Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Jim Stergios Highlights Skewed Analysis of Federalist Papers | Truth in American Education

Jim Stergios Highlights Skewed Analysis of Federalist Papers | Truth in American Education:


Jim Stergios Highlights Skewed Analysis of Federalist Papers

Dear David,
Congratulations on becoming the new head of the College Board. I know, as a Founding Father of the national standards effort, you may have read certain things I have written that you do not agree with. While I haven’t met you personally yet, I look forward to it. I have heard universally that you are a smart guy and reputed by all to be a nice person.
I hope you and the Coleman family are well, and I am writing to say I’m sorry.
In addition to writing about school innovations, charter schools, vocational technical schools, school choice, accountability to results, and teacher quality issues, I’ve written with some frequency about academic standards and curricula—and especially recently about the effort to advance national (Common Core) standards.
I’m sorry because I think I may have gotten some of the intentions of Common Core’s supporters wrong. Considering the heavy hand of the Gates Foundation and DC-based trade groups and their support of an effort that violates three federal laws; the imposition of $16 billion in new unfunded mandates on states and localities; and the feds’ shoehorning of states into adopting mediocre/community college readiness academic standards; I