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	<title>Betty Peters</title>
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	<link>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters</link>
	<description>Betty Peters of Dothan, Alabama</description>
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		<title>Standardizing Students</title>
		<link>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/09/02/standardizing-students/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/09/02/standardizing-students/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:24:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[From Betty]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Non-governmental organizations, corporations, and private foundations are pushing for federalization of educational standards and abolition of local school boards.


						 
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Non-governmental organizations, corporations, and private foundations are pushing for federalization of educational standards and abolition of local school boards.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Betty Peters Speaks on Common Core Standards</title>
		<link>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/08/19/betty-peters-speaks-on-common-core-standards/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/08/19/betty-peters-speaks-on-common-core-standards/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Aug 2010 01:41:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[From Betty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/?p=59</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[

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		<title>Dothan Magazine August 2009</title>
		<link>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/08/19/dothan-magazine-august-2009/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/08/19/dothan-magazine-august-2009/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:33:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[From Betty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/?p=52</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Betty gave an interview to Dothan Magazine in August of 2009.
 
Click here for Part I and Part II of the complete article.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Betty gave an interview to Dothan Magazine in August of 2009.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="http://www.bettypeters.org/images/article_teaser.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="560" height="544" /> </p>
<p>Click here for <a href="http://www.bettypeters.org/pdf/Dothan_Mag1_Aug09.pdf">Part I</a> and <a href="http://www.bettypeters.org/pdf/Dothan_Mag2_Aug09.pdf">Part II</a> of the complete article.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Peters raises doubts about Nat&#8217;l Standards</title>
		<link>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/08/18/peters-raises-doubts-about-natl-standards/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/08/18/peters-raises-doubts-about-natl-standards/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:05:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/?p=48</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Betty Peters speaks to Senator Jeff Sessions about federal interference in educational matters. [click title for video]





]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Betty Peters speaks to Senator Jeff Sessions about federal interference in educational matters. [click title for video]</p>
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		<title>Peters says Race to the Top federal power grab</title>
		<link>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/07/31/peters-says-race-to-the-top-federal-power-grab/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/07/31/peters-says-race-to-the-top-federal-power-grab/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Jul 2010 06:23:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/?p=46</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Alabama has failed so far in its attempts to get federal Race To The Top program funds, and that’s a good thing, according to Alabama State Board of Education member Betty Peters.
The state recently learned that it won’t be among states receiving $4.2 billion in federal aid. Reasons given for the state missing out on [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Alabama has failed so far in its attempts to get federal Race To The Top program funds, and that’s a good thing, according to Alabama State Board of Education member Betty Peters.</p>
<p>The state recently learned that it won’t be among states receiving $4.2 billion in federal aid. Reasons given for the state missing out on being among Race to the Top  funds winners were a lack of charter schools, missing a deadline to agree to common standards and a reluctance by the Alabama Education Association to agree to evaluating educators based on their students’ test scores.</p>
<p>Peters said the Race to the Top program was a power grab by the federal government that would infringe upon states’ rights guaranteed by the 10th Amendment.</p>
<p>Peters said adopting common standards would take away too much local power to determine what children are taught.</p>
<p>“Education has always been a state, local and family matter,” she said.</p>
<p>Peters  said that by standardizing curriculum, the nation’s schools run the risk of reducing competition among textbook publishers, potentially creating lucrative monopolies for some who secure large government contracts.</p>
<p>Peters also said standardization would likely eventually lead to state leaders being handcuffed with regard to what steps they could take to improve education in their state.</p>
<p>Peters said Race to the Top also asked board members to approve vague policies and standards that weren’t fully explained to board members or the public. Peters pointed to the program’s aim of evaluating teachers based on student test scores as an example.</p>
<p>“I am not going to hang this around teachers’ necks and award tenure based on assessment when I don’t know what the assessment is going to be,” she said.</p>
<p><a href="http://m.dothaneagle.com/dothan/db_7339/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=J4fWLIqS&#038;pn=0">Dothan Eagle</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>AL State School Board Member on National Standards</title>
		<link>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/07/17/al-state-school-board-member-on-national-standards/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/07/17/al-state-school-board-member-on-national-standards/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Jul 2010 03:02:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[From Betty]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/07/17/al-state-school-board-member-on-national-standards/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Editor,
The American public is alarmed over the federal takeover of so many facets of our economy including the auto industry, financial institutions, and healthcare. Strangely, one of the largest sectors of our economy– public education–is being taken over with almost no public awareness. Congress and the state legislatures have been left out of the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Dear Editor,</p>
<p>The American public is alarmed over the federal takeover of so many facets of our economy including the auto industry, financial institutions, and healthcare. Strangely, one of the largest sectors of our economy– public education–is being taken over with almost no public awareness. Congress and the state legislatures have been left out of the loop as have parents, educators and other taxpayers. However, the significance of this total federalization of our schools will be felt by parents as soon as they have a problem with school curricula or testing and can no longer appeal to locally accessible authorities, but instead they will have to look to faraway Washington for assistance from a faceless bureaucrat.</p>
<p>Americans have always considered education to be under state and local authority by virtue of the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution.. Even the controversial “No Child Left Behind” law acknowledged state authority by prohibiting “national standards” and a “national test.” This plan being promoted by the Obama administration was not termed “national standards,” but was given the name “Common Core State Standards Initiative” or CCSSI. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has helped make the medicine of federalized education more palatable by tying federal “Race to the Top” grant money to the Common Core adoption. Much like Esau of old, who swapped his birthright for a bowl of porridge, today’s state education leaders and governors are trading state sovereignty over education for the chance to compete for more federal dollars.</p>
<p>Although most Alabamians have no idea we are ceding the state’s authority over practically all aspects of education (content standards, tests and assessments, teacher evaluations and professional development, ed school preparation programs, and even technology integration), we are indeed moving very rapidly in that direction. It will soon be too late to put on the brakes: the Alabama State School Board is scheduled to vote in November on whether to adopt Common Core Standards.</p>
<p>Our state is participating in two partnerships (called consortia) to develop national assessments. Last month the consortia submitted applications for federal grants of up to $320 million for developing a “comprehensive assessment system for grades 3 and up. Until now the sparse public discussion that has occurred across the nation has focused only on the “common core standards.” But couldn’t the quality of the new assessments be even more important? What If they prove to be vague, weak, difficult to grade objectively and/or have a “low bar” for passing ? What I have read of the proposed assessments reminds me of the verbiage of the discredited OBE (outcome based education) plan of the early 1990′s. Under the guise of giving states flexibility, the federal guidelines allow states to add 15% of content. If national assessments can’t cover content not embraced by all states, what likelihood is there that the extra 15% a state adds will be taught?</p>
<p>And last but certainly not least, what about the costly and extensive databases mandated under this federal plan? All teachers and students from pre-k forward must be assessed, tracked, and reported on, but does anyone know if there are sufficient safeguards for their privacy rights?</p>
<p>During a time when the public and private sectors are in fiscal distress, why in the world would we in Alabama want to embrace a massive and expensive foray into the educational unknown? Texas and Alaska wisely refused to participate at the beginning, and eleven others have refused to apply for the Race to the Top grants. The sooner Alabama backs out of this federal takeover, the better off we will be. I hope the Alabama State School Board soon votes NOT to adopt the Common Core Standards, and thereby retains for parents, local schools and our state the responsibility for overseeing the educational content that molds the hearts, minds and futures of our children.</p>
<p>When I reflect on the two times I was sworn in and promised to uphold our Constitution, I feel compelled to share my concerns with the the people of Alabama. I appreciate your giving me a venue to do so.</p>
<p>Betty Peters<br />
District 2 Representative<br />
Alabama State School Board<br />
Dothan</p>
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		<title>State education officials discuss core standards</title>
		<link>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/06/25/state-education-officials-discuss-core-standards/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/06/25/state-education-officials-discuss-core-standards/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Jun 2010 23:42:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General News]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Alabama educational offi­cials started the ball rolling on what education might look like if the state Board of Education decides to join other states in adopting nationwide standards for core courses in English and math.
But at least one board mem­ber was concerned at a Thurs­day meeting that the process of developing recommendations presupposes that the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Alabama educational offi­cials started the ball rolling on what education might look like if the state Board of Education decides to join other states in adopting nationwide standards for core courses in English and math.</p>
<p>But at least one board mem­ber was concerned at a Thurs­day meeting that the process of developing recommendations presupposes that the board wants the state to follow the same standards as other states.</p>
<p>The Alabama Department of Education is putting together a task force to review the stan­dards, which have been devel­oped by the National Governors Association&#8217;s Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers over the last two years with the input of Alabama and 47 other states.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20100625/NEWS02/6250324/State+education+officials+discuss+core+standards">Read more&#8230;</a></p>
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		<title>University Had Short Attention Span for Superteaching</title>
		<link>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/05/28/university-had-short-attention-span-for-superteaching/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2010/05/28/university-had-short-attention-span-for-superteaching/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 May 2010 18:45:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bernhard Dohrmann]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[USA TODAY
The University of Alabama in Huntsville recently dissolved a contract with a self-styled business guru — who had a history of fraudulent business practices — to help develop a piece of teaching technology aimed primarily at K-12 students. But some observers are wondering why it took the university six months to terminate the relationship [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-05-27-IHE-Super-Teaching-U-Alabama27_ST_N.htm">USA TODAY</a></p>
<p>The University of Alabama in Huntsville recently dissolved a contract with a self-styled business guru — who had a history of fraudulent business practices — to help develop a piece of teaching technology aimed primarily at K-12 students. But some observers are wondering why it took the university six months to terminate the relationship after unsavory details of the entrepreneur&#8217;s past came to light — and why due diligence did not stop the university from signing the contract in the first place.</p>
<p>The university went into business in 2007 with Bernard Dohrmann — an entrepreneur who has a long history of run-ins with federal watchdogs, including two convictions — to help monetize a tool called Super Teaching. It entered into a contract in December of that year with a company called Life Success Academy, headed by Dohrmann and his wife, as well as another company called Monte Sano Associates, to help test and improve the Super Teaching hardware. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-05-27-IHE-Super-Teaching-U-Alabama27_ST_N.htm">Read More&#8230;</a></p>
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		<title>Know Your Consultants</title>
		<link>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2009/09/04/know-your-consultants/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2009/09/04/know-your-consultants/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:06:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bernhard Dohrmann]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[September 2, 2009
Flashpoint Blog
The University of Alabama in Huntsville has put up its credibility as an institution of higher learning as collateral to develop and market the invention of a twice convicted con man — and no one seems to be paying attention.
The “invention” in question is called Super Teaching (interchangeably used as one or [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>September 2, 2009<br />
<a href="http://www.flashpointblog.com/2009/09/02/super-teaching-why-is-uah-involved-with-a-very-dangerous-con-man/">Flashpoint Blog</a></p>
<p>The University of Alabama in Huntsville has put up its credibility as an institution of higher learning as collateral to develop and market the invention of a twice convicted con man — and no one seems to be paying attention.</p>
<p>The “invention” in question is called <a href="http://superteaching.uah.edu/">Super Teaching</a> (interchangeably used as one or two words).  Here is the description of this revolutionary learning system from the UAH website:</p>
<blockquote><p>
SuperTeaching is a multi-sensory instructional system designed to utilize computer generated audio and imagery in order to engage learners. The SuperTeaching system includes three screens positioned at the front of the room, which display images in a seemingly random pattern. The images included in the pattern roll are those of the instructor, learners, course content, and nature scenes.</p></blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.flashpointblog.com/2009/09/02/super-teaching-why-is-uah-involved-with-a-very-dangerous-con-man/">Read More&#8230;</a></p>
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		<title>State school board member calls on AG to investigate campaign finance</title>
		<link>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2009/08/31/state-school-board-member-calls-on-ag-to-investigate-campaign-finance/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bettypeters.org/bettypeters/2009/08/31/state-school-board-member-calls-on-ag-to-investigate-campaign-finance/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:21:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General News]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[August 31, 2009
Dothan Eagle
State school board member Betty Peters asked Attorney General Troy King for help Monday night.
Betty Peters believes that if you’re going to get something done, you’ve got to take it to the top.
The district 2 state school board member did just that last night, calling on Alabama Attorney General Troy King to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>August 31, 2009<br />
<a href="http://www2.dothaneagle.com/dea/news/local/article/state_school_board_member_calls_on_ag_to_investigate_campaign_finance/89849/#comments">Dothan Eagle</a></p>
<p>State school board member Betty Peters asked Attorney General Troy King for help Monday night.</p>
<p>Betty Peters believes that if you’re going to get something done, you’ve got to take it to the top.</p>
<p>The district 2 state school board member did just that last night, calling on Alabama Attorney General Troy King to investigate what she labeled as wrongdoing by a candidate for the district 3 state school board seat in last year’s election.</p>
<p>Peters said that Skip Smithwick, who ran for Stephanie Bell’s seat, has not properly filled out campaign finance reports detailing from where he received all of his campaign contributions.</p>
<p><a href="http://www2.dothaneagle.com/dea/news/local/article/state_school_board_member_calls_on_ag_to_investigate_campaign_finance/89849/#comments">Read More&#8230;</a></p>
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