It is amazing that eight years after the Idaho Core Standards were conceived by Superintendent Tom Luna and Governor Butch Otter, four years after they were approved by the Legislature and two years after they were implemented in schools, blatant misinformation is still being spread by opponents of high academic standards.

But that is exactly the case in the accompanying guest opinion by Melanie Vander Feer.

Vander Feer asserts that the standards are an effort by President Obama and the federal government to "monopolize control of the children in order to train them to be good little global citizens."

The fact is that the standards were proposed by state education leaders two years before Barack Obama even entered the White House. The standards were voluntarily adopted by 46 states, including Idaho. It is true that some states have voluntarily stepped back from them because misinformation like Vander Feer's got political traction.

But the opponents can't have it both ways. They can't claim the federal government is big-footing the states and then list the states that voluntarily repealed them.

Vander Feer calls the standards a "federal curriculum." The fact is the standards are not a curriculum - they are a set of standards for what students should know in math and English. Local school leaders decide curriculum, just as they always have.

Vander Feer says the core standards are "anti-American, anti-Christian" and that Planned Parenthood even wrote the "sex education part of the common core." The fact is the standards do not cover "sex education" or Christianity - they only cover math and English.

The standards are anything but anti-American. In fact, students are encouraged to know great American literature like Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

Vander Feer claims that "no one will be exempt: home school, private or charter schools." The fact is private and home schools are exempt. It is true that charter schools must follow the standards because they are public schools that spend tax dollars.

Vander Feer maintains that the standards will teach students "what to think, not how to think." The fact is the standards will help students think for themselves.

Vander Feer mentions "data mining." The fact is the Idaho Legislature passed a law last year prohibiting the state from sharing student data with the federal government.

It is unfortunate that we have to continue correcting misinformation about the standards.

We should talk about how these standards will help students prepare for and graduate from college.

We should talk about how the standards save taxpayers money spent on costly remediation.

We should talk about how they will help Idaho's young people get a good-paying job.

Don't take my word for it. Talk to your school's teacher or principal. Go to the State Department of Education's website for accurate information.

It is important for all of us to do our homework and get the facts, just as we expect our students to do. Read the actual standards for yourself - not the ones invented by the opponents - and decide if there is an ounce of truth in what they claim.

After all, that's what education is all about.

Rod Gramer is president of Idaho Business for Education.