I don’t think the American people have the same concept of privacy we used to. With the advent of social networks like Facebook and Twitter, Americans have naturally gotten used to posting their personal information on the Internet — and the federal government has taken advantage of this. We don’t care about our privacy, so why should they?
Let me take you back to 2009. The stimulus package, or the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” included a section on “Improving collection and use of data” in the education system. “The State will establish a longitudinal data system that includes the elements described in section 6401(e)(2)(D) of the America COMPETES Act,” it stated.
What’s the America COMPETES Act? According to the act, it exists “to invest in innovation through research and development, to improve the competitiveness of the United States, and for other purposes.”
How will it accomplish this? Two words: data mining. The America COMPETES Act provides the elements and specifications through which states can collect information on your children. It will be given this ability to data mine through a larger machine, the longitudinal data system. The Common Core system will then allow educators, researchers and other officials to conveniently access and monitor collected information.
According to the National Educational Data Model and the Pioneer Institute, this machine will collect data on approximately 400 total informational points, including points like health care plans, religious affiliations, voting statuses, bus stop route IDs and arrival times and family income ranges.
And, what will the longitudinal data system be used for? The Executive Summary of the Race to the Top program summarized this nicely.
“Make the data from instructional improvement systems (as defined in this notice), together with statewide longitudinal data system data, available and accessible to researchers,” it stated. “So that they have detailed information with which to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional materials, strategies, and approaches for educating different types of students.”
Oh, how precious. This is all for our own good, right? It’s all there to improve the quality of education and instruction, right? All that’s needed is your soul, kids, and they’ll be able to help out. Don’t give any thought to that silly old Fourth Amendment.
And, exactly how long would this data mining go on for? According to the Department of Education, “The program provides grants to states to design, develop, and implement statewide P-20 longitudinal systems to capture, analyze, and use student data from preschool to high school, college and the workforce.”
So you see children, you will have big-daddy government tracking you practically from birth to graduation and onto the workforce. Doesn’t that make you feel so secure? After all, you don’t need privacy or any silly notions of being an individual with God-given rights. Those are so overrated. Common Core is disgusting partly because, in a way, we allowed it to exist. We proved how little we value our privacy and our children’s. Now politicians can get away with data mining in schools without so much as a murmur from Americans. Just look how large and complicated it has become, right under our noses. I have barely scratched the surface of this monstrous program.
This system will not help our children. It is yet another level through which the federal government can manifest itself in our lives.
Andrew Jenson can be reached at [email protected]