----------------------------------------------------------------From deutsch29 -- Mercedes Schneider’s EduBlog, June 7, 2015. See
https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2015/06/07/politically-birthed-commoncore-turns-five-lets-celebrate-by-ripping-it-apart/
----------------------------------------------------------------Politically-birthed Common Core Turns Five. Let’s Celebrate by
Ripping It Apart.
By Mercedes Schneider
[For information about Mercedes Schneider, see
https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/about/ ]
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.”) [SEE
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/04/common-corebirthday_n_7506018.html?utm_hp_ref=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 immediatelypublished, 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
statement that is also problematic. According to the official Common Core
website, Common Core doesn’t “aim to.” No, no. Common Core is much
better than that: Common Core “ensures”:
To ensure all students are ready for success after high school, the
Common Core State Standards establish clear, consistent guidelines
for what every student should know and be able to do in math and
English language arts from kindergarten through 12thgrade. The
standards… are designed to ensure students are prepared for
today’s entry-level careers, freshman-level college courses, and
workforce training programs. [Emphasis added.]
That’s right, America: Common Core is guaranteed, according to its website.
However, the Common Core license holders– the National Governors
Association (NGA) (a lobbying organization that has its own 501(c)3
nonprofit) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) (also a
lobbying organization with its own 501(c)3 nonprofit)– they are not to be
held in any way responsible for the outcome of Common Core. So saith
their license:
NGA Center/CCSSO shall be acknowledged as the sole owners
anddevelopers of the Common Core State Standards, and no claims to
the contrary shall be made. …
THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS ARE PROVIDED AS-IS
AND WITH ALL FAULTS, AND NGA CENTER/CCSSO MAKE
NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND,
EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING,
WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES OF TITLE,
MERCHANTIBILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE,
NONINFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, OR THE PRESENCE OR
ABSENCE OF ERRORS, WHETHER OR NOT DISCOVERABLE.
[Emphasis added.]
Klein surely could have brought up this information as part of the public
distrust of Common Core, but she chose not to. Instead, she continues her
gloss with, “A bipartisan group of education experts, governors and state
school chiefs developed the standards.”
Governors and state school chiefs did not develop Common Core. However,
via the CCSS MOU, NGA and CCSSO set the terms for such development,
which according to their MOU, centered upon three organizations: Achieve,
ACT, and College Board.
Note that Common Core development does not center on classroom
teachers. Also note that the term Klein uses, “education experts,” is a loose
construction that allows for Common Core development to be led by the
likes of David Coleman, Jason Zimba, and Susan Pimentel– all at the center
of the center of Common Core construction– and none of whom have K-12
classroom careers.
The truth is that NGA and CCSSO had two work groups with the NGAand CCSSO-bestowed authority to write the Common Core “anchor”
standards and then the standards themselves, respectively. The first group
was comprised of 24 individuals. None was currently in the classroom,
which meant that none would have to reckon with the Common Core
product in real time.
The second Common Core work group was comprised of 101 individuals
total, some retained from the first group. Of this 101, only five were current
classroom teachers.
It is important to note that initially, NGA and CCSSO did not intend to
publicize the names of work group members. However, they yielded to
public pressure to release the names of Common Core developers and
reviewers to the public. Still, these members signed confidentiality
agreements regarding their involvement.
In their CCSS MOU, NGA and CCSSO advertise Common Core
development as “an open, inclusive, and efficient process.” They chose to
focus on the “efficient” (which those with sense call “thrown together”)– the
second work group– the one for CCSS development– was announced on
November 10, 2009.
Completed Common Core– standards for grades K-12 in two subjects– was
officially released only seven months later– and with the math “anchor”
standards that the 24-member group was supposed to develop mysteriously
missing.
No matter. Common Core was finished. And it was a good thing for the
Gates Foundation, which published an article in the February 2010 Phi
Delta Kappan in which Common Core was discussed as though it were
already completed.
And there is another cause for public mistrust of Common Core:
Gates bankrolled it, and with his plentiful money, he continues to push for
Common Core implementation. In August 2013, I began a series on the
number of organizations receiving Gates money to promote Common Core.
The first post in that series is one of my most popular posts of all time.
Why? People want to know about a billionaire’s influence over America’s
public schools.
And many people do not trust such influence and view it as the purchasing
of a democratic institution. So imagine the public’s surprise when in March
2014, former CCSSO CEO Gene Wilhoit admitted to Washington Post
reporter Lyndsey Layton that he and education businessman/Common Core
“architect” David Coleman actually asked Gates to pay for Common Core in
the summer of 2008.
This, my friends, is yet another seed of mistrust sown in the public
conscience over Common Core– a Common Core that as late as September
2014, only 24 percent of public school parents knew “a great deal about”
according to Gallup.
In summer 2008, Gates agreed to fund a Common Core that over six years
later, most public school parents did not know “a great deal about.” Now
there’s a post worthy to be categorized as the “politics” of Common Core.
Continuing with Klein:
She next states that “the Obama administration incentivized states to adopt
higher standards through its Race to the Top competition.”
The federal role.
Sure, Duncan “incentivized” Common Core. As part of Race to the Top,
states were, uh, encouraged to adopt “common” standards and
assessments. Indeed, US secretary of education Arne Duncan had already
announced in June 2009 that the federal government would have another
contest to fund the consortium-developed assessments for Common Core,
even before there was a Common Core.
Before there was a Common Core, Duncan was on board, dangling more
federal funds for what would be Common Core tests. And he was very
protective of that Common Core, with his June 2013 instructions to the
press on how to report on Common Core and his now-infamous, November
2013 “white moms” insult in defense of Common Core.
Duncan’s public promotion of Common Core and its federally-funded,
consortium assessments: Certainly room for the public to have Common
Core misgivings.
And yet, here we have Rebecca Klein writing about none of this and instead
attempting to turn public attention to a post that reads like it should bear the
title, “Common Core Concerns Under the Big Top.”
An editorial disappointment.
Well, American public, I am happy to note that I have written a book on the
“acutely polarizing issue” of Common Core– Common Core Dilemma:
Who Owns Our Schools? (TC Press).
In it, not once do I postulate that Common Core will “turn kids gay,” or
“indoctrinate kids under a Nazi society,” or “turn kids into green global
serfs,” or “turn kids into Communists and/or Socialists,” or “turn kids
against Christianity.” Just think of my book as an exploration of the
numerous fissures noted in this post– a 245-page exploration that does the
Common Core Product no favors.
My book will be available on June 12, 2015:
Just in time for that less-than-remarkable, Common Core fifth anniversary---
-----------------------------------------------Schneider is a southern Louisiana native, career teacher, trained
researcher, and author of the ed reform whistle blower, A Chronicle of
Echoes: Who’s Who In the Implosion of American Public Education.
She also has her second book available on pre-order, Common Core
Dilemma: Who Owns Our Schools?, due for publication June 12, 2015.
**********************************************************