Why I Do Not #supportthecore. I will not ‘BGUTI’. | Missouri Education Watchdog

Why I Do Not #supportthecore. I will not ‘BGUTI’. | Missouri Education Watchdog:

Why I Do Not #supportthecore. I will not ‘BGUTI’.

A clever meme for the day pointing out the corporate support for the Common Core State Standards Initiative comes by way of twitter.

The BGUTI reference in the tweet is from the linked article and means ‘Better Get Used to It’.  This was written in 2005 before the advent of Common Core State Standards. You may disagree with some of Kohn’s premises but pay attention to his definition of BGUTI:

In addition to forcing educators to teach too much too early, the current Tougher Standards craze has likewise emphasized a vertical rationale – in part because of its reliance on testing.  Here, too, we find that “getting them ready” is sufficient reason for doing what would otherwise be seen as unreasonable.   Child development experts are nearly unanimous in denouncing the use of standardized testing with young children.  One Iowa principal conceded that many teachers, too, consider it “insane” to subject first graders to a 4½-hour test.  However, she adds, “they need to get used to it” – an imperative that trumps all objections.  In fact, why wait until first grade?  A principal in California uses the identical phrase to justify testing kindergarteners:  “Our philosophy is, the sooner we start giving these students tests like the Stanford 9, the sooner they’ll get used to it.”

Kohn wonders if education reform in 2005 is ‘conservatism masquerading as realism’. I wonder if it can be expanded in 2014 since this reform is supported by an administration never described as conservative. Education reform circa 2014 is about Return on Investment.  Could it now be named ‘grooming human capital for the workforce masquerading as education reform’?  Do the various education suppliers even care what is being taught?  Or are they just enjoying the fruits of the system put in place for the privatization/standardization of public education?

Does BGUTI in education reform circa 2014 encompass a non-partisan definition that is uttered at those questioning CCSSI?  Is it that whoever owns the power and control doesn’t owe Why I Do Not #supportthecore. I will not ‘BGUTI’. | Missouri Education Watchdog: