Common Core Fork in the Road: Apathy or Civil Disobedience. Which Road Do You Choose?
Are you apathetic about The Common Core State Standards Initiative and its oligarchic structure?
Pop Quiz:
Which group has the constitutional authority to set standards, curriculum and assessments?
A. The United States Department of Education
B. Congress
C. Non-governmental organizations such as the National Governor’s Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, Achieve Inc or individuals
D. Each individual state decides its own laws in setting standards, curriculum and assessments
If you answered ‘D’ you would be correct. However, this is not the current state of affairs in education reform. The political system has been circumvented via the adoption of The Common Core State Standards Initiative via the State Stabilization Funding mandates. NGOs (with Federal funding) copyrighted and now control the standards and assessments, and the curriculum must match the standards/assessments so the ‘choice’ of curriculum is not an authentic ‘choice’ for the states/districts.
When the law is circumvented what is your duty as a citizen? Is it to obey mandates made by regulatory agencies or NGOs? Is it to grumble but go along with education reform that is based on theory and written largely by non-educators in a shrouded process with no accountability to the people who are funding it?
A good citizen looks at this and understands the end does not justify the means. The ‘end’ has been crafted by an elite group of individuals and corporations for their vision, which may not be the vision you have for your child. Why should you be a ‘good citizen’ and resist and fight against this Common Core Fork in the Road: Apathy or Civil Disobedience. Which Road Do You Choose? | Missouri Education Watchdog: