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February 23, 2004

In 2003 Minnesota eliminated the disastrous experiment called the Profile of Learning. Our legislature listened to the public then. The public spoke again last summer when citizen committee standards were drafted to create new social studies and science standards This draft is now under attack by some legislators and special interest groups. If they succeed, what will take the place of the Profile?

Click here to Print Out Our Lobby Day Flyer!
Pass them out -- at meetings, at precinct caucuses, and to friends.

Wednesday, March 10, 2004
9:00 a.m.
Meet in the Capitol Rotunda in St. Paul

Do you support academic, knowledge based standards that:

1. Tell the truth about America and our founding principles?
2. Teach the principles of freedom in the Declaration of Independence?
3. Equip future leaders to defend our liberty?
4. Present objective, unbiased facts?

You have a stake in the 2004 debate on Science and Social Studies Standards. Your presence at the Capitol can influence the outcome.

Events will include:

• Rally & Capitol briefing (9:00 a.m.)

• Instructions on visiting legislators

• Materials to give to your legislators (provided by EdAction)

With your help, it can be a huge success! You can help in many ways by:

• coming to the Capitol

• bringing friends

• distributing flyers at schools, churches and caucuses

If you would like us to mail you copies of the flyer, please contact us. We especially want to utilize the March 2nd precinct caucuses.

• Will you commit to distributing copies at your caucus?

• Will you help make phone calls?

• Will you organize a group from your district/area?

Please e-mail e-mail or call Elizabeth at (952-361-4931) to learn more about how you can help.

Brief Overview of the Standards Debate

Radicals posing as "mainstream national experts" are pushing to change the proposed citizen's committee standards. They minimize the Declaration of Independence by claiming that it is not a founding document. The radicals' real agenda is eliminating the Declarations' principles of national sovereignty, self-evident truths and unalienable rights from the standards.

Minnesota must adopt state standards and tests in science, language arts and math to comply with federal law (No Child Left Behind - NCLB). The Profile of Learning standards were entirely repealed last year, and new language arts and math standards were adopted.

Since federal law does not directly require social studies standards this year, critics of the citizens' committee standards want no social studies standards at all. That decision would leave the existing social studies standards in place in the language arts. The existing social studies standards are the radical Profile of Learning and they were imbedded into every school curriculum by force of law during the past five years. Adopting no new social studies standards this year would mean leaving the diversity training Profile standards entirely in place in Minnesota schools. The Profile of Learning was repealed because MN citizens demanded a return to knowledge based learning. We cannot settle for less.

New science standards however, are required by federal law this year. This is Minnesota's only chance to get standards that allow discussion of the scientific controversies of evolution. That is the "minority report" that we are asking the legislature to adopt.

Your legislators need to hear from you and understand that you:

1. Support the Academic Standards as written by the citizens' committee.
2. Absolutely will not accept any third drafts!
3. Insist that the scientific controversy surrounding evolution be included in the Science Standards.
(See new Zogby poll)

We need you on March 10th. Be there!

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