Remember Ike?
When I was a teenager, I was with a group when President Eisenhower spoke to us. I do not remember a word, but I do remember the President spoke to me.
So why all the controversy over President Obama addressing today's students?
Spunky brings up the fact that the Democrats called for special hearings when President George H.W. Bush addressed school children but doesn't mention that there were no outraged parents screaming that their kids were being brainwashed. So again WHY all the outraged parents claiming that the President wants to brainwash their children?
President Obama is not the first President to address school children in fact "President Reagan delivered a back-to-school speech to students in 1988. The first President Bush did one in 1991", and hopefully he will not be the last. His message that education is important is one our school children need to hear.
The Right of course without bothering to read the Federal Statue for themselves are clamoring that President Obama and the DOE broke the law by creating LESSON PLANS. Never mind that the DOE has created LESSON PLANS for numerous other things without The RIGHT being outraged.
What is the purpose of the DOE
Sec. 3402. Congressional declaration of purpose
-STATUTE-
The Congress declares that the establishment of a Department of Education is in the public interest, will promote the general welfare of the United States, will help ensure that education issues receive proper treatment at the Federal level, and will enable the Federal Government to coordinate its education activities more effectively. Therefore, the purposes of this chapter are -
(1) to strengthen the Federal commitment to ensuring access to equal educational opportunity for every individual;
(2) to supplement and complement the efforts of States, the local school systems and other instrumentalities of the States, the private sector, public and private educational institutions, public and private nonprofit educational research institutions, community-based organizations, parents, and students to improve the quality of education;
(3) to encourage the increased involvement of the public, parents, and students in Federal education programs;
(4) to promote improvements in the quality and usefulness of education through federally supported research, evaluation, and sharing of information;
(5) to improve the coordination of Federal education programs;
(6) to improve the management and efficiency of Federal education activities, especially with respect to the process, procedures, and administrative structures for the dispersal of Federal funds, as well as the reduction of unnecessary and duplicative burdens and constraints, including unnecessary paperwork, on the recipients of Federal funds; and
(7) to increase the accountability of Federal education programs to the President, the Congress, and the public.
Certainly sounds as if creating Lesson Plans falls within the DOE's stated purpose. Two websites you may want to check out if you are homeschoolers.
Links to NASA Education
Free Federal (Teaching) Resources for Educational Excellence
The Statue they use to support their argument is Sec. 3403. Relationship with States and it merely states that the FEDERAL Government (DOE) can not force the states to USE their LESSON PLANS or a specific CURRICULUM. They didn't, thus no laws were broken.
I am very trouble about the disrespect many in our nation are showing Our President. Refusing to address him correctly, insisting on using his middle name, or even worse using racial slurs when referring to President Obama is uncalled for. Even if you do not agree with his politics he is your President, the majority of your fellow Americans voted for him and he was duly elected. Those of you who claim to be Christians should spend less time making false accusations against President Obama and his supporters and more time praying for him and his Presidency.
Most of the issues for what I have read has every little to do with the actual speech but with the timing of the speech and the fact that there was lesson plans sent out with the speech.
ReplyDeleteI've read that the classroom activities provided by Obama for his speech violates federal statute. i.e that was against the law for the White House to help the DOE (Department of Education) make those lesson plans, and it's against the law for DOE to send them out to the schools.
That's what from what I've seen is the biggest issue. It wasn't so much the speech but the materials and activities surrounding the speech.
I agree...it wasn't about the speech itself but the materials that were handed out to the teachers afterwards.
ReplyDeleteDoes it make me less Christian to say I don't like Obama? That I don't believe in his policies or what he is doing to the country? Why bring Christianity into the conversation at all?
And exactly what in the materials do you object to SAHMinIL & Jeanette
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html
The link above will take you to a PDF file of the lesson plans.
SAHMinIL, What was wrong with the "timing of the speech" it was timed to coincide with the start of school!!!!!!
The FACT that it's ILLEGAL for the DOE and the White House to provide such material and lesson plans.
ReplyDeleteFederal statute denies ANY authority to the Department of Education to provide any kind of curriculum or anything that can be passed down to the state.
So it was ILLEGAL for the WHITE HOUSE, who is in authority of the DOE, to work with and collaborate in the making of lesson plans that where passed down to the states and local school districts across the nation.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/03/white-house-withdraws-students-help-obama/
If you are comfortable with a White House that violates federal law, that's fine. I can respect that.
Why do you think it is illegal for the Department of Education to create and provide lesson plans?
ReplyDeleteDo you think this website is illegal
http://free.ed.gov/
What about this one
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/hqlibrary/ic/education.html
SAHMinIL, Would you mind sharing what federal statue you are referring too. I have been unable to find it.
ReplyDeleteIt's illegal for a department that has AUTHORITY over the DOE to make lesson plans.
ReplyDeleteThe WHITE HOUSE has AUTHORITY over the DOE. The WHITE HOUSE help made the lesson plans.
