Politically-birthed Common Core Turns Five. Let’s Celebrate by Ripping It Apart.
On June 6, 2015, Huffington Post education editor Rebecca Klein published a piece entitled, 5 of the Most Extreme Claims Made Against Common Core in the Last 5 Years. (Interestingly, Klein chose to publish her post under the category of “politics” rather than “education.”)
She apparently does so as some means of commemorating the fifth anniversary of Common Core completion.
Sure, Klein notes that not all opponents to Common Core promote extreme stances. However, by emphasizing the extremes and dismissing moderate arguments in a couple of statements, Klein’s post promotes the idea that Common Core is really sound, and those advancing the Five Fringe Arguments highlighted in her post constitute the “some criticism” responsible for making Common Core “a polarizing issue.”
Here is the heart of her Common Core sell:
The standards, which have been adopted in a majority of states, emphasize critical thinking over rote memorization, and aim to make students more college- and career-ready. A bipartisan group of education experts, governors and state school chiefs developed the standards, and the Obama administration incentivized states to adopt higher standards through its Race to the Top competition.There are vocal opponents on both ends of the political spectrum. Their reasons vary: Some disagree with content of the standardized tests associated with Common Core, while others say the standards exemplify federal overreach. But some criticism — which has, over the years, turned Common Core into an acutely polarizing political issue — is far more extreme.
Let us launch right into exploring the above, shall we?
Klein’s first statement, “The standards, which have been adopted in a majority of states,” is already a problem. The statement glosses over the highly questionable circumstances associated with Common Core “adoption,” not the least of which is the fact that such “adoption” happened for 46 states and three territories a full year before Common Core existed– by June 2009. Furthermore, those doing the “adopting”– governors and state education superintendents– were the only two required to sign the Common Core Memorandum of Understanding (CCSS MOU), thereby committing their state education systems to that which had yet to be created– and which was created in a matter of months and published in a rush.
Lots of room for concern and distrust right there, and not just by Klein’s five featured extremists.
Next comes the Common Core as “emphasiz[ing] critical thinking over rote memorization.” As a critical thinker, I would like to read the empirical studies produced prior to Common Core adoption and that support exactly what the Common Core yields, not what those advertising it have told me it “emphasizes.”
No such empirical evidence exists. What does exist is the immediately-published, July 2010, Fordham Institute declaration of Common Core as The Answer despite the fact that even Fordham Institute did not grade Common Core as superior to all existing state standards. That did not stop Fordham Institute current president Michael Petrilli from trying to sell Common Core to states with standards that his organization rated as better than Common Core.
Another cause for public mistrust of Common Core and its promoters.
Back to Klein and her Common Core fifth anniversary post:
Klein continues with, “[the standards] emphasize critical thinking over rote memorization, and aim to make students more college- and career-ready,” a Politically-birthed Common Core Turns Five. Let’s Celebrate by Ripping It Apart. | deutsch29:
