NYC Public School Parents: What we talk about when we talk about the Common Core

NYC Public School Parents: What we talk about when we talk about the Common Core:

What we talk about when we talk about the Common Core

by Leonie Haimson

Several publications have recently picked up on the controversy over the way in which the Common Core standards prescribe 50% “informational text” for assigned reading in grades K-5 and 70% thereafter.  We have written about this silly and damaging quota ever since we heard about it last year: here, hereand here. 

Now the critique has gone main stream; in recent days, it has been written up in Time magazine, the Washington Post, and Salon.

First, this quota was weakly justified by its supporters that it reflects the distribution of questions on the national NAEP exams (which turns out not to be true.)  Now, Gene Wilhoit,