Free Republic

Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who is considering a run for president, said Sunday that elected officials dictating school curricula reeks of big government. During an appearance on NBC News’s “Meet The Press,” Hogan illustrated a stark contrast between himself and another Republican who may enter the 2024 ring, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, on governing what is taught in schools. DeSantis, notably, took stances on keeping woke topics out of schools and not teaching young children about sexual orientation. “I think that some of this rhetoric is … demanding that things be done a certain way — that you can’t...

Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday vetoed legislation that would have required public schools to post online educational materials used in their classrooms. The legislation was billed as a way to give parents easier access to the curriculum being taught to their children but the governor and Democrats saw it as an unfunded mandate meant to intimidate educators and hurt students’ learning opportunities. “Under the guise of transparency, this legislation politicizes what is being taught in our public schools,” Wolf said in his veto message. The bill would have required school administrators to post and periodically update course syllabuses, course summaries,...

Newsom still hasn't put his bill signing pen down. After more than five years of intense scrutiny and effort, California on Friday became the first state to make ethnic studies a required class for high school graduation to help students understand the past and present struggles and contributions of Black, Asian, Latino, Native/Indigenous Americans and other groups that have experienced racism and marginalization in America. Although critics from across the political spectrum remain, the bill garnered overwhelming support in the Legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had vetoed a nearly identical measure last year. At...

Is there anything worse for black K-12 students who want to become engineers than teachers who think they can’t meet the same standards as their classmates?New York City’s Department of Education recently decided to change admission into its Gifted and Talented program from a single test for students in kindergarten through third grade to a questionnaire for the pre-K teachers of applicants and a lottery system. This change—widely criticized by parents — is a perfect example of the pitfalls of the current push for equity in education.I have no issue debating the merits of the previous admissions process. My problem...

The proposed adoption of $300,000 worth of reading materials for Cody, Wyoming students stalled this week amid criticisms about the curriculum’s “very liberal, very slanted view of the world.” School board and community members spoke out against a slate of proposed materials for K-12 students that cover topics like global warming, evolution and race. The materials are published by education giant Pearson and Boston publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ... that aligns with the national Common Core standards. But many in the community are concerned about how the texts address issues like global warming, which is treated as settled science ......

Sarah Palin was the first to recognize the problem: By participating in President Obama's signature education initiative, the Common Core Standards, Alaska would lose control over its own curriculum. On May 31, 2009, then-Gov. Palin announced Alaska would adopt a "watch and wait" attitude: "If this initiative produces useful results, Alaska will remain free to incorporate them," Gov. Palin said, adding that "high expectations are not always created by new, mandated federal standards written on paper. They are created in the home, the community and the classroom." Texas Gov. Rick Perry, to his credit, was the next to recognize...

Letter: Groups to protest in support of Parker Thursday, September 1, 2005 Get ready, Lexington! The folks from several anti-gay statewide groups including the Massachusetts Family Institute are quietly organizing several concurrent events throughout town next week in support of David Parker. To me, it looks like there will be an effort to make it appear that Mr. Parker has lots of local support, for these are the same groups that brought people into Boston from all over the state to anti-gay rallies during the debate on the gay marriage constitutional amendment. I expect they'll do something similar in this...

PARENT'S SUPPORTERS TO GATHER -- Selectmen have granted permission for supporters of David Parker, the Lexington parent facing trespassing charges for refusing to leave his son's elementary school after a debate with school administrators over material pertaining to same-sex couples, to use the Battle Green for a rally next week. The rally is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Parker is scheduled to go on trial Sept. 21 in Concord District Court.

American Family Association Journal, September 2000 BRINGING THE BIBLE BACK TO SCHOOL http://www.bibleinschools.net/sdm.asp?pg=nae Washington, D.C.’s National Press Club was the setting July 25 for an important announcement that is likely to have far-reaching impact on the students attending our nation’s public schools and, perhaps, the future of America itself. The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools (NCBCPS) is a proactive organization based in Greensboro, North Carolina, that is devoted to returning the study of the Bible as an elective course to junior and senior high school classrooms nationwide. Its president, Elizabeth Ridenour, says tremendous progress has been made...

The Earth Charter is an international people's (not governments, UN or organizations) agreement for a compassionate, just and sustainable world that was written by thousands of folks in 78 countries over the course of 12 years and was launched at the Hague Peace Palace in June 2000. It has the core value of interdependence and calls for economic and social justice, peace, democracy and ecological integrity. The Earth Charter Community Summits are a grassroots effort to bring people together in cities around the world to be inspired to make the Earth Charter's principles a reality in their lives and...