The Common Core could well be Obama's worst policy.

[greatlaurel]

I am not against academic standards or the even the concept of national standards for education, but the Common Core that is being shoved through is a corporate raid on public schools.

The Common Core was developed without the input of education professionals. I read through the science common core and it is nearly unintelligible. It drones on and on in corporate speak. In Finland, they have national standards and their science standard is a page and half.

Common Core was developed by the Gates Foundation, the Walton Foundation and the Broad Foundation in conjunction with the Pearson corporation. These outfits are all rabidly against public education. They push massive amounts of testing to enrich the computer companies and the testing companies.

Common Core is an unmitigated disaster for public schools and for students. Just like Cuomo, Arnie Duncan and President Obama are addicted to the corporate cash that is being spent to rob our public schools of billions of dollars. It is a great investment from the corporate point of view to get a great return on a few million dollars given to politicians to get billions of dollars that they will skim form the public schools. Wall Street is all for Common Core and charter schools, so we know it will not be good for the 97%.

I advise you to go Diane Ravitch's blog to read articles that go into in-depth on Common Core and charter schools. It is eye opening.
Here is a link to an article about Bill Gates cheerleading for Common Core. http://dianeravitch.net/2014/03/14/what-bill-gates-told-national-board-for-professional-teaching-standards-about-common-core/

Here is a quote "The article says that the Gates Foundation had spent $75 million on the standards, but we know from Mercedes Schneider’s study of the Gates’ website that the foundation has spent nearly $200 million to pay for every aspect of the Common Core: the writing, the reviews, the evaluation, the implementation, the promotion and advocacy by numerous groups inside the Beltway and across the nation."

He says it is the key to creativity in the classroom. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It is destroying all creativity in the classroom. Ask any teacher where it is being implemented. But it does increase corporate profits!

I generally support President Obama, but his education policies are a total disaster for public education. Charter schools are re-segregating our schools at record speed. I am willing to bet the Obamas' must not know any public school teachers.

[L0oniX]

1. Corporatists love this shit.

[msanthrope]

7. Well, this 'corporatist' was able to destroy the two main points of the OP with five seconds

of google....

Who led the development of the Common Core State Standards?

The nation's governors and education commissioners, through their representative organizations, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), led the development of the Common Core State Standards and continue to lead the initiative. Teachers, parents, school administrators, and experts from across the country, together with state leaders, provided input into the development of the standards. The actual implementation of the Common Core, including how the standards are taught, the curriculum developed, and the materials used to support teachers as they help students reach the standards, is led entirely at the state and local levels.

Were teachers involved in the creation of the standards?

Yes. Teachers have been a critical voice in the development of the standards. The Common Core State Standards drafting process relied on teachers and standards experts from across the country. Teachers were involved in the development process in four ways:

They served on the Work Groups and Feedback Groups for the ELA and math standards.

The National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), among other organizations were instrumental in bringing together teachers to provide specific, constructive feedback on the standards

Teachers were members of teams states convened to provide regular feedback on drafts of the standards.

Teachers provided input on the Common Core State Standards during the two public comment periods.

http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/frequently-asked-questions/

[L0oniX]

10. It's good to have goals.

[greatlaurel]

13. Is the USDOE active in implementing Common Core throughout the US?

I did not say Obama developed it. Corporate interests developed it. USDOE and Arnie Duncan, who is the current Secretary of Education if you are not aware, are acting to push it being implemented in every state. IMO that would be Obama's worst policy, pushing the implementation of Common Core.

You fail to link to any of the actual teachers and parents who are complaining bitterly about Common Core. Many of these folks are diehard progressives, so calling us right wingers for opposing it is a big fail on your talking points.

Do you work in PR for Bill Gates?

[msanthrope]

14. Having been proved wrong, you accuse me of shilling for Bill Gates?

Look....you may not like CC, but if you cannot make a substantive argument against it, why should anyone consider your point of view legitimate or credible?

[Squinch]

15. And if you find it on google, it MUST be the whole, accurate story...

The common cores is a corporate funded, corporate backed, corporate pushed agenda that works hand in hand with Pearson, Teacher's College, Teach for America and the Gates Foundation, for the purpose of pulling maximum corporate profits out of the public school system.

There was a public comment period on the Keystone Pipeline. Do you feel that your voice was heard and incorporated into the plans for that? Public comment periods and "feedback groups" are nothing more than political cover.

[Blanks]

32. The link is to 'the official page of the common core standards'...

In my opinion - it's more valid to cite a link to the official page than to make a bogus comparison to a completely unrelated pipeline.

[Jesus Malverde]

40. NEA President: We Need a Course Correction on Common Core

http://neatoday.org/2014/02/19/nea-president-we-need-a-course-correction-on-common-core/?utm_source=nea_comms&utm_medium=email&utm_content=dvr_ccss&utm_campaign=140219neacomms


I am sure it won’t come as a surprise to hear that in far too many states, implementation has been completely botched. Seven of ten teachers believe that implementation of the standards is going poorly in their schools. Worse yet, teachers report that there has been little to no attempt to allow educators to share what’s needed to get CCSS implementation right. In fact, two thirds of all teachers report that they have not even been asked how to implement these new standards in their classrooms.

Imagine that: The very people expected to deliver universal access to high quality standards with high quality instruction have not had the opportunity to share their expertise and advice about how to make CCSS implementation work for all students, educators, and parents.

Consequently, NEA members have a right to feel frustrated, upset, and angry about the poor commitment to implementing the standards correctly.

So, where do we go from here?

NEA has been called upon to oppose the standards. It would be simpler just to listen to the detractors from the left and the right who oppose the standards. But scuttling these standards will simply return us to the failed days of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), where rote memorization and bubble tests drove teaching and learning. NEA members don’t want to go backward; we know that won’t help students. Instead, we want states to make a strong course correction and move forward.

[msanthrope]

41. I think you are conflating two items....the CC itself, and its launch. That individual

states have botched the implementation really isn't surprising...and you'll note that the NEA President suggests holding state officials responsible for this. I agree.

[roody]

71. Gates and Waltons are two big money

backers. It's a corporate gravy train, and a privatization push.

[Hippo_Tron]

2. It's not Obama's policy

It's sponsored by the National Governors' Association. I didn't bother reading your post because your topic indicates that you can't be bothered to do basic research.

[greatlaurel]

4. That is OK with me. Keep your head buried in the sand.

Arnie Duncan, who is Obama's Secretary of Education, is very involved in Common Core. Here is a link http://dianeravitch.net/2013/06/26/arne-duncan-defends-common-core-ridicules-critics/.

If you want to argue for Common Core, we can discuss it, but do not accuse me of not doing my research. It is obvious that you are the one that does not understand what is going on.

[Blanks]

36. Seriously, we're supposed to give more credibility to an opinion piece...

Than to the official site. While you're at it: how does Glenn Beck feel about common core?

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

3. I love waking up to the smell of Right Wing Talking Points on DU

Common Core is creation of the National Governors Association, and by design, it's meant to give school districts and individual teachers creative control of their classrooms. The roll out has been botched at the state level in many cases, but that has little to nothing to do with the Obama Administration.

Forgot one thing: BENGHAZ!

[Gman]

6. Don't forget the IRS targeted the teabaggers

Big part of the narrative.

[greatlaurel]

9. Hahahahaha" creative control of their classrooms"

You must not know any public school teachers. Common core is an absolute attack on creativity in the classroom. Sorry you do not know what you are talking about. You should talk to some teachers, before you accuse me of Benghazi. Jeesh.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

58. Hahahahah - I actually know a number of public school teachers

And some of them work in district (or states) that are screwing up the process.

But what you're suggesting is that in the case of a DWI, we should blame the car and not the driver.

[Squinch]

16. Seriously, Jeff, if you believe that the common core gives school districts and teachers control

of their classrooms, you have never spoken to a teacher about this. This is not a right wing issue. Talk to some teachers. Ask them how this monstrosity looks when it is handed to them. You are misinformed about this.

[dsc]

26. I am a teacher and have to call total bs on the notion that this improves creative control of the

classroom. My state has gone through three different advents of common core in three years. Yes, I am on my third version of this and it means late nights finding stuff for the classroom. late nights grading stuff, and pretty much no creativeness at all since I just don't have time. Oh did I mention my books are from 2005 which is four, count it four, curriculums ago.

