The Door We Open When We Defeat the Common Core
On Saturday I posted an explanation of ten major errors committed by the Common Core standards project. The response has been phenomenal. That post has been the most widely read article on Education Week over the weekend, and has been "liked" more than seven thousand times on Facebook, which means it is being widely shared. In the past week, a video of Tennessee high school student Ethan Young airing similar concerns about the Common Core has been viewed by thousands. And Arne Duncan is reeling from some serious blowbackafter he suggested that opposition to Common Core was coming from "white suburban moms upset that their children aren't as brilliant as they thought...."
So there is real momentum building against Common Core. In response to my list of errors, nobody has thus far raised any evidence that contradicts any of the substance. But two educators wrote suggesting that I was perhaps throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and the standards themselves should be looked at, and perhaps preserved, even if we oppose the tests. Here is my response:
First of all, I appreciate the sincere efforts to wrestle with the potential good and bad that might come with Common Core. I understand that many educators are trying to see what good might be