Burris Calls Out Common Core; Duncan-friendlyEdPost Indignant
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are really good for American education, but sadly, non-foundation-financed, public school administrators like New York principal Carol Burris seem to have trouble coming around to falling in line with those *higher standards*(c).
In fact, Burris had a fantastic opportunity on September 9, 2014, to Embrace the Common Core. Unfortunately, she decided to go the way of 89 percent of the over 43,000 public survey respondents and not embrace CCSS.
And it seems that Burris took her non-embracing stance right into her September 17, 2014, post on the Washington Post Answer Sheet blog.
Such can be very upsetting for those who once worked for and continue to faithfully support US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who loves CCSS sooo much he is willing to instruct the media on proper (positive) CCSS reporting, to imply that “white suburban moms” of “non-brilliant” children must be the ones foolish enough to reject the *higher*(c) standards, and to yank No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waivers of states that dare to be “state led” away from CCSS.
It’s a good thing that one such former Duncan employee, Peter Cunningham, has decided to start a pro-Duncan, pro-corporate-reform, “education conversation” blog– and for the mere start-up sum of $12 million– Education Post.
Though $12 million is not much, Cunningham did manage to bring along some friends, including another Duncan worker bee, Ann Whalen.
On September 18, 2014, Whalen decided it was High Time to take on this non-CCSS-submissive Burris on that sparkling new, multi-million-funded EdPost blog.
For $12 million, I must say, I expected more.
Let’s get to it, shall we?
Burris maintains that states might add to CCSS but not remove.
Whalen first writes that contrary to Burris’ assertion (which happens to come straight from the CCSS MOU (memorandum of understanding), states “can and have… adapt[ed] or revise[ed]” CCSS.
Nope.
In signing on for CCSS,states had two choices: either “directly” adopt CCSS or “fully align state standards” to CCSS. Those states choosing “full alignment” agreed that the “aligned” CCSS part would represent “at least 85 percent of the state’s standards in English language arts and mathematics.”
Whalen states that Burris is proved wrong since “Tennessee’s board added Burris Calls Out Common Core; Duncan-friendly EdPost Indignant | deutsch29: