John Thompson: Common Core Is the Essence of the "Status Quo" -- That's why I Support It
Guest post by John Thompson.
Last week, attending a great conference in Oklahoma City, Vision 2020, focused largely on Common Core, I kept worrying how I could articulate my support for the effort without angering my friends who are skeptical of it, or needlessly antagonizing Common Core supporters who hold the weird belief that it will be "a game-changer." Finally, I decided to just put my thesis on the table. I support Common Core because it embodies the essence of the educational "status quo." I support Common Core because it is like the educational establishment and American democracy in being the worst of all systems, except for all of the rest.
Twenty years ago, when I shifted from an academic career as a historian, I loved education conferences where teachers presented a range of workshops on pedagogies that had worked for them, stimulating a cross-fertilization of ideas. Few presenters claimed that the best practices that worked for them could be scaled up as "silver bullets" for the entire nation. These conferences also offered a window into my new profession's
Last week, attending a great conference in Oklahoma City, Vision 2020, focused largely on Common Core, I kept worrying how I could articulate my support for the effort without angering my friends who are skeptical of it, or needlessly antagonizing Common Core supporters who hold the weird belief that it will be "a game-changer." Finally, I decided to just put my thesis on the table. I support Common Core because it embodies the essence of the educational "status quo." I support Common Core because it is like the educational establishment and American democracy in being the worst of all systems, except for all of the rest.
Twenty years ago, when I shifted from an academic career as a historian, I loved education conferences where teachers presented a range of workshops on pedagogies that had worked for them, stimulating a cross-fertilization of ideas. Few presenters claimed that the best practices that worked for them could be scaled up as "silver bullets" for the entire nation. These conferences also offered a window into my new profession's