Who Decides What is Taught in Our Schools?
The fundamental question that has been presented to all of us through the Common Core process is this one: Who decides what is taught in our schools? I first started thinking seriously about national education policy when No Child Left Behind became law, and my school was labeled a failure. Our staff meetings began to be dominated by "data," and experts told us to focus on the students who could improve our ratings, and ignore those who were too far behind to reach proficiency. I was not alone. Teachers and parents across the country became widely dissatisfied and raised their voices. NCLB became a "toxic brand." The rallying cry then was to make sure teachers "had a seat at the table" when important policy decisions were made.
Now we have Common Core, and a whole system of tests and curriculum aligned to it, and very clearly teachers were NOT at the table when the key decisions were made.
The "deciders" in the Common Core process were those who set the process in motion at the Gates Foundation and Department of Education, and the testing companies who were involved in crafting the standards so they would be testable.
So I have been raising objections. Loudly, repeatedly, and with supporting evidence to document the basis for my concerns. The archive for my blog shows 80 posts in the "Common Core" category, and this post will add yet another. But some people think I am wasting my breath. Commenter Al Meyers wrote this week:
It's time to rename this blog "Living in Dialogue To Kill The Common Core." Isn't it time to live in