Weingarten: Common Core implementation 'far worse' than Obamacare rollout
Randi Weingarten. Center for American Progress.
11:15 am Nov. 4, 2013
WASHINGTON—American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten blasted New York's and other states' implementation of the rigorous Common Core standards at a gathering of education reporters here on Monday.
“You think the Obamacare implementation is bad? The implementation of the Common Core is far worse,” said Weingarten, the former head of the United Federation of Teachers in New York, at the National Education Writers Association conference at George Washington University.
Weingarten, who has led calls for temporary moratoriums on attaching high stakes to Common Core-aligned exams, said New York's rollout of the standards left little time for schools to develop local curricula, leading superintendents to rely upon state-provided lesson plans.
“Here's 500 pages. Just do it,” Weingarten said, mimicking what she argues is superintendents' message to teachers in New York.
Weingarten said she supports shifting to the Common Core standards, which aim to boost college- and career-readiness by focusing on critical thinking and problem solving skills. But she said states
“You think the Obamacare implementation is bad? The implementation of the Common Core is far worse,” said Weingarten, the former head of the United Federation of Teachers in New York, at the National Education Writers Association conference at George Washington University.
Weingarten, who has led calls for temporary moratoriums on attaching high stakes to Common Core-aligned exams, said New York's rollout of the standards left little time for schools to develop local curricula, leading superintendents to rely upon state-provided lesson plans.
“Here's 500 pages. Just do it,” Weingarten said, mimicking what she argues is superintendents' message to teachers in New York.
Weingarten said she supports shifting to the Common Core standards, which aim to boost college- and career-readiness by focusing on critical thinking and problem solving skills. But she said states