[Puzzledtraveller]

42. I have found that if you actually have real experience on issues

you are pretty much ignored.

[QC]

60. This is especially true if your actual real-world expertise

leads you to conclusions that differ from the official party line.

It's happening right here in this thread--people with little or no experience in education pontificating on the subject to those who are actually in the classroom.

When it comes to education, everyone's an expert, except teachers.

[Puzzledtraveller]

66. Exactly

This has also been my experience on some issues pertaining to the ACA as a Medicaid caseworker of 5 years. Working as close as you can get with the law and the people effected by it for better or worse, my input is roundly ignored.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

57. Call it what you want all you want

What you're describing are management and funding issues on the state and local level. I'm sympathetic, don't get me wrong, but the problem is not Common Core.

And more to the point of the OP, the fault doesn't lie with Obama for something created by the National Governors Association.

[dsc]

62. I agree that Obama isn't at fault for common core

and I even can see some good in common core. But that said, Obama isn't blameless here. He has certainly been on the forefront of making testing a huge part of evaluations and was behind the defacto elimination of tenure (we can't get our licenses renewed if we have a bad evaluation). If he isn't in favor of that then he should be speaking out against it. He hasn't.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

64. Swing and a miss...

Tenure and teaching licensure is decided at the state and local level. Obama can "speak out" all he wants, but if teachers are losing tenure (and they are) it's because we keep losing state legislatures to a pack of knuckle-dragging hooligans.

[dsc]

68. nice try

but the changes made by A DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATURE AND A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR came at the behest of the Obama administration in order to get race for the top money. It de facto removed tenure by baring licensure to teachers who get a bad summative evaluation in the year of their renewal. That isn't to be confused with what our REPUBLICAN LEGISLATURE AND GOVERNOR did by de jure removing tenure. If Duncan and Obama hadn't wanted the evaluation instrument changed then they shouldn't have asked for it to be changed as a condition for the race to the top money.

[greatlaurel]

5. Here is another great Common Core defense by Arnie Duncan

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/11/16/arne-duncan-white-surburban-moms-upset-that-common-core-shows-their-kids-arent-brilliant/

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told a group of state schools superintendents Friday that he found it “fascinating” that some of the opposition to the Common Core State Standards has come from “white suburban moms who — all of a sudden — their child isn’t as brilliant as they thought they were, and their school isn’t quite as good as they thought they were.”

My post must be hitting home when I am accused of "right wing talking points" right off the bat!

[Blanks]

37. One of the issues that's come up with standardized tests...

Is that students that were getting a lot of good grades - take these tests and perform poorly.

That's one of the best reasons for the tests as far as I'm concerned. Teachers just 'know' that the kids understand, but on completely objective tests - these 'smart kids' with involved parents are blowing smoke up the teachers asses and being academically rewarded for it.

Whether the bullshit that I keep reading about common core is right-wing talking points or not; one thing is for certain: it is a conservative attitude -"don't change it, it works fine the way it is". It isn't working fine the way it is.

Children need to come out of fourth grade with a 'common core' of exposure to important subjects. The only people who benefit from the system staying the way that it is - are the kiss ass students who get their locally prepared exams graded more leniently and the educators who get to do whatever they want instead of teach to a standard.

Of course teachers don't like it. It's oversight, the same reason insurance companies don't like Obamacare.

[GreenEyedLefty]

8. I have a few thoughts on this...

I am not an expert on public education across the country but I do work for a public school district.

The Common Core situation is symptomatic of the government's systematic dis-investment in public education over the years. The district I work for is being slowly starved to death because the governor has chosen to give his business buddies a $1 billion tax break that was paid for by cutting public education.

The biggest eye-opener for me coming into PS employment was the realization that local control of schools is a joke. The people elect school boards but their hands are tied... the state government attaches more and more strings to their paltry funding. Districts turn to Title I and other federal grants, which have strings of their own. And they also turn to grants from private funds where the government fails to provide funding. More strings.

In reading the CC standards, they are actually very good. The failures I have seen, are in the implementation of the standards. Districts must provide supports and professional development so that teachers can teach them effectively. The CCSS is a colossal unfunded mandate. The state provided these incredibly deep and broad standards and left districts on their own to implement them.

People have been complaining for years about the failure of public education to teach students so that they can keep up with other nations in terms of the skills required of workers in the 21st century economy. The CCSS are an answer to that.

[greatlaurel]

11. Thoughtful post

Thanks! I appreciate your input. The common core standards I have read seem more like corporate language than real standards, but I have not read them all.

Here is an interesting link to another take on common core. http://bobshepherdonline.wordpress.com/2014/03/15/what-happens-when-amateurs-write-standards/

[Tippy]

12. We have CC in our state..if and that is a IF they are telling the truth Grades are improving here

Some are trying to get rid of it. At first I was against now not so sure.

[msanthrope]

19. Having been a PS teacher (before law school) I will tell you that CC will go a long way

towards clearing out the dead weight of older, undereducated teachers who will not be up to teaching this curriculum.

[femmocrat]

24. Are you serious?!

As an "older" teacher, I resent that remark intensely.

The truth is that CC and the new evaluation systems are being used to force veteran teachers-- with memories of what public education used to be-- out to pasture. Their goal is to hire a bunch of lower-paid newbie-bots who are so grateful to have a job that they will obediently jump through Gates' (et al.) hoops. The younger principals, as "True Believers," are at the forefront of this "coup".

I thank God that I still have a pension in place and can finally retire, but I really feel for the teachers in their 40s and early 50s who are pedaling as fast as they can to keep up and are being run over by the corporatists. And most of them don't even realize what is being done to them yet. But they will find out in the next couple of years.

I'm glad you could afford law school as an alternative.

[msanthrope]

33. Quite serious. The profession will survive, and be better for higher standards. nt

[Blanks]

38. Do you remember a time...

When grade school students worked on the farm over the summer?

Because our school days are still 'designed' around that idea. Even though it hasn't been that way for at least 30 years.

School should be in session at least 8 hours a day (even if several hours of it are doing non classroom activities) to accommodate the radical change in our society in the past 30 to 40 years. School days still revolve around the idea that mom is at home waiting for the bus in the middle of the afternoon to give little Johnny his afternoon snack before he starts his homework.

If you're an older teacher, then you'll be opposed to a longer school day - because that's not what was expected of educators in the 'good old days.' The system needs revamped to adjust to the times. It makes sense to get rid of people who spend all of their time fighting progress instead of trying to improve the system.

I realize that this isn't a discussion about extended school days, but educators seem to oppose EVERY change, and teachers who do not oppose change are demonized. Perhaps this is why their input is not sought out to the level they'd like to see.

[dsc]

39. you do realize that many, many kids have to work

to help support their families. Also my school already has a 7 hour day of which all but .5 hour is in class. I agree with more days but I find the longer day very problematic. And yes, making teachers stay an extra hour in addition to all the other extra duties (I am presuming with no increase in pay) seems a bit unfair. But to do that for a change that would not help anything makes that an even worse idea.

[Blanks]

47. I'm not advocating for longer hours for the same pay...

There isn't any reason that educators couldn't have the same number of hours, but not necessarily the same hours (i.e. The school is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. but Ms. Smith works from 7 to 3 and Ms Jones works from 9 to 5).

I seriously doubt we have elementary school students working after school. For high school students - there's been work study (for pay) around for decades. My older brother worked in the afternoons while he was in high school. Surely, we don't want to expand that into junior high.

My point is that we've transitioned away from an agrarian based society for decades and educators have enjoyed ridiculous work hours while most other professions have had to work longer hours and have had to spend more on day care. Educators haven't led the charge to help transition society into a culture familiar with the new devices that have changed society - they've simply benefited by having their summers off.

If we can't count on educators to NOTICE that kids are going home to empty houses (instead of the hay field) and that most high school graduates are showing up at college dreadfully unprepared for the engineering curriculum - why should we believe they are ready to fix the problem that we have between the educational inconsistency that exists between 4th graders in Mississippi and 4th graders in California?

As far as wanting to take all of this public education money - try playing on an inner city school yard on a weekend or evening some time. The cops will come and run you off. It's public property - expensive public property and it's reserved for the sole use of a small group of people. We pay for it, why can't we use it?

Changes need made to the entire system, and I can understand why educators don't want it changed, but just because I want to UPDATE the system doesn't mean I'm a 'reformer' (which I'm accused of regularly) I just think the system could be better and it will be better by involving more people.

We are all effected by the education system and we all pay taxes to support it - we deserve the right to have an opinion.

[dsc]

48. some answers

One the reason we can't have people use the property at night is that schools will be sued if something happens on the playground when we let people use it without supervision. It also can't be protected from vandals without security guards. I have no problem with a longer school year, it should be noted that I wrote that in the post you apparently didn't read. I do have a problem with a longer day. High schoolers work often and the rest are too young to be working for 8 hours a day at school work.

[Blanks]

49. I didn't see any need to address that you are for a longer school year...

And I understand that we can't have people running around vandalizing the schools and that's among the reasons why they don't allow people to hang out unsupervised.

That's not a justification for rolling up the sidewalks after the busses have left. There are plenty of activities that can be supervised by someone who can be held responsible. In fact I'm sure there are a lot of places where it is ok to organize and take advantage of the schools resources during all hours of the day. That's the problem: we have good schools, we have good school districts - what we don't have is any kind of consistency between schools and school districts. I support the movement toward more consistency between schools.

[dsc]

50. you accuse me of being against cutting the summer break

and then say you didn't need to address that I supported a longer school year. Just where did you think the longer year would come from?

[Blanks]

55. I apologize.

It's difficult to keep track of everything that's been said on this tiny iPhone screen and I don't feel very good.

I wasn't trying to offend you.

[femmocrat]

53. Please do not assume that you know what I would or would not oppose.

This is about a punitive, winnowing-out of experienced teachers who have dedicated their lives and careers to caring for and about children.

The "new" way is to test, test, test, eliminate everything that is not test-related, and to base teacher evaluations on testing. Out the door with anything that is not test-related, because that is all that matters. The new evaluations are highly subjective and based on the "observations" of principals who often have no classroom experience but are efficient at following the proscribed formula. And who is profiting from all this evaluating and testing? Duh..... follow the money!

What should be examined is what is this pressure cooker environment is doing to children. We have our first week of standardized tests this month. Can hardly wait. The nurse will be overwhelmed this week with stressed-out children.

[Blanks]

54. Kids need to get used to being stressed...

It will get them ready for the real world. If kids are being stressed out by tests - it is the teachers who are to blame.

Prepare the children for the tests and they won't be stressed. As far as who profits from the testing - if that's the real issue, why all the wailing and lamenting about the poor teachers and the poor children.

How did we get to a point where our kids are stressed about taking tests. To me that says they weren't taking enough tests in the first place.

[femmocrat]

56. Do you work for ETS?

Not that it would seem to matter to you, but I highly recommend you visit the DU Education Group to gain some valuable insight into what is really going on in the schools today.

Link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1124

[Blanks]

61. No, I don't work for ETS.

I read a lot of threads from the Education Group. I realize that there is shenanigans going on with education funding, and I do not support privatization of schools, but I'd like to see more competition between schools and I think charter schools should be allowed to encourage competition (on a small scale). They should have to meet the same academic standards as public schools, but they should be allowed to get the public funding if they provide the service.

It isn't that I don't believe the educators don't have a point - I think there's a lot of complaining about personal problems and it doesn't resonate with people who have not been treated well by the system.

[greatlaurel]

75. The agrarian school calendar talking point is a lie.

Here is a link so you can educate yourself about this issue. It is easy to spot someone who is completely ignorant about education issues when they pull out the agrarian calendar organic fertilizer. http://stateimpact.npr.org/ohio/2011/08/10/six-reasons-students-get-summer-off-and-the-agrarian-calendar-isnt-one-of-them/

Your older teacher calumny is pretty ignorant, too. Older teachers have spent weeks and months on professional development to improve their teaching skills and learn new methods. When are teachers supposed to grade papers and write their lesson plans once they have students 8 hours a day? Of course, the fact that longer school days and longer school years are proven to make no difference in kids learning also shows you know nothing about education. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/13/longer-school-year-will-i_n_2468329.html "A 2007 study by Ohio State University sociologist Paul von Hippel found virtually no difference in the academic gains of students who followed a traditional nine-month school calendar and those educated the same number of days spread across the entire year."

Finland outperforms the US in education. They have a shorter school year, shorter school day, and they avoid high stakes testing like the plague. Teachers are in charge of their curriculum. Teachers are also well paid and treated as the highly skilled professionals they are. They also know that smaller class sizes and giving struggling students special attention make all the difference.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/people-places/Why-Are-Finlands-Schools-Successful.html?c=y&page=5

You really need to lay off the right wing talking points and learn something about the real issues in education.

[Blanks]

76. Well, would you look at that...

You found a link that claims that our school year isn't based on an agrarian calendar.

Let's just pretend that it's impossible to find a site that disagrees with the assistant professors opinion (even though it's easy to find such sites). Among the reasons listed (in your link) are things such as no air conditioning (no longer applicable), and the fact that cities were teaching year round, but since a consistent school schedule was desirable - they compromised and adopted the agrarian/rural schedule (my paraphrase).

Even if I were to agree with your point (that it isn't based on an agrarian calendar) the FACT that it is still based on criteria that is no longer applicable is still an issue. The point here is that there is no justification for having an abbreviated school year and abbreviated school days except that it seemed like a good idea a hundred years ago.

As far as Finland - I read quite a bit of the article - it made this statement:

Teachers in Finland spend fewer hours at school each day and spend less time in classrooms than American teachers.

Teachers use the extra time to build curriculums and assess their students. Children spend far more time playing outside, even in the depths of winter.

Other places that I looked claimed that Finland has 195 days in their school year. Which is 3 weeks longer than our school year. The fact that the teachers spend less time teaching isn't the same as saying the students have a shorter school day. This actually reinforces my point - I believe the children should spend more time at school, that is not the same as saying they should spend more time in the classroom.

You make some good points, and if you think we should look at other places and mimic their system with the expectation that it will improve our system - then you and I are in complete agreement. The issue here is that educators are fighting change (any change)- and justify it by claiming that there is nothing wrong with our system.

There are problems with our system and if I recommend that we adopt components of Finland's system - educators will complain about that too. The children are performing better ON TESTS in Finland. The fact that they don't have 'high stakes tests' is not the same as saying they don't have tests.

I like the concept of a 'common core' and I don't know how else you verify that it is being 'learned' consistently without testing it consistently. Maybe you can educate me on that.

...and you can crank down the condescension just a tad. Just because I'm NOT opposed to common core doesn't make my opinions right wing talking points. I'm hardly a republican because I believe our education system should be updated.

[Maedhros]

31. Now THAT is a right wing talking point.

Blaming teachers for the systemic problems of public education.

[msanthrope]

35. I'm not blaming teachers for anything. I think the vast majority of them will do just fine

under Common Core.

[Maedhros]

46. Every teacher I know thinks otherwise.

I think their judgement on this issue is superior to yours or mine.

[JaneyVee]

17. I actually like the curriculum but dislike the way it was implemented...

The reason I like it is because I have a child in kindergarten and the curriculum is more advanced than what I learned at his age. Also, being in kindergarten, this is the only curriculum he knows. But it shouldn't have been implemented for all grades so drastically. Kids who were taught one way most of their lives were suddenly switched to a new curriculum. It should have been implemented for lower grades and let the other grades finish off their original curriculum.

[GreenEyedLefty]

22. There is a difference between standards and curriculum.

The standards set forth what students are expected to learn... the curriculum is the framework for how it is taught.

If teachers are overwhelmed by new curricula that is the result of a lack of professional development. The district should be held accountable for that, IMO. It is unreasonable if not downright unfair to hand a teacher a new or drastically updated curriculum and expect him or her to teach it right out of the box. They need PD to craft lesson plans, pacing guides, assessment tools to track whether students are meeting the standards, etc.

