Pope Francis addressed parents during his weekly audience Wednesday, strongly emphasizing that it is their role to educate their children, not that of “intellectual critics” who may try to take the place of parents, ousting them from their proper role.
Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) introduced a bill Thursday that would return control of student education records back to parents and their children.
As parents of thousands of students across the nation are refusing the standardized tests aligned with the Common Core standards, state education officials are digging in their heels and attempting to use authority and, in some cases, intimidation to keep test participation rates up and parents in line.
Homeschooling families in Connecticut are in the process of forming a parental rights coalition, as they reject the use of the Newtown shootings over two years ago as a vehicle to undermine the rights of parents to choose the venue for educating their children.
With conservative grassroots activists having educated parents, teachers, and lawmakers about the nature of the Common Core standards initiative, proponents of the education reform are desperate to bolster a possible presidential run for Jeb Bush, who was recently booed at CPAC by conservatives for being a champion of the now grossly unpopular plan.
With the arrival of March, students in states throughout the country are scheduled to take tests to determine if they are keeping in step with the Common Core standards. A fair number of them, however, have been “opted out” of the assessments by their parents, leading school officials to respond in a variety of ways.