Tucker Takes Zhao in Just One Round
by E. D. Hirsch, Jr.
Tucker Takes Zhao in Just One Round
by E. D. Hirsch, Jr.January 16th, 2013
Tags: Common Core State Standards, Marc Tucker
Posted in Education Theory, Educational Policy | No Comments »
Posted in Education Theory, Educational Policy | No Comments »
High praise for Marc Tucker’s thoughtful response to Yong Zhao’s well-meaning, but terribly misguided, critique of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Since I’ve decided to judge this boxing match, I’m calling a TKO. Tucker won round one so easily that it would be dangerous for Zhao to try to fight on.
Zhao reveals that he does not know much about the CCSS (he expects a new world “where all American children are exposed to the same content, delivered by highly standardized teachers”) and has been duped by left-brain/right-brain silliness (he writes that “Right-brained directed skills, including design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning, will become more valuable…. [But] the core subjects prescribed by the Common Core … are mostly left-brained cognitive skills”). Tucker refutes Zhao’s key points effortlessly. I hope you’ll read their exchange, so I’ll just give two highlights:
1. Tucker on Zhao’s concern that the CCSS will quash creativity:
“The literature is clear. Truly creative people know a lot and they have worked hard at learning it. They typically know a lot about unrelated thing
