide to you and appreciates your attention to monitoring legislation and legislators to ensure educational freedoms and parental rights.

As there is some disagreement between Representative Dieckhaus and Homeschooling United, as it relates to the erroneous tying together of RTTT/Common Core Standards/Educated Citizenry 2020, I would like to present some facts that will put this issue to rest. I would also mention that it is very important for all citizens to understand how this is not just an issue related to the public education sector. Educated Citizenry 2020/RT3 (Race To The Top)/Common Core Standards will affect all forms of  education, and that does include the homeschooling community.

In January of 2010 Missouri applied for RT3 Initial Funding. The application was removed from the internet, but I can provide you with screen shots from the PDF file that was saved before it was removed. The applications show, very clearly, that Missouri was seriously pursuing RT3, its funding, and all of the requirements and mandates that went with it. In my opinion, Missourians have been calling for real educational reform for quite some time, before RT3 came on to the scene, but why does the legislature and DESE feel we need to be “nudged” (or led by the nose) to adopt a plan that may create more problems than it solves? And is there a plan to include parents in the decision-making process? RT3 and Educated Citizenry 2020, at this point, provide less local control and parental input than previously held philosophies that were previously the cornerstones of educational success.

Our vision for reform embraces the notion advanced in the book, Nudge, where Thaler and Sunstein outline the need for “choice architects” to subtly steer choices toward positive results while leaving people, districts and schools “free to choose.” We know that if Missouri’s public schools are to be the best choice for our citizens, they must produce the best results. This Race to the Top competition has provided the “nudge” Missouri needed to pick up the pace.

The foundations for RT3 and Educated Citizenry 2020 are Common Core Standards and Charter Schools.

RT3 states that common curriculums will be developed and across the states, by a consortium of states. DESE has made it clear, and promised in their RT3 application they would proceed with the adoption of these standards and has already done so, regardless of receiving approved federal RT3 funding or approval/funding from the Missouri legislature. Also see page 5 of Educated Citizenry 2020 which states that Missouri has already adopted Common Core Standards.

Implementation of the reform plan described in this proposal will not stop if the State does not win Race to the Top funding.

Terminology such as P20 Pipeline and P20 System are referring to coordinating common core curriculums through Pre-K through college.

RT3:

Participating agencies will agree upon a core of data elements to contribute to the common P-20 system. These will comprise a significant resource for decision making. Analyses of the factors that contribute to success from pre-school through postsecondary education and into the workforce will be included. Common definitions and standards will not only support the comparability of the data within the P-20 system, but also the quality and integrity of the data within the individual data systems of the participating agencies.

Across the P-20 community, a major challenge has been to provide access to the longitudinal data being consolidated for decision making. Individual agencies have websites and unique reporting tools, but users need a single site to access the information that the P- 20 Council and the individual agencies have provided. The Show-Me Portal will fill this role. It will be designed and built to enable all users to access relevant and permitted data.

EC2020:

Individual members offered ideas affecting early childhood through higher education, including the need to strengthen the P-20 pipeline and cooperation among stakeholders.

EC2020 promotes Charter Schools by recommending on page 6:

Provide access to high-quality charter schools to all Missouri students. Allow any public school district to sponsor a charter school within the district.

RT3:

Demonstrating and sustaining education reform, by promoting collaborations between business leaders, educators, and other stakeholders to raise student achievement and close achievement gaps, and by expanding support for high-performing public charter schools, reinvigorating math and science education, and promoting other conditions favorable to innovation and reform.

The Missouri legislature has yet to pen a bill fully addressing this, but I fully expect it to be buried in an omnibus bill at the end of the session where it will be harder to follow and garner much less attention. SB 14 was introduced, by Senator Pearce, to address open enrollment issues, however.

Addressing merit pay and teacher tenure are common threads through RT3 and Educated Citizenry 2020. On page 6 of EC2020 it states:

Develop a statewide system for evaluating teacher effectiveness to be used in performance-based compensation. Charge the Joint Committee on Education with leading a taskforce to discuss, review, and develop a statewide system for identifying and rewarding effective teaching. The taskforce will review models used in cities and states throughout the country and frame their work around current research and best practices. Considerations shall include revision of tenure laws that will empower school districts to support the retention of effective teachers and the removal of ineffective teachers. The taskforce may use the Teachers Choice Compensation Plan for St. Louis Public Schools (§168.745-168.750, RSMo.) as a foundation for their discussions. The taskforce will present a comprehensive, cohesive model with specific proposals for legislative action to the General Assembly no later than December 31, 2011.

RT3 states:

Attracting and keeping great teachers and leaders in America’s classrooms, by expanding effective support to teachers and principals; reforming and improving teacher preparation; revising teacher evaluation, compensation, and retention policies to encourage and reward effectiveness; and working to ensure that our most talented teachers are placed in the schools and subjects where they are needed the most.

The legislature must have thought this issue was worth pursuing because SB13 has been introduced to address this very issue. Senate Education Chairman David Pearce filed this bill and it has advance through its second reading as of this posting.

Technology is the answer in underperforming schools in both RT3 and EC2020.

RT3:

Supporting data systems that inform decisions and improve instruction, by fully implementing a statewide longitudinal data system, assessing and using data to drive instruction, and making data more accessible to key stakeholders.

Using innovation and effective approaches to turn-around struggling schools, by asking states to prioritize and transform persistently low-performing schools.

EC2020, on page i of the executive summary:

Technology in the delivery of education at all levels.

School Readiness, also in both documents.

EC2020: P. 6 and 7

Provide parents and early childhood educators with the information they need to see that all children enter kindergarten on par with their peers and ready to learn. Formalize DESE’s existing school readiness standards by requiring that standards be distributed to parents, early childhood educators, and school districts. School readiness assessment data and information on prekindergarten experiences for all kindergartners shall be included in core data reporting requirements.

Advance efforts to support voluntary, universal prekindergarten. Explore potential funding sources for prekindergarten education including federal funding. The Committee would like to note that there was not unanimous support for the prekindergarten recommendations.

RT3:

2. Provide quality, universal early childhood educational opportunities to all three and four-year olds;


SB 20 and SB 21 were introduced in Missouri’s legislature, at the beginning of the session, by Robin Wright-Jones. Each bill addresses early childhood education and mandates lowering of the compulsory school age and kindergarten enrollment.

Be it noted that not all the proposed education reform is bad, but there are many concerns that we all should be looking at as Missourians and parents. We need to make sure the solution aren’t worse than the problems.

This week has seen some highly reactive responses from Jefferson City as it relates to information circulating on blogs and testimony given at committee hearings concerning education reform proposed by the 96th general assembly. If the leadership isn’t confident in the vehicle they are driving, to bring quality education to the children of Missouri, perhaps they should rethink the proposed plans or just not put their signatures on the documents.

So, if  Representative Dieckhaus would still like to dispute any erroneous to ties to the afore-mentioned items, we will be happy to provide more comparisons. As for any future career with the “main-stream, left-wing media”, I think I’ll pass, but if Brietbart or FOX is reading this post, I am happy to consider any offers.

Legislation

A Call To Action For Homeschoolers To Protect Their Educational Freedoms

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If you are not familiar with how things are done in Jefferson City, with regard as to how legislation is formed, it is important to understand that even though January marks the beginning of the legislative session, work has been going on behind the scenes for months, even years, in formulating plans for lawmaking. This year seems to be the year of culmination for education reform in Missouri. It is also very important for you to understand why this may be a grave threat to your ability to maintain your homeschooling freedoms.
With the unilateral implementation of Common Core Standards across Missouri and Race to the Top being redressed and repurposed in order to camouflage and re sell its philosophy of nanny state eduction to the taxpayers, the next focus will be the switch from traditional public education to a massive infusion of Charter Schools across the state and maybe even vouchers and/or tax credits. Disastrous for homeschoolers? Yes, and here is why.
The legislature, Republican and Democrat, is deeply rooted in the idea that it is government’s job to monitor, regulate, supervise, oversee, the education of the children under their representation. We continue to see, year after year, more and more legislation designed to put more educational bureaucracy into government. With that ever growing bureaucracy, more authority to define and choose standards also shifts from parents to the bureaucrats and legislators. It is this mindset that defies the homeschooler’s freedom to make the best educational choices for their own children. Read these comments from Senator, Jane Cunningham:

“There are many times that government uses the private sector to achieve their goals,” Cunningham said. “I think maybe this is the time, because we are slipping behind so dramatically in global rankings, to ask what is the best way to deliver education to the public. …

… We so desperately need education reform and quality schools. The Legislature has to look at what we feel are appropriate measures.”

With the introduction of Charter Schools added to the mix of educational reform, there will be, as there has been in the past, discussion of vouchers and tax credits. There has always been a debate about the amount of taxation that homeschoolers pay to support public education, but it is extremely important to understand that no tax relief would ever come without serious strings attached.

This year, Scott Dieckhaus, (R) District 109 – Franklin and St. Charles Counties, is the Chairman of the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. He will be spearheading, for the House of Representatives, all legislation related to education. Here is the problem. Representative Dieckhaus has repeatedly voiced opinions which may be adverse to educational freedoms.
The St. Louis Beacon published and article in which Dieckhaus said that he is willing to go as far as changing the Missouri Constitution and putting all options on the table as it relates educational reform. Does Dieckhaus believe that private schools should be pulled under the umbrella of public education oversight if they accept vouchers? Will he also expect the same from homeschoolers who receive tax credits?

He also realizes that if public money is going to go to non-public schools, taxpayers are going to want some sort of say over how it will be spent.

“There should be some form of oversight or accountability,” he said. “I’ve talked to quite a few private and parochial schools, and they seem to be at least willing to look at it.”

On November 29th-30th, Dieckhaus attended a conference on Education and had this to say, on Twitter, about the experience:
Scott Dieckhaus
sdieckhaus Scott Dieckhaus
Ready to spend three days with some of the greatest education reformers in the world. Better education is coming to Missouri soon!
Scott Dieckhaus
sdieckhaus Scott Dieckhaus
At #EIA10 and excited to hear from Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Eva Moskowitz, Arne Duncan among others.

Why would Republican, Dieckhaus, choose a Democrat who is about as far removed from the republican platform, as a mentor? Let’s talk about Arne Duncan as a mentor. Arne Duncan is President Obama’s Secretary of Education. He is the steam engine behind Race To The Top, the most restrictive educational philosophy this country has ever seen. RTTT would take all local control from schools and parents across the country and impose national curriculum standards in all schools. As Chief Executive Officer for Chicago Public schools he declared his animosity toward homeschoolers in an amended board report in November of 2005.
… Parents/Legal guardians who choose to educate their children at home are subject to the provisions of the Illinois School Code.  Those provisions include the Compulsory School Attendance Law, … parents/legal guardians who choose to educate their children at home must provide an education “at least commensurate with the standards prescribed for the public schools.” … there must be an organized, coherent plan for educating the children in a home school using appropriate materials and teaching methods.” … Parents/Legal Guardians who choose to educate their children at home should notify their local school of their intention to homeschool. …
Once notified of the presence of particular home school or of particular home-schooled students within the boundaries of District 299, appropriate offices within  the CPS will, with the cooperation of the parents/legal guardians, determine whether the home school provided an education at least commensurate with the standards prescribed for the public schools. Such determination will thereafter be made on an annual basis.
CPS may employ any appropriate means, including site visits, to determine whether home schools are providing an education at least commensurate with the standards prescribed for the public schools in the aforementioned subjects. CPS may also employ any appropriate standards and assessments in making that determination.
Remember that Race To The Top Standards, SB 21, vouchers/tax credits, all have common threads of regulation and control that could reach into the homeschooling community. It is important to remind representatives that homeschoolers do not want to be included in any educational reform they have in mind for the coming year or in the future. We are following all state regulations concerning homeschooling and doing an excellent job of making educational choices for our own children and do not need or want the interference of government, state or federal.

