Dear Senator: The Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce - following Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's suggestion to the national Chamber

last month - is lobbying you to keep the Common Core State Standards Initiative using the notion the Wall Street Journal has editorialized for it. (This is false. Sol Stern and Joel Klein wrote an Op-Ed (5-13-13) as did Edward Frenkel and Hung-His Wu (5-6-13)). Why? What in the world world does the Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce have to do with public education? According to their Issue Brief, Workforce Development: The State Chamber supports the efficient and productive implementation of every segment of education, all of which are considered workforce development. So, lets get this straight; our children are to be educated to perform jobs to create a workforce for businesses coming to Oklahoma? I dont want my children to grow up to be worker bees. I want my children to have a well-rounded education allowing them to tackle ANY profession they desire. Thats not going to happen with the Common Core State Standards. How many times have we heard that these standards are not a mile wide and an inch deep like our old PASS standards? How many times have you flipped that statement over and thought of its negative? So our kids are going to be learning standards an inch wide and a mile deep? How does that create a student with well-rounded knowledge the kind Thomas Jefferson espoused the kind that provides truly endless possibilities for a childs life? Then again, what do I know really? Im just a mom and according to the Chamber of Commerce, mothers are ignorants. Just last month, after Duncan's speech, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce came out against TWO MOTHERS who began an effort which resulted in Governor Mike Pence signing legislation putting the Common Core on HOLD! "Two moms from Indianapolis, a handful of their friends and a couple dozen small but vocal Tea Party groups. That's the entire Indiana movement that is advocating for a halt to the Common Core State Standards. No educational backgrounds. No track record of supporting education reforms or any other past education issues. And worst of all: A demonstrated willingness to say just about anything, no matter how unsubstantiated or blatantly false, to advocate their cause." Yes, Im just a stay-at-home mom, but one with an education background and a track record of researching and writing about other past education issues (I seem to remember the State Chamber and ROPE being on the same page when it came to State Question 744!) and we back up what we say with legitimate citations for anyone to research our thoughts and ideas for themselves.

Why do you suppose the Chamber of Commerce is for the Common Core? Because just like Stand for Children (making robocalls across Oklahoma for the Common Core this weekend after receiving some of the 150 million from Bill Gates to market the Standards), many Chamber of Commerce have also received lots of money from Bill Gates to message the standards with Marc Tucker and Achieve the actual progenitors of the Common Core (no, it was NOT state led). There is a better way for the state to have standards and it's not because the NGA/CCSSO and Bill Gates wants them and businesses can make money! We list these on page 11 of our Interim Study research. There are a lot of conservative groups that don't support the Common Core. Many Oklahoma groups - including PASTORS - are against the Common Core, as are all the national conservative think tanks. Both our state Senators - Coburn and Inhofe - have signed Senator Chuck Grassley's letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee against the Common Core. Currently 16 states are attempting to get out of the Common Core in one way or another. In addition, the National Republican Committee overwhelmingly passed a resolution authored by our own state Committeewoman Carolyn McLarty that denounces the Common Core State Standards. Most mothers (families) cannot fund political campaigns at the level of the State Chamber, so let's not make this about money and influence lets make this about what is best for Oklahoma's children. Please consider what I have written here today. Oklahoma children are NOT common so Common Core State Standards are NOT OK. Very Sincerely, Jenni White 'plain old mom and voter with an education background who happens to be...' President Restore Oklahoma Public Education 405-473-8801 www.RestoreOkPublicEducation.com Visit us on Facebook Restore Oklahoma Public Education Blog Twitter BIBLIOGRAPHY http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/state_edwatch/2013/04/arne_duncan_urges_business_leade rs_to_defend_common_core.html

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/How-We-Work/Quick-Links/GrantsDatabase#q/k=chamber%20of%20commerce http://www.okstatechamber.com/whitepapers/2013/WorkforceDevelopment.pdf http://www.indianachamberblogs.com/facts-ignored-politics-winning-on-common-core http://truthinamericaneducation.com/common-core-state-standards/indiana-governor-mikepence-signs-common-core-pause-legislation/ http://www.gatesfoundation.org/How-We-Work/Quick-Links/GrantsDatabase#q/k=stand%20for%20children http://educationviews.org/how-did-the-gates-foundation-allocate-150-million-to-commoncore/ http://www.gatesfoundation.org/How-We-Work/Quick-Links/Grants-Database#q/k=chamber http://www.scribd.com/doc/67808823/Presentation-for-Interim-Committee http://www.christianpost.com/news/common-core-put-on-hold-in-indiana-gov-pence-agreesto-more-review-95718/ http://truthinamericaneducation.com/common-core-state-standards/rnc-passes-anti-commoncore-resolution-at-their-spring-meeting/ http://www.restoreokpubliceducation.com/node/751 http://truthinamericaneducation.com/common-core-state-standards/states-fighting-back/ http://www.educationnews.org/education-policy-and-politics/sen-chuck-grassley-authorsletter-against-common-core-agenda/