Let education professionals handle teaching standards
What does it say about our society when a few powerful spokesmen are more highly regarded than professional educators and parents in regard to opinions and policies governing education? Concern is growing over a shift in educational decision-making that has left teachers and parents with little voice. Educators and parents across the country have testified to the problems associated with the Common Core State Standards, but their concerns have been disregarded. Our educational system has fallen prey to politics; our children have become victims of special interest groups and social reformers. Meanwhile, the basis of CCSS rests firmly on rank ideology rather than on evidence.
Once financial incentives enter the decision-making process, the voices of those who have something to gain become biased. Business and special interest groups have their own agendas, which tend to trivialize democratic values and public concerns. Nonprofit organizations also have joined the ranks of those promoting the wonders of the CCSS. The public has been led to believe that the new purpose of education should be to provide workforce training in order to prepare our students for global competitiveness.
Should global competitiveness, workforce training and educational ranking outweigh the importance of retaining local educational control? While reformers view students as human capital, educators see students as individuals with endless possibilities. Local leaders focus on specific regional concerns such as socioeconomic levels, drug and gang prevalence, population densities, special education needs, and area Let education professionals handle teaching standards: