EdAction
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May 30, 2005
EdWatch event stirs action

        Thursday, May 26th an over-flow crowd gathered for dinner at the Green Mill restaurant in Plymouth to hear a progress report on education legislation. The special session is underway, and all the issues are on the table. (HF 872) There is still time to make a difference.
        
        Dr. Effrem briefed the audience on the profound differences between the House Early Childhood bill and the Senate Early Childhood bill. (See our update.) While we are encouraged that the House bill has made remarkable improvement, none of that matters if the Senate version is the one adopted in a final mad dash to close the special session, once spending targets have been set by the House and Senate leadership.

        Now is the time to let the conferees know, to let the Speaker of the House know, and to let the Governor know that we must say no to the Minnesota Nanny State. This is non-negotiable. Please make your telephone calls and send your e-mails today. Remind them of your concerns. Suggest that they use the Nanny State proposed spending to close the budget shortfall. (See contact information below.)

        The conference committee is scheduled to meet sometime tomorrow in Room 200 of the State Office Building. The Senate is in session at 1:00 p.m. The House is in session at 2:00 p.m. The schedules are wildly unpredictable, and their agendas are equally unpredictable. The special session may take one week or more than a month.

This is the time to contact the following people.
Tell them to say no to the Nanny State. Say no to:
Governor Pawlenty tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us   651-296-3391
    800-657-3717
 
Speaker Steve Sviggum    rep.steve.sviggum@house.mn 651-296-2273


House conferees:   651-
Barb Sykora rep.barb.sykora@house.mn 296-4315
Mark Buesgens rep.mark.buesgens@house.mn 296-5185
Sondra Erickson    rep.sondra.erickson@house.mn 296-6746
Bud Heidgerken rep.bud.heidgerken@house.mn 296-4317
Denise Dittrich rep.denise.dittrich@house.mn 296-5513


Senate conferees:   651-
LeRoy Stumpf Requests use of e-mail form 296-8660
Steve Kelley sen.steve.kelley@senate.mn 297-8065
Dan Sparks sen.daniel.sparks@senate.mn 296-9248
Gen Olson sen.gen.olson@senate.mn 296-1282
Linda Scheid    Requests use of e-mail form 296-8869


Early Learning Curriculum Standards 
The following quotes are taken directly from the published Minnesota Department of Educations curriculum standards for pre-schoolers which are proposed for implementation in the Senate. Senator Hottinger suggested in conference committee on May 16th (see our update) that these types of standards exist only in the references. In fact, the Minnesota curriculum standards and the references are aligned with each other. These quotes from the Minnesota curriculum demonstrate where the content is headed and how it is aligned with the references. They demonstrate the radical and politicized definitions of what the state would define as being ready for kindergarten.
 
The proposed system of curriculum standards for preschoolers resurrect the failed Profile of Learning through vague, subjective, non-academic, and psycho-socially inappropriate indicators. The curriculum usurps parental authority for teaching values and beliefs to children.

The curriculum standards have an inordinate emphasis on social and emotional development. Among other things, they do the following: Quotes from Minnesotas Early Childhood Indicators of Progress
A. Language
Communicate information using home language and/or English. (pp. 32 and 56)
 Speak clearly enough to be understood in home language and/or English. (pp. 32 and 56)
Promotes bilingualism - Administrative support for bilingualism as a goal is necessary within the educational setting. (National Association for the Education of Young Children. (1996). Responding to linguistic and cultural diversity)
B. Mathematics
Demonstrate increasing interest in and awareness of numbers and counting. (pp. 44 and 56)
Demonstrate beginning ability to combine and separate numbers of objects. (pp. 44 and 56)
Promotes controversial integrated, fuzzy math Mathematics instruction should be guided by the standards developed by the NCTM. According to NCTM, understanding [of math] develops through interaction in settings where students have opportunities to construct their own relationships when they first meet a new topic. (NAEYC Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation)
C. Emotional Development
Demonstrate increasing competency in recognizing and describing own emotions. (pp.14 and 55)
Begin to understand and respond to others emotions. (pp.14 and 55)
Begin to show self-regulation to handle emotions appropriately. (pp.14 and 55)
Vague and subjective standards that are very difficult to measure in young children.  Also, state-determined norms for these may lead to politically motivated labeling.
D. Self Concept
Develop an awareness of self as having certain abilities, characteristics, and preferences. (pp. 16 and 55)
Support childrens awareness of and pride in their cultural heritage (family). (p.15)
Support childrens developing understanding of their gender and cultural identity (teacher). (p.15)
Aside from vagueness and subjectivity, this gives more authority to teachers than to families to teach something as controversial as gender identity Make copies of an outline of a body as drawn by a preschooler, and in small groups ask children to fill in all the body parts, and to show if the person is a girl or boy; or Have anatomically correct dolls available. For example, tell a person a doll story where a few of the dolls ask questions about what makes them a boy or a girl. (Derman-Sparks, L. (1989). Anti-bias curriculum: Tools for empowering young children. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children, p. 53)
E. Social Competence and Relationships
Begin to participate successfully as a member of a group. (pp. 18 and 55)
This promotes group identity and the common good instead of individual rights and responsibility and leads to much controversial and developmentally inappropriate content:
Definition: Whites: All the different national ethnic groups of European origin who as a group are disproportionately represented in the control of the economic, political, and cultural institutions in the United States. (Anti-Bias, p. 3)
 Kay sets up ... a 'witch-healer' table, where the children can make their own potions. (Anti-bias p. 91)
F. Social Systems Understanding
Participate in activities to help others in the community. (pp. 48 and 57)
This promotes using children to be involved in social activism.  It is not age-appropriate, and there is a large potential for forced volunteerism in programs that violate the rights and or conscience of child or family - Young children have an impressive capacity for learning how to be activists. (Anti- Bias, p. 77) See also, The next generation of Berkeley peaceniks gathered on the steps of City Hall Tuesday to demonstrate their opposition to a pending war in Iraq- after school, of course. Armed with protest signs, microphones, and Harry Potter lunch-boxes, elementary and pre-school children demanded city leaders contact President Bush and halt his hawkish war for oil. (Sexton, S. - 11/14/02)
Share responsibility in taking care of their environment. (pp. 48 and 57)
This promotes a completely inappropriate discussion of environmentalism at too young an age on issues that are quite controversial among scientists.
Recognize and describe the roles of workers in the community. (pp. 48 and 57)
Three year olds do not need to be focusing career issues at this stage in their lives.
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