Please contact Representative Dieckhaus and tell him you are watching the activity in the legislature and do not want any of the educational reform they have planned for public schools to reach into the homeschooling community and restrict your educational choices and freedoms.

Honorable Scott Dieckhaus
Missouri House of Representatives
201 West Capitol Avenue
Room 413B
Jefferson City, Missouri 65101

573-751-0538

Scott.Dieckhaus@house.mo.gov

Legislation

Educated Citizenry 2020, More Ways To Chip Away At Parental Rights

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The legislature released its report on education late last Friday, and, as promised, we have the results of Educated Citizenry 2020. No surprises. Just lots of Race To The Top, repackaged and renamed. While the report states what the legislature has for the vision of Missouri education reform, in the next ten years, it is clear they have been cooking up their plan for quite sometime in the past. Past and current attempts to pass legislation, which could have or will impose new and stifling regulation, is written all over it.

The report clearly outlines the intention of the state to have its hand in every aspect of education from early childhood education, pre-school through college. They also address the expansion of Charter and virtual schools.

Committee members’ ideas for early childhood education included expansion of opportunities and assurances of quality. The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education concurred with this priority and in a written statement noted their suggestion that “Missouri fund voluntary, universal preschool for three- and four-year-olds…This would be a transformational policy that would pay long-term benefits— educationally, economically, and socially—for our state.”5 ….

…. For higher education reform, Committee members emphasized reducing tuition costs to keep higher education accessible to all students so as to ultimately increase the number of young adults who earn a postsecondary degree.

A study of how teachers are compensated is a subject of review, as it is in RTTT. Current RTTT recommendations are to introduce merit pay and eliminate teacher tenure. The same sentiments are reflected in the Educated Citizenry 2020 Report. The St. Louis Beacon reports, among other things, that State Senator, David Pearce, a Republican from Warrensburg, intends to use this report to shape further legislation.

On specific issues, Pearce said that he has filed legislation to study how teachers are compensated. Specifically, he said, it might be time to ask teachers if they are willing to be paid on a merit basis if they would give up the protections of tenure at the same time.

While Charter schools and the re-structure of teacher compensation are a major emphasis of Race To The Top, most interesting to note is that the report does stress an emphasis in preparing pre kindergarten age children for school. If you will remember, Homeschooling United reported that Robin Wright-Jones, a member of the E-C 2020 committee, has already filed legislation, before this report was released to the public, which mandates full day kindergarten and lowers the compulsory school age to 4 years of age in SB21. It seems that the fix is already in for an agenda to wrest control of decisions from parents regarding when their children begin their educations.

This report, while full of a great deal of educational-ease, doesn’t address funding for plan implementation when the state is faced with serious budget cuts in the face of mandatory of Common Core Standards. Obviously they are also not concerned with any backlash from parents who consider some of these mandates are an infringement of parental rights. Senator Jane Cunningham, another member of this committee, has pledged to uphold educational freedom. As far as I see, from reading this report, there is no true attempt by the legislature to bring any meaningful reform to education in Missouri. In fact, there are even more intrusive restrictions that keep parent’s in the driver’s seats of their children’s education.

Homeschooling, Legislation

Will They Or Won’t They …

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… Work to protect our rights to educate our children as we see fit. Today the Associated Press released a statement by the Missouri Senate stating that they are ready to release their agenda for upcoming session as it relates to education. The question is, will they fight for your rights as a parent to make choices about your own child’s education, or will they acquiesce to Race To The Top, Common Core Standards and the money that does or does not come with it? Will they try to insert programs such as the Parent’s Trigger, vouchers, tax credits, or use Charter Schools as a crutch for failing public education? Will these things set the stage for regulation on homeschooling?

All the major players of the House and Senate have signed the Educational Freedom Pledge, which states that they will advocate for freedoms without such mandates or regulation. We will keep an eye on this one for you.