When the Circus Descends (Leave Common Core Alone!)

The New York Times ^ | April 17, 2014 | David Brooks

[2ndDivisionVet]

We are pretty familiar with this story: A perfectly sensible if slightly boring idea is walking down the street. Suddenly, the ideological circus descends, burying the sensible idea in hysterical claims and fevered accusations. The idea’s political backers beat a craven retreat. The idea dies.

This is what seems to be happening to the Common Core education standards, which are being attacked on the right because they are common and on the left because they are core.

About seven years ago, it was widely acknowledged that state education standards were a complete mess. Huge numbers of students were graduating from high school unprepared either for college work or modern employment. A student who was rated “proficient” in one state would be rated “below basic” in another. About 14 states had pretty good standards, according to studies at the time, but the rest had standards that were verbose, lax or wildly confusing.

The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers set out to draft clearer, consistent and more rigorous standards. Remember, school standards are not curricula. They do not determine what students read or how teachers should teach. They are the goals for what students should know at the end of each grade....

[ronnyquest]

"When the Circus Descends (Leave Common Core Alone!)"

Leave my children alone!

[lastchance]

“it was widely acknowledged that state education standards were a complete mess”

Let me guess those making this discovery are the same ones who have a vested interest in pushing, pushing, pushing for more testing and standards aimed at turning out good little drones. Does not matter if the drone will be a college drone or a worker drone, the aim is the same to produce students who will not question the wisdom of their elite leaders.