The more astute ones will only need this to get my point…
Stop #commoncore #refusethetest #edreform pic.twitter.com/OOlsRil9QC
— Heather Poland (@TeachrPerspctve) February 13, 2014
…but let’s walk it through anyway.
This is not a post on the merits* of Common Core: it’s a post on how people are reacting to it. Which is to say, badly.
For people outside the political bubble, Common Core is a giant, seething pit of parent fury. Sleeper issue. http://t.co/s0NlgW2y9T
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) February 14, 2014
And it is. Colorado:
Conflict over Common Core, the widely adopted national math and language arts standards, spiked Wednesday as opponents brought their concerns to the state Capitol while backers countered with a campaign to support the continued rollout.
Outside, a group of self-described “moms” from across the state gathered to share their opposition to the standards that were introduced in most public school classrooms last fall.
PROVIDENCE — Across the country, elected leaders and educators have begun pushing back against a set of educational standards that have been adopted by 45 states, including Rhode Island.
Now, a burgeoning opposition movement is developing in Rhode Island, with teachers, parents and at least one school committee questioning whether the Common Core standards are worth all of the money and effort put into them.
NPR:
Supporters of the new Common Core education standards adopted by 45 states say the standards hold American students to much higher expectations, and move curriculum away from a bubble-test culture that encourages test preparation over deeper learning.
But there’s growing backlash to Common Core, and conservatives and liberals increasingly are voicing similar concerns: that the standards take a one-size-fits-all approach, create a de facto national curriculum, put too much emphasis on standardized tests and undermine teacher autonomy.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) used an executive order to strip the name “Common Core” from the state’s new math and reading standards for public schools. In the Hawkeye State, the same standards are now called “The Iowa Core.” And in Florida, lawmakers want to delete “Common Core” from official documents and replace it with the cheerier-sounding “Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.”
In the face of growing opposition to the Common Core State Standards — a set of K-12 educational guidelines adopted by most of the country — officials in a handful of states are worried that the brand is already tainted. They’re keeping the standards but slapping on fresh names they hope will have greater public appeal.
There are more articles, featuring more states and organizations, but the gist is clear: there is a growing number of people in this country who absolutely HATE Common Core. And they are neither exclusively Republican NOR conservative: it turns out that liberals have kids, too – and that they hate seeing their kids cry in despair over their math homework just as much as we would. That combination – cross-spectrum people who are personally motivated on an issue, and by ‘personally’ I mean ‘right in the most primitive part of the brain’ – will be potent political mojo for any national politician who is ready to start shouting about the new federal standards, and how much/little they take into account local educational technicians.
And don’t get complaisant about this, either. Sure, right now Democrats don’t want to attack the President over federal educational standards. But Barack Obama won’t be President forever. The next Democrat to run for President may not feel much need to pass up such a prime piece of populism…
Moe Lane (crosspost)
*I write this, fully aware that many people would prefer that this be a post on the merits of Common Core. It’s not, sorry. This is strictly an unsubtle hint to anybody out there who already hates this thing, but might not be aware that he or she is hardly alone in hating it.
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