A Literacy Expert Opposes the Common Core Standards
Stephen Krashen is a professor emeritus at the University of Southern California, where he taught linguistics.
He comments here in response to an earlier post about the Common Core standards:
What this excessive detail also does is
(1) dictate the order of presentation of aspects of literacy
(2) encourage a direct teaching, skill-building approach to teaching.
Both of these consequences run counter to a massive amount of research and experience.
There is very good evidence from both first and second language acquisition that aspects of language and
He comments here in response to an earlier post about the Common Core standards:
What this excessive detail also does is
(1) dictate the order of presentation of aspects of literacy
(2) encourage a direct teaching, skill-building approach to teaching.
Both of these consequences run counter to a massive amount of research and experience.
There is very good evidence from both first and second language acquisition that aspects of language and
How Standardized Testing Reinforces Inequity
Paul Thomas of Furman University in South Carolina says it is time for Southerners to recognize that testing is a way of reinforcing inequity. Tests reflect socioeconomic conditions. The haves dominate the top half of the bell curve, the have-nots dominate the bottom half. And the tests legitimate their status. Tests measure inequality of opportunity. They don’t change it.
Teacher: I Support the Common Core Standards
A teacher wrote this comment in response to the ongoing debate about the value of the Common Core standards:
“I was one of those who was very leary of the push for non-fiction in high school, but through nearly three years of working with the Common Core in St. Paul, Minnesota, I have come to understand the importance of forcing non-fiction into English classrooms as well as forcing social studies and science teachers to teach literacy related to their content. While the ratios, as you pointed out, are hard to enforce, they play an important role in pushing teachers out of the same old content. No one who has worked with the Core literacy standards sees them as anti-intellectual. In fact, we see them as rigorous and designed to foster critical thinking. What I have come to
“I was one of those who was very leary of the push for non-fiction in high school, but through nearly three years of working with the Common Core in St. Paul, Minnesota, I have come to understand the importance of forcing non-fiction into English classrooms as well as forcing social studies and science teachers to teach literacy related to their content. While the ratios, as you pointed out, are hard to enforce, they play an important role in pushing teachers out of the same old content. No one who has worked with the Core literacy standards sees them as anti-intellectual. In fact, we see them as rigorous and designed to foster critical thinking. What I have come to
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Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Why Does TFA Need Nearly $1 Billion? by dianerav To be exact, why does TFA need $907 million? That is the amount that TFA raised from 2006-2010. EduShyster has TFA and Other People’s Children by dianerav Mark Naison, professor of African-American Studies at Fordham University, asks whether Teach for America leaders are the Robert McNamaras of this generation? Parents: How to Support Your Public Schools by dianerav The best group now organizing and mobilizing to strengthen public education is Parents Acro... more »