It was ILLEGAL for the WHITE HOUSE to be INVOLVED in the process!
There have been several reports that have made it clear that the WHITE HOUSE had HELP, COLLABORATED, and MADE the lesson plans.
Do you deny that that the WHITE HOUSE at it's hand in the process? Do you deny that the WHITE HOUSE collaborated with the DOE in making these lesson plans?
U.S. Code 20, Section 3403, the Secretary of Education, or any officer, is forbidden to engage in "any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum, program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational institution, school, or school system."
ReplyDeleteHere is is better:
ReplyDeleteU.S. Code Title 20, Chapter 48, Section 3403
Oh you mean this
ReplyDeletehttp://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/20C48.txt
Sec. 3403. Relationship with States
-STATUTE-
(a) Rights of local governments and educational institutions
It is the intention of the Congress in the establishment of the
Department to protect the rights of State and local governments and
public and private educational institutions in the areas of
educational policies and administration of programs and to
strengthen and improve the control of such governments and
institutions over their own educational programs and policies. The
establishment of the Department of Education shall not increase the
authority of the Federal Government over education or diminish the
responsibility for education which is reserved to the States and
the local school systems and other instrumentalities of the States.
(b) Curriculum, administration, and personnel; library resources
No provision of a program administered by the Secretary or by any
other officer of the Department shall be construed to authorize the
Secretary or any such officer to exercise any direction,
supervision, or control over the curriculum, program of
instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational
institution, school, or school system, over any accrediting agency
or association, or over the selection or content of library
resources, textbooks, or other instructional materials by any
educational institution or school system, except to the extent
authorized by law.
(c) Funding under pre-existing programs
The Secretary shall not, during the period within eight months
after May 4, 1980, take any action to withhold, suspend, or
terminate funds under any program transferred by this chapter by
reason of the failure of any State to comply with any applicable
law requiring the administration of such a program through a single
organizational unit.
This link will take you to that section of the code.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/uscode20/usc_sec_20_00003403----000-.html
No where in the statue does it say it is ILLEGAL for the DOE to MAKE LESSON PLANS.
ReplyDeleteIt says the DOE can not FORCE STATES to use them and they didn't. Schools were able to decide for themselves if they wanted to use the lesson plans or even if they wanted to listen to the Presidents speech.
NO LAWS WERE BROKEN.
The wording of every thing change. Even the wording of the lesson plans changed. What is posted now on the DOE website are NOT was posted at first when everything was first came out.
ReplyDeleteI've listen to several lawyers explain things and have site other codes, etc. They, the lawyers, I've listen to have all said it was illegal for the White House to be involved in the making and passing out of these lesson plans. That is was also illegal for the DOE to pass them out, regardless if they were "force to use them or not"
Also on the flip side there is NOTHING on the other side of the fence, NOTHING from the DOE or the White House, or any other analyst to say that its simple non-sense to suggest that the White House was involved in illegal activity.
The fact that the other side is simply silent on this matter suggest to me that these lawyers, analyst and correct.
enough said by me, on this matter, at least! I hope your homeschooling is going well...
My homeschooling went very well, both my kids are full time college students now.
ReplyDeleteI think the claim that the DOE fulfilling its stated purpose was illegal was so ridiculous that "the other side" didn't feel any need to refute the claim.
You never answered my question about the links? IF the DOE creating lesson plans is illegal then both the NASA site and the Federal Resources for Educational Resources would be Illegal as it would be the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT providing LESSON PLANS.
NASA is NOT the department of education. Besides the lesson plans for the president's speech, what other lesson plans can be found on the DOE website. www.ed.gov
ReplyDeleteFREE (free.ed.gov) is among the most popular K-12 websites maintained by the U.S. Department of Education because of the many great resources being offered by contributing federal agencies. (This discription is found on the about page of free.ed.gov)
As a educator, yourself, I'm sure you would agree there is a HUGE difference between RESOURCES and ACTUAL LESSON Plans.
So you are saying ANY Federal Government Agency (National Air and Space Administration aka NASA for example) can provide LESSON PLANS, as long as it isn't the DOE? That doesn't even make sense.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ed.gov/teachers/landing.jhtml
Teaching Resources, Lesson Plans
Lesson plans, primary documents, and teaching resources across the federal government
Resources often include Lesson Plans.
For example I went to the http://free.ed.gov/ site. Looked under Language Arts and choose American Literature picked The Big Read and was taken to a site with SCHEDULE/LESSON PLAN, which gives you lesson plans for day 1, day 2 etc.
Then there is the DOE's Listening and Learning Tour
http://www.edgovblogs.org/duncan/topic/listening-tour/
Read to the Top
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/09/09032009.html
And Doing What Works
http://dww.ed.gov/
IMPROVE STUDENT PERFORMANCE
ReplyDeleteLesson Ideas
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/edpicks.jhtml
I didn't write the federal codes, nor do I completely understand them. Our federal government is full of all kinds of loop holes, previsions, and expects to the rules. That shouldn't be any surprise to anyone.
