Former Florida teacher working to expose the truth about the ‘evil’ education system

Editor's Note: Jasper will also be appearing on Glenn Beck Program, Thursday at 5pm ET only on TheBlaze. Not a subscriber? Start your 14-day free trial HERE.

Glenn’s new book CONFORM: Exposing the Truth About Common Core and Public Education seeks to offer parents, teachers, and students the facts they need to take back the debate and help usher in a new era of education built around the common sense principles of choice, freedom, and accountability. On radio this morning, Glenn welcomed former Florida teacher and founder of ConversationED.com Kathleen Jasper to the program to discuss her experience in the public education system and the work she is now doing to fight back.

“I wanted to introduce you to somebody I think is very, very brave. Courage is contagious. It really is. And when you start seeing people stand up and doing the right thing – but doing it the right way, being peaceful, being loving, and being accurate – those people are going to change the world. They are. And we're beginning to see those remarkable people stand,” Glenn said. “Kathleen Jasper is the founder of ConversationED.com. This is a place where you can learn about what's happening in our educational system, and she knows because she was in a high school.”

Jasper was a high school teacher and assistant principle, and she began to grow concerned under George W. Bush’s Administration because of the volume of testing programs like No Child Left Behind required. The implementation of the Common Core standards further exacerbated the problem, and though Jasper identifies herself as a liberal, she appreciates the solutions Glenn’s book CONFORM offers parents and teachers.

“So, you describe yourself as a liberal and generally probably didn't think we would have anything in common,” Glenn said.

“I've been watching you for many years on different networks, and I know all about you. When your producer contacted me, I was really excited but also, you know, trying to figure out where we had some common ground. I ran out and grabbed your book, and I flipped through it. It's pretty conservative, but as I was flipping through it, I wrote a list of agrees and disagrees. And the disagrees list was pretty short,” Jasper explained. “There were some fundamental things that I disagreed with you on, but the agree side was exponentially longer. So I started to sticky note your book and do what educators do with publications and wrote a blog about it and got some feedback from some people. And I really think that you and I – no matter what side of the spectrum we're on – agree on some very, very important points.”

Jasper believes the education system is sucking the souls out of our children, and the testing that supposedly measures merit and success is actually just a money making scheme.

“When I see third graders completely freaked out about a test that determines whether or not they are qualified to go onto fourth grade, you see babies, really, that don't even know who they are yet, being measured by this one test that generates hundreds of millions of dollars for a testing company and for campaigns,” Jasper said. “You see that our students are being pawns in a very, very evil – I will say that – game. And the people who stand to benefit are those who make the test and make the money.”

Former Florida governor is gaining a lot of buzz ahead of 2016, and during is tenure as governor, Bush was known for his education policy. He is now a supporter of Common Core. Jasper explained that even though Bush is no longer governor, he is still very much involved in the Florida education system.

“Bush is a very powerful man. He still has a lot of control in the state of Florida. And Jeb Bush has a foundation – the Foundation for Excellence in Education,” she said. “And that foundation is heavily tied with Pearson, which is a test making company. It's also a publisher. So Pearson publishes the books, they build the curriculum. They write the tests. They score the tests. And they store the data.”

As Jasper explained, these tests actually have a 30% fail rate built into them, and Pearson earns between $15 and $30 for each test administered. The more children who fail and must retake the exam, the more money Pearson makes.

“When the students do not pass those exams… because there's a mandate under No Child Left Behind that is been also pushed through Race to the Top that if they do not pass those required tests, they have to continue to take them over and over again. And in high school – that's my area – students are retaking tests three to five times a year depending on the test,” Jasper said. “They are literally just testing all the time, and every time that student retakes the test, the district pays for that test. So Pearson is in the business of failure because failure drives the machine.”

“It's great that you have these students passing the test, but really where Pearson is making its money is through the failure of our students,” she continued. “And that's where I have the biggest problem – that they are making money off the failure of our young people.”

Ultimately, as teachers grow increasingly frustrated with these standards, the children will suffer even more.

“Teachers are completely fried with these tests. Their autonomy has been stripped from the classroom. They have no choice but to a test because they want their students to be successful, because the consequence is: The student doesn't pass the test in third grade, that student is held back. So their hands are tied,” Jasper concluded. “They have to teach exactly what is on that test. And teachers, all they want to do is the creative work that they know to be the right thing do… I think that we should have teachers and students working together to build the curriculum and assess students differently because they are all different.”

Editor's Note:Jasper will also be appearing on Glenn Beck Program, Thursday at 5pm ET only on TheBlaze. Not a subscriber? Start your 14-day free trial HERE.

COVID is back! Or that is what we’re being told anyway...

A recent spike in COVID cases has triggered the left's alarm bells, and the following institutions have begun to reinstate COVID-era mandates. You might want to avoid them if you enjoy breathing freely...

Do YOU think institutions should bring back COVID-era mandates if cases increase? Let us know your thoughts HERE.

Morris Brown College

Both of Upstate Medical's hospitals in Syracuse, New York

Corey Henry / Senior Staff Photographer | The Daily Orange

Auburn Community Hospital, New York

Kevin Rivoli / The Citizen | Auburn Pub

Lionsgate Studio

AaronP/Bauer-Griffin / Contributor | GETTY IMAGES

United Health Services in New York

Kaiser Permanente in California

Justin Sullivan / Staff | GETTY IMAGES

There was a time when both the Left and the Right agreed that parents have the final say in raising their children... Not anymore.

In the People's Republic of California, the STATE, not parents, will determine whether children should undergo transgender treatments. The California state legislature just passed a law that will require judges in child custody cases to consider whether parents support a child’s gender transition. According to the law, the state now thinks total affirmation is an integral part of a child’s “health, safety, and welfare.”

We are inching closer to a dystopia where the state, not the parents, have ultimate rights over their children, a history that people from former Soviet nations would feign repeating.

Glenn dove into the law AND MORE in this episode titled, "Parental Advisory: The EXPLICIT plot to control YOUR kids." To get all the research that went into this episode AND information on how YOU can fight back, enter your email address below:

If you didn't catch Wednesday night's Glenn TV special, be sure to check it out HERE!

The Biden admin has let in MORE illegal aliens than the populations of THESE 15 states

GUILLERMO ARIAS / Contributor | Getty Images

There are currently an estimated 16.8 MILLION illegal aliens residing in the United States as of June 2023, according to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). This number is already 1.3 million higher than FAIR's January 2022 estimate of 15.5 million and a 2.3 million increase from its end-of-2020 estimate. Even Democrats like New York City's Mayor Adams Mayor Adams are waking up to what Conservatives have been warning for years: we are in a border CRISIS.

However, this isn't the same border crisis that Republicans were warning about back in 2010. In the first two years of the Biden administration alone, the illegal alien population increased by 16 PERCENT nationwide, imposing a whopping net cost of $150.6 BILLION PER YEAR on American taxpayers. That is nearly DOUBLE the total amount that the Biden administration has sent to Ukraine.

This isn't the same border crisis that Republicans were warning about back in 2010.

These large numbers often make it difficult to conceptualize the sheer impact of illegal immigration on the United States. To put it in perspective, we have listed ALL 15 states and the District of Colombia that have smaller populations than the 2.3 MILLION illegal immigrants, who have entered the U.S. under the Biden administration. That is more than the entire populations of Wyoming, Vermont, and South Dakota COMBINED—and the American taxpayers have to pay the price.

Here are all 16 states/districts that have FEWER people than the illegal immigrants who have entered the U.S. under the Biden administration.

1. New Mexico

Population: 2,110,011

2. Idaho

Population: 1,973,752

3. Nebraska

Population: 1,972,292

4. West Virginia

Population: 1,764,786

5. Hawaii

Population: 1,433,238

6. New Hampshire

Population: 1,402,957

7. Maine

Population: 1,393,442

8. Montana

Population: 1,139,507

9. Rhode Island

Population: 1,090,483

10. Delaware

Population: 1,031,985

11. South Dakota

Population: 923,484

12. North Dakota

Population: 780,588

13. Alaska

Population: 732,984

14. Washington DC

Population: 674,815

15. Vermont

Population: 647,156

16. Wyoming

Population: 583,279

POLL: Should the Government control the future of AI?

The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

Earlier this week, tech titans, lawmakers, and union leaders met on Capitol Hill to discuss the future of AI regulation. The three-hour meeting boasted an impressive roster of tech leaders including, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and others, along with more than 60 US Senators.

Tech Titans and Senators gathered in the Kennedy Caucus Room.The Washington Post / Contributor | Getty Images

The meeting was closed to the public, so what was exactly discussed is unknown. However, what we do know is that a majority of the CEOs support AI regulation, the most vocal of which is Elon Musk. During the meeting, Musk called AI "a double-edged sword" and strongly pushed for regulation in the interest of public safety.

A majority of the CEOs support AI regulation.

Many other related issues were discussed, including the disruption AI has caused to the job market. As Glenn has discussed on his program, the potential for AI to alter or destroy jobs is very real, and many have already felt the effects. From taxi drivers to Hollywood actors and writers, AI's presence can be felt everywhere and lawmakers are unsure how to respond.

The potential for AI to alter or destroy jobs is very real.

Ultimately, the meeting's conclusion was less than decisive, with several Senators making comments to the tune of "we need more time before we act." The White House is expected to release an executive order regarding AI regulation by the end of the year. But now it's YOUR turn to tell us what YOU think needs to be done!

Should A.I. be regulated?

Can the government be trusted with the power to regulate A.I.? 

Can Silicon Valley be trusted to regulate AI? 

Should AI development be slowed for safety, despite its potential advantages?

If a job can be done cheaper and better by AI, should it be taken away from a human?

Do you feel that your job is threatened by AI?