Come 2014 Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and JD Salinger's  Catcher in the Rye will no longer be on high school reading lists. 

American literature classics are to be replaced by insulation manuals and plant inventories in US classrooms by 2014.

A new school curriculum which will affect 46 out of 50 states will make it compulsory for at least 70 per cent of books studied to be non-fiction, in an effort to ready pupils for the workplace.

Books such as JD Salinger's Catcher in the Rye and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird will be replaced by "informational texts" approved by the Common Core State Standards.

So who started this fiction vs. nonfiction smack down? Who's really behind getting kids to read spreadsheets and tech manuals instead of classic American literature?

Look no further than the new President of the non-profit College Board [1], Mr. David Coleman.

David Coleman is no exception to the current crop of reformers determined to produce cogs for the State. He has no experience in the classroom except for a short gig as a tutor yet he has managed to build the curriculum in public schools for the 21st century with little interference.

The 42-year old has hit the jackpot no doubt to his own familial relations. His mother, Elizabeth Coleman, has been president of Bennington College in Vermont for 25 years. A University of Chicago alumni, she was a Ford Foundation Scholar, and a graduate of Cornell and Columbia. Ms. Coleman has also been a consultant for the Annenberg Corporation. Prior to Bennington she was the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and a professor of humanities at the far left New School for Social Research in New York while little David was growing up.  The New School was begun by progressives in 1932 and modeled itself after the neo-Marxist social theory of the Frankfurt school.

At Bennington, Coleman showed her son the way by pioneering curricular programs in writing and launching a social justice initiative, the Center for the Advancement of Public Action.

Following in his mother's footsteps, David Coleman has been called the "lead architect" of the Common Core Standards now adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia. The bipartisan National Governors Association which has been instrumental in pushing the standards praised Coleman's selection as president of the College Board. One of the reasons for the states' passive acceptance of such a critical initiative centers on Coleman's and others insistence that as a literature scholar he believes in the value of a liberal arts education. At the same time he's touting the value of Shakespeare he makes statements like this:

“It is rare in a working environment,” he’s argued, “that someone says, ‘Johnson, I need a market analysis by Friday but before that I need a compelling account of your childhood.’”

"As you grow up in this world you realize people really don’t give a shit about what you feel or what you think.” 

These and similar mixed messages from Coleman have not deterred the higher-ups in the system from showering him with accolades.

Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education:

“I am delighted by this bold appointment on the part of the College Board.  David brings a remarkable track record of success in our field, including founding an innovative company and playing a central role in the states’ wildly successful effort to develop high shared standards for college and career readiness.  David has always put his unusual talents in the service of a clear principle: that an excellent education is not just for some students but for all students.”

Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida, 1999-2007:

“I have gotten to know David through his work on the Common Core State Standards and his work with reform minded leaders in Florida and throughout the country.  David’s impressive leadership helped build the Common Core State Standards into a shared platform that will allow for breakthroughs in innovation and digital learning, all aimed at making our students succeed and our country more competitive.  We in Florida have already achieved great things in partnership with the College Board, so I see a huge opportunity for educational improvement with David at the helm.”

Mitch Daniels, Governor of Indiana:

“David has the support of the education leaders of Indiana, including myself.  Under his leadership, the Common Core Standards achieved the best conservative principles of efficiency and excellence.  I have seen firsthand how AP has played a great role improving outcomes for a wide range of students here in Indiana, so I see huge potential in David’s leadership of the College Board.”

John Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado:

“David is the ideal leader at the ideal moment for the College Board. His work developing the Common Core Standards proves his special talent for partnering with individual states to help us reach our collective goals. As states like Colorado work to implement high quality standards, assessments and evaluations, David’s vision can make the College Board a transformative partner in ensuring every student graduates ready for college and career.”

Kati Haycock, The Education Trust:

“The College Board couldn’t have chosen a better leader for this moment.  Key architect of the Common Standards, firmly committed to the twin goals of equity and excellence, and brilliantly creative, David will propel the organization to new heights of influence.  I have known David for more than a decade; he understands deeply that all students can achieve at high levels if they have education of sufficient quality and rigor, and will work tirelessly to assure that many more low income students and students of color perform at the highest levels.”

Randi Weingarten, AFT President:

“We at AFT have worked closely with David for over a decade.  In all the work he has done in education, including the development of the Grow Network and the Common Core Standards, he has made it a priority to work closely with teachers to help them do excellent work.  Throughout the country teachers will be delighted that someone known for his passion for teachers and teaching is now President of the College Board.”

Kaya Henderson, District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor:

“Based on his leadership of the Common Core State Standards initiative, I can say without hesitation that no one is more committed to improving the state of American education than David Coleman. With his relentless focus and dedication, he has inspired school leaders and teachers to raise our game – he is a true educator. As president of the College Board, David will have a powerful platform from which to work with educators, administrators and policymakers to ensure that every student in America has access to an excellent education.”