[Squinch]

18. Wow. A lot of kool-aid drinking by those who would like to believe that opposition to the common

core is a right-wing issue.

I often work in schools (not as a teacher) and have yet to run into a single teacher who does not think that the common core as it has been implemented ties their hands, forces them to ignore children with learning issues, allows only one way to teach a concept and that is usually the most complicated way.

The advice to read Diane Ravitch's blog is good advice. There's a lot of ignorance, fed by Gates Foundation funded talking points, in this thread.

[GreenEyedLefty]

20. A little more then I'm done...

When I look at who is the most vocal about dismantling the Common Core, it is almost always people on the right. Their arguments are loony, to say the least... the key words and phrases I keep seeing are "indoctrinating," "liberal/gay/feminist agenda," etc.

People on the left seem more concerned about implementation and standardized testing. I haven't seen any calls from the left to dismantle the standards, per se. It seems to me that reasonable people prefer to implement gradually and make adjustments as time goes on rather than tear down and build new.

The corporate takeover of education is a weak argument against the CCSS, IMO. If corporations take over, it's not because of new standards. It's because elected officials give it away... like our governor.

As for "creativity in the classroom," in order to teach effectively and efficiently, teachers must rely on best practices. While that seems to rob creativity, many teachers can work creatively within a framework of best practices. In my observation the most vocal opponents of any kind of change or introduction of technology are most often the least effective teachers... it's hard to hide ineffective teaching when the data does not lie.

[Cleita]

21. Apparently Jeb Bush loves it. Enough said. n/t

[frazzled]

23. Majority of Educators Support the Common Core State Standards

Besides your complete falsehoods (that the CC was developed with no input from education professionals) and inanities about "being addicted to corporate cash," your post ignores the reality of the Common Core: Most teachers support it.

According to a new poll by the National Education Association, the Common Core State Standards are strongly supported by its members. Roughly two-thirds of educators are either wholeheartedly in favor of the standards (26 percent) or support them with “some reservations” (50 percent). Only 11 percent of those surveyed expressed opposition. Thirteen percent didn’t know enough about the CCSS to form an opinion. Overall, 98 percent of NEA members have heard of the standards. In addition, 79 percent of respondents said they were well or somewhat prepared to implement the new standards. The survey questioned 1200 NEA members and was conducted in July by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research.

In recent months, critics and many politicians have leveled a slew of charges against the standards, including the assertion that they are opposed by the very people, other than students, who will be affected the most – classroom teachers. The new NEA poll strongly refutes this claim.

...

What is it about the Common Core that generates educator support? 38 percent cited clearer guidelines and education goals, 27 percent said the standards are already aligned with what they teach, and 23 percent believed the standards are more rigorous.

http://neatoday.org/2013/09/12/nea-poll-majority-of-educators-support-the-common-core-state-standards/

I don't know what your agenda is--apparently to try to convince us that President Obama thought up and devised the Common Core (untrue by any measure) in his bloodthirsty greed for corporate cash--but its hyperbolic, imprecise, and sometimes plain false arguments are not going to work on informed people. Please, God, tell me you're not an educator.

[Shandris]

34. As a neutral observer with no dog in this fight...

...I would point out two things:

1. The link you posted indicates that the NEA wants these standards, and as such is likely to spin the results to their intended direction.
2. The reason #1 is important is because of the result "50% supported with some reservations..." 'Some' reservations? What reservations? Bear in mind that the phrase "I support a common uniform standard, but think that the implementation of CC is horrible" is, in a technical sense, 'support with some reservations'. It would be equally truthful (and weasely) to say that a majority of people have concerns and reservations about Common Core. Ditto for 'being ready to teach it'. A large percentage are 'somewhat' ready to teach CC. I am likewise 'somewhat' ready to explain the inner workings of the online computer game market, but my knowledge would be completely and utterly insufficient to -actually- perform that task.

I'm not saying the CC standards are good or bad; rather, I couldn't care less. But I would be remiss if I didn't point this out.