ReplyDeleteThe code that was sited earlier is just for the DOE. There are other rules for other federal bodies, etc.
The last link you provided (http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/edpicks.jhtml) is just a link page that goes back to free.ed.gov and to Teacher workshops Site.
It' interesting that at the bottom of the Teacher Workshop's Site it said this: The Department is NOT requiring or encouraging the use of any particular methods or materials in the classroom, and the use of the methods and materials in these sessions does NOT constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education.
The other link: http://www.edgovblogs.org/duncan/topic/listening-tour/ is to a BLOG about a Listening and Learning Tour that the Sec. of Education doing, to TALK about education reform, talking about education reform is NOT lesson plans.
The link: http://www.ed.gov/teachers/landing.jhtml When you click on lesson plans it takes you to free.ed.gov.
We have establish that free.ed.gov is a resource site. The link, http://dww.ed.gov/ from the best I can tell is another RESOURCE site.
Yes, it's true Resources often include lesson plans. However, there is an undeniable fundamental difference between RESOURCES that are provided to a teacher to use whenever and however they want, if they want.
Then saying at this time, at this date, we are going to watch this and here is what you are suppose to do with the kids prior to watching this program and here is what you are suppose to do with the kids after the program, these were not RESOURCES, these were flat out lesson plans.
It's without question that the wording in these plans were changed.
Also, it runs much deeper, Code 20, Chapter 48, Sub chapter 1, 3401, states: parents have the primary responsibility for the education of their children, and States, localities, and private institutions have the primary responsibility for supporting that parental role;
There were actual school districts that WERE NOT giving the parents to OP-OUT!
Also in 1991, The dems, through a fit over Pres. Bush doing a speech the nations children. Honestly I don't blame them. I think the dems were RIGHT to complain when Pres. Bush address the nations children 1991.
Lesson plans or not, I personally feel that NO president should be speaking to any child without the parent there!
If the president wants to address the nations children then do it at a time where parents can get and watch. After all the Federal Code is clear parents have the primary responsibility to education their children and that the schools role is to simply support the parents.
NO School had the right to tell the parents that they could NOT-opt out. No public authority has the right to say the parents are just nuts for not wanting their kids to watch, etc. They are suppose to be supporting the parents, not telling parents what they can, can't or should do.
Read
ReplyDeleteWhat is the purpose of the DOE
Sec. 3402. Congressional declaration of purpose
It's pretty evident that The Presidents speech and the "lesson plans" would be within the guidelines of the DOE's purpose.
The bottom line is no laws were broken because NO ONE IN the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT; NOT THE DOE & NOT THE PRESIDENT told schools that they had to use the lesson plans or listen to the speech. Many schools in my area bowed to parental pressure and did not show the presidents speech or use the lesson plans.
Why shouldn't the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES address school children. A whole host of other people give speeches at schools without parents getting upset about it. Organizations such as MADD, Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts etc go into our public schools and give speeches. For that matter teachers and principals address schoolchildren without their parents present and may hold different beliefs then the students parents.
The Dems brought up a ? concerning funding legality when President Bush SR gave his speech and were told it was legal. Therefore it is still legal. And when President Bush Sr gave his speech you didn't have a bunch of parents throwing a hissy fit and claiming he was brainwashing their children.
BTW: I voted for President Bush Sr. & President Bush Jr.
Unfortunately the Republican party is now so out of touch with reality that I felt President Obama was the best choice for our country.
Is EVERY Christian you meet really vicious and nasty? Really? Do you even spend time around people different than yourself? Because you have been incredibly vicious to those who simply have differing opinions than yours.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should have a little more tolerance for those who have a different way of life than you do. Where do you get your information that all Christians are telling lies about Obama? I haven't seen any statistics to show that, and it is obvious you don't spend time with Christian folks, so what is your basis for that arguement?
I have not been nasty or telling lies about the President. I don't agree with how he is handling Afghanistan, the economy, how he wants to rush into health care reform instead of slowing down and doing it thoughtfully and carefully. Maybe I don't agree with Big Government-that isn't what the Constitution stands for.
Wow, I really used to love your blog but it is clear you can't tolerate readers who respectfully disagree with you.
I'll move on to others who can.
Oh...
ReplyDeleteOne last thing.
You really shouldn't assume that everyone who disagrees with the President is doing so because of his race.
It makes for a weak and desperate arguement.
Goodness! I'm new to homeschooling, looking for resources, landed here from google and all I can say is...YUCK! Going elswhere.
ReplyDeleteGood for you Alasandra. You are a stalwart and brave woman, like the Little Engine That Could or something -- in case I haven't mentioned it lately. :D
ReplyDelete