Jeb Bush says, “Parents know best for their children.” Does that mean PARENTS can choose schools without Common Core standards, tests, data?

Betsy DeVos recently declared there is no more Common Core.  Tell that to the parents in 46 states/territories  who still have common core standards, and still have the common core tests tied to accountability, and SLDS (P-20)  state databases, data collection/sharing, that were all required when states took Race to the Top money to adopt Common Core.  (Read about these 4 required assurances from the Chief of Race to the Top, Joanne Weiss and also from USDoE secretary, Arne Duncan.)

Today Jeb Bush said, “Parents know best for their children” while speaking as the  Keynote Speaker at The American Federation for Children (AFC) Summit. (You will remember that AFC is funded by the DeVos family and Betsy DeVos was on the Board of Jeb’s pro-common core Foundation for Excellence in Education; so it’s no surprise they speak at each other’s reform events.)   What is surprising is Jeb Bush’s continued proclamation that “Parents know best.”  He said it today at the AFC Summit and Jeb also said it at his own 2016 ExcelinEd Summit.    

So either this is an EMPTY PROMISE or Mr. Bush is prepared to let parents actually direct their child’s education, meaning PARENTS can decide if they want Common Core standards and PARENTS can decide if data is collected and shared and marketed and profiled about their children.

But both Betsy DeVos and Jeb Bush are promoting online education,  Competency Based Education.

Competency Based Education relies on computer-based personalized learning, collecting thousands of data points per hour.   What if parents don’t want their children’s education outsourced to a data collecting, addictive glowing screen and their grades based on some unproven edtech credential?

So which is it Jeb and Betsy?  Will you  REALLY  honor and respect parents and let us decide what is best for our own children?

• If “parents know best” will you Mr. Bush and Ms. DeVos push to allow parents and schools (not federal and state government) the choice of NO common core aligned tests and standards?
• Will you advocate for schools that don’t force students to be taught general subjects like history, science, math, and reading by a computer program and will you ensure parents are allowed to choose real books and real face-to-face human teachers for their children?
• Will you push for a repeal of the 2011 weakening of FERPA to once again give parents the right to consent before their children’s personal information is taken and shared outside of the school?

We, the parents, do know best for our children and your empty promises are frankly just that, empty.   …and insulting.

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