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See other comments on the new No Child Left Behind Discussion Draft:

September 5, 2007

Click HERE for EdWatch Comments to the U.S. House Education
and Labor Committee on the Proposed Draft of NCLB.

New NCLB Plan Establishes International Education For All
UN International Curriculum

Leaders of the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee would institute international education standards in all public schools as part of their proposed changes to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). "International education standards" translated mean requiring that schools teach the beliefs and values of the UN. It does not mean having higher standards than we now have.

The newly released federal House Education Committee proposal would move all states into national/ international curriculum standards. This means that America's classroom curriculum will be not be determined by teachers, by elected school boards or state legislatures, or even within our own country. America's curriculum will be set by international agencies, specifically by UNESCO, the education arm of the UN.

International Baccalaureate (IB) is the framework for an International Curriculum. According to the IB website, IB (and mational/international curriculum standards) are all about beliefs and values. It is pure multiculturalism.

For example, IB curricula teaches that the American Creed -- that is, the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution that all men and women are created equal, with inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, that government exists to protect those rights, and limited government-- may be highly regarded by some Americans, but it lacks universal truths and values that are good for all Americans and it certainly isn't good for other nations. Rather, International curriculum standards promote the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights [UDHR] as the highest, universal principles.

The Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution are fundamentally opposite from the UDHR. A few examples are these (see "The IB Curriculum"):

The right to bear arms -- UDHR has no right to bear arms.
No double jeopardy -- UDHR has no prohibition of double jeopardy.
Church/state separation -- UDHR promotes an earth-worship spirituality.
Limited government -- UDHR has no limits on government.
Reserved powers -- UDHR has no reserved powers.
Recognition of natural law -- UDHR does not recognize natural law.
Guarantee that property cannot be taken by government without just compensation -- UDHR has no such guarantee.

The Tenth Amendment to our Constitution states:

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution ... are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."

That is, human rights belong to the people, and government has only those rights given it by the people. Our rights have higher standing than government.

        The biggest difference between the American Creed and international education is this: Our Declaration of Independence states that government exists to protect the God-given, inalienable rights of all persons.

        The UDHR, however, has the exact opposite view of human rights. It says: "These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations." [UDHR, Paragraph 29, Article 3] This means that under the UDHR, people have only those rights the UN says they have. But under the U.S. Bill of Rights, government has only those rights the people say it has.

        The NCLB proposal "incentivizes" all states to get fully on the national/international curriculum standards track, meaning states pay a financial penalty for not climbing on board. Congress recently already passed a huge subsidy for International Baccalaureate in the America COMPETES Act, rewarding states that prioritize it. NCLB guarantees all states will prioritize international education.

        There are numerous other highly objectionable parts to this NCLB proposal. It brings on more testing, not less. It adds in the use of subjective "portfolios" so teachers can game the system, for example, and it brings most other subject areas into the federal testing mode. English Language Learners (ELL) will take their assessments in their own foreign language, not English, for up to seven years -- not counting the first year when they won't be assessed, and non-compliant states are slapped with a 25% reduction of federal education dollars.

        The hearing for this proposal will be next Monday, September 10th, less than two weeks after the massive 435 page document was released to the public. And this is only Title I, which is the first chapter of the current ten Titles, 670 pages of Public Law, and $13 billion of public spending.

Further Reading:
See " A PLUS plan": U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra [R-Michigan] has introduced legislation that he says would help restore local control of education. (Michigan Education Report, August 15, 2007)

See " Returning NCLB Accountability to Voters"

A-PLUS Rep Hoekstra, Peter [MI-2] , Current 63 cosponsors
Rep Akin, W. Todd [MO-2], Rep Bachmann, Michele [MN-6], Rep Barrett, J. Gresham [SC-3], Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. [MD-6], Rep Bishop, Rob [UT-1], Rep Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7], Rep Blunt, Roy [MO-7], Rep Bonner, Jo [AL-1], Rep Campbell, John [CA-48], Rep Cannon, Chris [UT-3], Rep Cantor, Eric [VA-7], Rep Carter, John R. [TX-31], Rep Culberson, John Abney [TX-7], Rep Doolittle, John T. [CA-4], Rep Drake, Thelma D. [VA-2], Rep Duncan, John J., Jr. [TN-2], Rep Fallin, Mary [OK-5], Rep Feeney, Tom [FL-24], Rep Flake, Jeff [AZ-6], Rep Foxx, Virginia [NC-5], Rep Franks, Trent [AZ-2], Rep Garrett, Scott [NJ-5], Rep Gilchrest, Wayne T. [MD-1], Rep Gingrey, Phil [GA-11], Rep Gohmert, Louie [TX-1], Rep Goode, Virgil H., Jr. [VA-5], Rep Goodlatte, Bob [VA-6], Rep Hensarling, Jeb [TX-5], Rep Herger, Wally [CA-2], Rep Hunter, Duncan [CA-52], Rep Inglis, Bob [SC-4], Rep Issa, Darrell E. [CA-49], Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3], Rep Kingston, Jack [GA-1], Rep Kline, John [MN-2], Rep Lewis, Ron [KY-2], Rep Linder, John [GA-7], Rep Lucas, Frank D. [OK-3], Rep Manzullo, Donald A. [IL-16], Rep McHenry, Patrick T. [NC-10], Rep Miller, Candice S. [MI-10], Rep Miller, Jeff [FL-1], Rep Moran, Jerry [KS-1], Rep Musgrave, Marilyn N. [CO-4], Rep Paul, Ron [TX-14], Rep Pence, Mike [IN-6], Rep Pitts, Joseph R. [PA-16], Rep Price, Tom [GA-6], Rep Ramstad, Jim [MN-3], Rep Rogers, Mike J. [MI-8], Rep Rohrabacher, Dana [CA-46], Rep Ryan, Paul [WI-1], Rep Sali, Bill [ID-1], Rep Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [WI-5], Rep Shadegg, John B. [AZ-3], Rep Tancredo, Thomas G. [CO-6], Rep Thornberry, Mac [TX-13], Rep Tiahrt, Todd [KS-4], Rep Walberg, Timothy [MI-7], Rep Weldon, Dave [FL-15], Rep Westmoreland, Lynn A. [GA-3], Rep Wilson, Joe [SC-2]

For more reading on the background of NCLB, see America's Schools: The Battleground for Freedom.

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