Bob Corcoran, GE Foundation President: 

“David’s appointment as President of the College Board builds on the potential of the Common Core Standards to improve our nation’s education and competitiveness. We have gotten to know David well through our support of Student Achievement Partners.  David leaves a remarkable team in place and our foundation remains fully committed to supporting Student Achievement Partners and working with David at the College Board.”

Coleman's career in education began when he founded Grow Network in 2000. Grow, a privately held company, came along shortly before the passage of No Child Left Behind. NCLB's emphasis on high stakes created opportunities for outfits like Grow to get in on the action. The company provided individualized learning guides for students, customized test reports and instructional materials for teachers, parents and students. It didn't take long for Grow to spread its wings. In 2001 the Chicago Public School System contracted Coleman's enterprise to help improve data access "and develop a greater capacity" for "data driven decision making" in schools.

When Grow was acquired by McGraw-Hill Education in 2005 Harold McGraw III, chairman, CEO and president of the McGraw Hill companies directly linked the acquisition to NCLB.

Its unique and proven reporting services help educators respond thoughtfully to the increased accountability and Adequate Yearly Progress requirements associated with No Child Left Behind. 

In 2007 Coleman left McGraw-Hill to co-found Student Achievement Partners which played a leading role in developing today's Common Core Standards. Coleman has not only co-authored the Common Core he has also written the Publishers Criteria for the Common Core State Standards in English Language and Literature.

Student Achievement Partners received $18,000,000 from the GE Foundation to specifically aid in teacher training programs. Videos featuring Coleman are showing up at Professional Development conferences throughout the United States. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have also funded Institutes involved in spreading Coleman's educational doctrine.

Coleman criticizes the personal opining approach to literature and writing often used in K-12 classrooms. No more essays about BB guns shooting your eye out or reading assignments asking the student to tell why he liked or didn't like the book. Children's personal feelings or reactions are increasingly irrelevant in the dog eat dog world economy.

Despite the liberal press' spin on Coleman's "faith in the traditional liberal arts" and his love of Shakespeare, the "schoolmaster" as The Atlantic called him in a recent article (interesting title since he was turned down for a teaching job at a public school in New York much like Wendy Kopp at Teach for America) calls for public school students by fourth grade to devote half their reading time to maps, scientific papers, historical documents and environmental tracts. By 12th grade starting in 2014 70% of the curriculum will be nonfiction.

Coleman believes the purpose of education is to prepare American children to compete in the new global economy. Close readings of what he calls "informational texts" or nonfiction will give them the essential "world knowledge" needed to compete. 

The New York Times wrote about Coleman's desire to get away from self-expression in a piece entitled "What Should Children Read?" The problem is Coleman doesn't want American children to express themselves in personal narratives but he definitely wants them to read about others experiences growing up in Islamic countries, or what it's like to be a slave, or the evils of capitalism. The social justice meme in schools has practically replaced traditional subjects largely because of Coleman and his ilk. Now as head of the College Board and implementation of the Core Curriculum standards, conservatives, Republicans and genuine old school Democrats have let the fox in the henhouse.

The founding fathers warned us to be ever vigilant in protecting our freedoms. 'Vigilant' means moving beyond the spin and checking out a person's background, his associations, his qualifications and heeding any red flags that surface.

For instance, did you know David Coleman was Michelle Rhee's treasurer for her billion dollar lobbying organization StudentsFirst from October 2010 up until 2012? Have they been working in tandem, Coleman with curriculum and Rhee with legislative policy issues, to radically change how children think? 

In an informal discussion after listening to Michelle Rhee’s speech at the Manhattan Institute on December 15, 2010 Robert Pondicsio of Core Knowledge reveals Rhee’s duplicity:

“I had the opportunity to talk briefly with Rhee about my reform game –curriculum, teaching and learning.  I wondered out loud whether it made sense to reach conclusions about the effectiveness of individual teachers who are poorly trained and have no say over their curriculum or, more often than not, no curriculum at all. 

“I know you have a lot on your plate,” I concluded. “But I’d urge you to at least keep curriculum in mind.” 

“The last thing we’re going to do,” she replied with a chuckle, “is get wrapped up in curriculum battles.”

A stunning reply if you think about it.  The poster child for bare-knuckle reform, who moments earlier was urging her listeners to “embrace conflict,” has no stomach for a debate about what kids should learn in school. 

Apparently, Pondiscio didn’t know Coleman was over at StudentsFirst as Treasurer at the same time he was hammering out the Common Core Standards; thus, freeing Rhee up to hack away at collective bargaining, teacher tenure, and providing lucrative opportunities to her charter school/hedge fund cronies.

Whether Coleman sees himself as the schoolmaster of a one world order education is unknown. What is apparent, however, is the horse has already left the barn here in the United States. With the common core standards already in place, conservatives and liberals alike have failed to vet transformers like Coleman primarily due to Republican globalists who have been on board in the transformation of public school education with their far left comrades since the late 1980's.