"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela

Common Core, “Worst Large-Scale Education Failure in 40 Years,” Endangers Education Choice

By Carole Hornsby Haynes, Ph.D. November 23, 2018

In the more sane days gone by, children took a year-end achievement test for which there was no class preparation. Instead, the school year was spent mastering academic content, not constantly preparing for standardized tests. The achievement test score neither affected academic grades nor was used to determine whether the student passed for the year.

Jeb Bush Swamp Fills Up At U.S. Ed Department

By Carole Hornsby Haynes, Ph.D. January 3, 2018

Recently President trump appointed Frank Brogan to the key position of assistant secretary of education for elementary and secondary education. This is puzzling since Trump campaigned on the promise that he would stop federal support of Common Core and return control over education to the states and the people. With the appointment of Brogan, a longtime Bush ally from Florida, the probability of that promise being kept seems to be fading.

Will Texas State Board of Education Strip Common Core from Children’s Math Standards?

By Carole Hornsby Haynes, Ph.D. |  April 12, 2017  Texas Insider

For several years, Texas parents have been in a rage because Common Core is being found in their children’s classroom materials and on STAAR Tests, despite Texas law saying that is “illegal”. On April 18th, the Texas State Board of Education will finally consider an amendment to the Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS) Standards to remove the illegal Common Core-compliant mathematic process skills.  

Betsy DeVos’ Claim, “Common Core Is Dead,” Enrages Conservatives

By Carole Hornsby Haynes, Ph.D.   January 23, 2018

U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos claimed in a recent speech to American Enterprise Institute that “at the U.S. Department, Common Core is dead.”

This is not the first time DeVos has made misleading remarks about Common Core. She told Fox News that, “The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which is in the process of being implemented now, essentially does away with the whole argument about Common Core.”

Big Business Needs to Butt Out of American Classrooms

By Carole Hornsby Haynes, Ph.D. December 23, 2017

The fallout from Common Core continues as international and national tests report the falling scores of American students, highlighting the disastrous effect of business leaders dictating what and how students are taught.

Bill Gates, who devotes his time and vast fortune trying to change the world, used his Gates Foundation to help bankroll virtually every aspect of Common Core’s development, promotion, and implementation.

Executives at Exxon Mobil, GE, State Farm, Intel, and other corporations pushed to get the standards adopted and implemented. 

Will Texas Lawmakers Adopt Common Core Student Assessments?
By Carole Hornsby Haynes, Ph.D. | March 1, 2017  Texas Insider

The 84th Texas Legislature House Bill 2804 created the Texas Commission on Next Generation Assessments and Accountability (NGAA) to prepare recommendations for statutory changes for the student assessment and public school accountability programs.  An analysis finds that if these recommendations are implemented, Texas curriculum standards will be Common Core-compliant, placing Texas on the road to National Assessments.