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Good afternoon! It's Tuesday, October 25, and today's headlines include a report revealing a significant decline in student reading and math scores following COVID-19 pandemic school closures, a school shooting in St. Louis, Mo., and an interview with Hobby Lobby founder David Green.
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The congressionally-mandated National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the "nation's report card," has revealed that student reading and math scores suffered significant declines in the past three years. The report, which was released on Monday, showed dramatic drops in math and reading levels for fourth and eighth graders. Math scores showed the largest drop since NAEP began administering tests in 1990, and reading scores declined in both grade levels since the pandemic. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said the findings in the report, which assessed over 400,000 students at over 10,000 schools nationwide at the beginning of the year, are " appalling and unacceptable." Parents Defending Education President Nicole Neily says
the report proves that American parents' concerns about their children's education during the pandemic were correct. "American students were the subject of a years-long social experiment that will impact our country's economy for decades to come," Neily wrote in a Monday statement shared with The Christian Post. "It's time to hold the education bureaucrats, activists, and public health officials who mocked, shamed, and derided families accountable for their decisions—and refuse to cede them any further authority (or funds) going forward." A NAEP report released last month similarly found historic declines in reading and math scores for 9-year-old students. Continue reading. |
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Listen to the CP Daily Podcast   
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On Monday, a gunman opened fire at Central Visual and Performing Arts School in St. Louis, Mo., killing two and injuring several others. Police arrived at the school within minutes of the shooting being reported. Authorities told media that officers arrived as children ran from the building and exchanged shots with the gunman, who later died at a hospital. The unidentified man is believed to be 20 years old. Although authorities have not released the victims' names, a health teacher and a teenage girl reportedly died in the shooting. Family members told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that 61-year-old health and physical education teacher Jean Kuczka, a mother of five, lost her life after she went in front of the gunman to protect the students in her classroom. Read more. |
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The Florida Board of Education has unanimously approved a new rule that, among other things, requires public and charter schools to restrict trans-identified youth from using facilities based on their gender identity without notifying parents and making a public announcement online. "School board and charter school governing board policies or procedures must include accommodations or modifications in order to ensure that all students have an opportunity to use a bathroom or locker room separated by biological sex at birth," reads the new rule, in part. While LGBT groups and activists are critical of the new rule, socially conservative groups have expressed their support, with Moms for Liberty's Jessica Tillman stating, "Not just girls, not just boys, all students need to feel safe in the bathrooms and in their locker rooms." Read more. |
Also of Interest...
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All charges against John Blanchard, a Virginia megachurch pastor who was arrested for felony solicitation of prostitution of minors following an online sting operation, have been dropped. The case against Blanchard is nolle pros, meaning that the charges could be refiled should prosecutors believe they have enough evidence to convict, per the Norfolk-based 13News Now. Blanchard, the pastor at the Rock Church International in Virginia Beach, was one of 17 suspects arrested by the Chesterfield County Police Special Victims Detectives as part of an online chatting operation last October. At the time of the arrests, the Chesterfield authorities stated, "The suspects communicated with people they believed to be underage members of our community and arranged to meet them at a location to have sexual relations. When the suspects came to the location, they were met by police and arrested." Rock Church took to Facebook to praise the dropping of all charges, noting that Blanchard had always denied the allegations against him. Read more. |
Also of Interest...
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Dan Delzell reflects on how former President Barack Obama "deliberately and unashamedly subverted the historic and time-honored institution of marriage between a man and a woman" by promoting same-sex marriage during his 2012 re-election campaign. Delzell points to Obama's actions as the first step down a slippery slope of "progressive poison" that has resulted in gender indoctrination and the aggressive proselytizing of children with activists' "alternative religion of gender neutrality and same-sex education." Pointing to a report on how Democrats are losing voters from all races, Delzell concludes, "Obama’s reckless assault on marriage did incalculable damage to the fabric of our nation. And as the tsunami of righteous anger and parental participation continues to intensify, we are reminded that each one of us is responsible for the doctrines and practices we endorse, and the consequences that ensue." Read more. |
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In this op-ed, Samuel Sey calls out Robin DiAngelo's racist comments in her best-selling book, White Fragility, in which she claims that "a positive white identity is an impossible goal. White identity is inherently racist; white people do not exist outside the system of white supremacy." Sey describes how critical race theory and racist rhetoric from authors, teachers, imposter pastors and social media influencers are negatively affecting many white people's perceptions of themselves, writing, "You’re wonderfully white because you’re wonderfully made by God. Your skin color is just as beautifully painted by God as my black skin." Read more. |
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Dear Friend,
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Bibles are needed desperately in America's prisons.
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As I write, many prisoners are struggling with feelings of loneliness, isolation, and despair. But we can reach them with the hope of Jesus Christ by sending as many Bibles as we can, as quickly as we can.
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Every gift you give will put Bibles and Christian content into the hands of a waiting prisoner.
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The demand right now is unlike anything we have ever seen, and there is nothing short of a revival happening behind prison walls!
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In a recent interview with The Christian Post, Hobby Lobby founder and CEO David Green discussed stewardship and trusting God. Green recently made headlines when he announced on Fox News that 100% of Hobby Lobby's voting stock had been moved to a trust, despite advice from attorneys and accountants that he pass down ownership to his children and grandchildren. "Wealth is a curse if it’s yours, but if it’s God’s, it can be of great benefit," he explained. Green, who recently authored the book Leadership Not by the Book: 12 Unconventional Principles to Drive Incredible Results, did not mince words when it came to reflecting on the hardships he has faced and lessons he has learned throughout his life. "I was not where God wanted me in terms of my pride," the executive said of the struggles his business encountered in the mid-1980s. When the economy tanked, Green said he had nowhere to go but God: "I found myself literally, physically under my desk, day in and day out, just asking God for forgiveness and for direction." Green also touched on projects such as the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C, and
some of the setbacks he and his son, Steve Green, the chairman of the board of the Museum of the Bible, have faced. Watch the interview here. |
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"It's the worst child abuse I've ever seen." That's how Christian Post journalist Brandon Showalter describes his in-depth coverage of the transgender movement. Showalter's new podcast docu-series titled "Generation Indoctrination" takes audiences deep into the impact this trend is having on children and families alike. In this episode of "The Inside Story," Showalter discusses his new podcast and the tragic effects the transgender movement is having on families and children. "This is a
medical scandal ... [kids are] being fast-tracked into a pipeline of horror," he says. Listen now. |
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Also of Interest...
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Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow! -- CP Editors
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