Although many people believe the Common Core is dead, it is alive and well in most states, even though the Federal bribes to adopt it in the states have dried up. In Tennessee and other red states, Common Core became such a toxic brand that it was repackaged under a different name and pushed forward as a state initiative. But make no mistake--the Common Core remains a high priority of neolibs who run the DNC and the RNC.
Over the past year or so, the corporate media has painted those opposed to Common Core as right-wing fanatics who simply want to kill another Obama initiative out of spite. No doubt there are some of those among the opposition, but the deeper and more substantive opposition comes from those who see Common Core as the imposition of corporate control over second-rate learning in public schools. Making this prospect even more unacceptable to thinking people is the knowledge that students enrolled in public schools are being force fed curriculum that does not allow them to compete for seats in the best universities and technical colleges.
If you think I am engaging in conspiracy talk, listen to this brief clip from 2010, as one of the three Common Core architects answers questions regarding what competency means for the new Common Core standards.
From Youtube commentary on the short video:
Over the past year or so, the corporate media has painted those opposed to Common Core as right-wing fanatics who simply want to kill another Obama initiative out of spite. No doubt there are some of those among the opposition, but the deeper and more substantive opposition comes from those who see Common Core as the imposition of corporate control over second-rate learning in public schools. Making this prospect even more unacceptable to thinking people is the knowledge that students enrolled in public schools are being force fed curriculum that does not allow them to compete for seats in the best universities and technical colleges.
If you think I am engaging in conspiracy talk, listen to this brief clip from 2010, as one of the three Common Core architects answers questions regarding what competency means for the new Common Core standards.
From Youtube commentary on the short video:
The speaker is Jason Zimba, one of the three drafters of the Common Core math standards. The questioner is Dr. Sandra Stotsky. This exchange took place at a meeting of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on March 23, 2010. As you will hear, Dr. Zimba admits not only that the CC math standards aren't designed to prepare students for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) studies, but also that they're not designed to get a student into any selective college, even in a non-STEM discipline.
Having had the opportunity to work with ELA Common Core Standards across elementary grade levels, I can attest to the fact that they are vague and repetitive. They were clearly not designed by individuals deeply immersed in educational research and hands on teaching.
ReplyDeleteAbigail Shure