It’s Tuesday, May 5th, A.D. 2020. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I’m Adam McManus. (adam@TheWorldview.com)
By Kevin Swanson
Common Core is now a proven failure
Six years after the implementation of Common Core, the results are in.
Test scores for American school children have declined an overall average of one-half percent per year (for 8th grade students) in math and reading, according to a report from the Pioneer Institute. The ten years prior to the implementation of Common Core, 8th grade students were reportedly gaining 0.7% on the average per year.
Pioneer Executive Director Jim Stergios said, “Nearly a decade after states adopted Common Core, the empirical evidence makes it clear that these national standards have yielded underwhelming results for students. The proponents of this expensive, legally questionable policy initiative have much to answer for.”
Stergios concluded, “It’s time for federal law to change to allow states as well as local school districts to try a broader range of approaches to reform. With a more bottom-up approach, more school systems will have the opportunity to choose curricula consistent with our international competitors and many decades of research on effective classroom teaching.”
But will the public school teach the beginning of knowledge? Psalm 111:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”
Homeschool Curriculum Summit 2.0 runs through this Friday
You can save time and money by learning from the time-tested, biblically-based wisdom of 25 Christian curriculum creators through video interviews on how to find the right fit for each child and each family.
The Homeschool Curriculum Summit 2.0 will help you evaluate your curriculum options with a Christian worldview to identify the right fit for every student for every subject so you can homeschool with confidence! It runs today through Friday, May 8th. The curriculum includes math, science, language arts, history, and social studies.
The economic devastation of COVID-19
Hong Kong has registered its steepest economic decline in recorded history.
Its Gross Domestic Product sank an annualized 8.9% in the first quarter. China reported a 6.8% drop and Japan dropped 4%, with an expected 22% drop in the second quarter, by estimates published in the Nikkei Asian Review. That would be the largest drop for the world’s third largest economy since World War II.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Prime Minister has extended the State of Emergency in that country to the end of May.
And the U.S. Congressional Budget Office is projecting a whopping 40% annualized GDP drop for our second quarter along with a $4.5 trillion federal deficit for this budget year ending in September.
Isaiah 44:20 reminds us that man cannot save himself. “He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver his soul or say, ‘Is there not a lie in my right hand?’”
America’s new COVID-19 cases have flattened
By God’s mercies, the COVID-19 new cases in the United States have flattened now for one month — 31 days.
And Italy and Spain’s new cases have been decreasing for almost six weeks.
13 states have re-opened their economies
Thirteen states are reopening for business, with varying degrees of soft launching this week.
Those states include Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina, Vermont, and West Virginia.
Kansas City, Missouri officials seek to track Christians
Governmental overreach is hitting draconian levels in parts of the United States, reports Liberty Counsel.
Mat Staver, the Chairman of the Christian legal rights group, pointed out that the Kansas City, Missouri officials “are now requiring every church to submit a list of members and attendees along with their names, addresses and telephone numbers to city officials for tracking and surveillance purposes.”
Staver referred to these as “Nazi-like measures designed to surveil, track and spy upon what was once a FREE American people.”
Canada bans military-grade rifles
Canada is banning the sale and use of military-grade rifles — effective immediately, reports The Guardian.
The parliament is working on legislation to allow a 2-year grace period for gun owners who happen to own military-grade rifles.
Asian Giant Hornet, which destroys honeybees, in America
The Asian Giant Hornet, known in Japan as the “Susumibachi” has been seen for the first time in the US, in Washington State. The two-inch long hornet has a sting that can kill a human. However, its main target is the honeybee.
Beekeepers are especially concerned because these giant hornets can decapitate 40 honeybees in a minute, reports the New York Times.
Watch this 3-minute video of 30 Asian Giant Hornets killing 30,000 honeybees in just 3 hours.
Close
And that’s The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Tuesday, May 5th in the year of our Lord 2020. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I’m Adam McManus (adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.