[charmay]

25. The idea of national standards sounds good, but I agree with others that it ignores learning issues.

I only studied CC my last year of teaching which was two years ago. I only looked at language arts at a specific grade level. If left alone by my school district, I could have been creative with the standards, but it seemed disjointed to me. Especially the writing and grammar standards. For example, I wasn't supposed to teach nouns, or paragraph writing at my grade level. Experience told me that many of my students needed a a thorough review of these concepts. A pundit's "utopic" answer to this problem was that students would learn these concepts at lower grade levels through these stringent standards. I then asked, "What if they don't?" There was no answer for that.

I am now retired, and am hearing that all creativity is being squashed by a local pundit who is handing out memos with nonnegotiable items such as no worksheets, no workbooks or basal, assessment can only given using certain methods etc. There is a list of at least 15 no's. No creativity whatsoever. I must have been a horrible teacher, because in felt that I needed to use a variety of methods depending on the needs of my students.

I don't blame President Obama or other supporters of CC, but they need to realize that when they come up with the next best educational phenomenon, and force harsh retribution if their latest/greatest is not met with immediate approval and success, the reality can and will be drudgery for students and teachers with teachers getting a majority of the blame.

[woo me with science]

27. That would be a high bar.

Mass surveillance; assaults on journalism, whistleblowing, and dissent; protection of criminal banks; attempts to fast-track the massive, predatory, undemocratic TPP; support of drilling and fracking and environmental deregulation...

It's really hard to say which is the worst when there is an entire administration of Third Way predation to choose from.

[jsr]

28. It's also perpetual corporate welfare for testing companies

http://www.alternet.org/education/common-core-corporate-scam

[Rex]

29. Careful, you will be attacked by the Rah Rah crowd now.

You dared to say something negative. Prepare.

[reformist2]

30. I worry that they are putting a straitjacket on teachers. Too many requirements.

[JCMach1]

43. One area where Obama is worse than W...

[Puzzledtraveller]

44. k&r for my wife

elementary ed teacher, not in support of common core.

[LeftishBrit]

45. Arne Duncan is just a little too friendly with our own dear Michael Gove.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/us-education-secretary-arne-duncan-visits-education-secretary-michael-gove

[yourout]

51. If TPP passes it will dwarf CC as far as damage to our country.

Not defending Common Core cause it is also a piece of garbage but TPP has potential to do planet wide damage.

[truedelphi]

52. Whenever I think of Bill Gates, I think about the French solving their

Problems with the guillotine.

He couldn't bring about a decent computer platform, since Windows XP.

Ever since the very beginning of Micro$oft, his system was closed, so that young innovators couldn't usually get their ideas to the public. And if despite the odds, some computer genius did come up with some brilliant piece of software, old Billy Boy would bring out a new version of Windows Whatever, and the new company would die before it was a success.

As far as who the Obamas know or don't know - his mommy was a person recruited by the Ford Foundation. That Foundation systematically went around the world destroying progressive ideas and paving the way for Corporate Conglomerates to bust into a third world arena and take over. Basic mission statement of Ford Foundation: Profits, Profits, and More Profits for our friends in industry. (By the way, Obama's mom's boss while in the Far East was Tim Geithner's dad!)

[Lex]

59. Common Core curriculum pre-dates Obama's presidency. nt

[liberal_at_heart]

63. Obama's educational policies are the reason I am now an independent, and will not vote for any

democrat who supports Race to the Top or Common Core.

[Puzzledtraveller]

67. The education of our children, our future is the single most important issue we face

in my opinion. I share your concern.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

65. One of the most important threads in, like...forever

Thank you!

K&R

[greatlaurel]

69. Thanks!

[greatlaurel]

70. Here is some more information on this issue

Interesting information in an interview with Diane Ravitch at Salon:
http://www.salon.com/2014/03/12/public_schools_under_siege_diane_ravitch_warns_salon_some_cities_soon_will_have_none/

She really has the data on the corporate influences that are trying to rob us of public schools.

Link to CDC's document The Effects of Childhood Stress on Health Across the Lifespan The type of stress being generated at our schools is the negative type of stress and is not good for children. That statement up thread about children need to be stressed ranks right up there with one of the dumbest statements ever. Jeesh.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/pdf/Childhood_Stress.pdf

Here is a link to an article in slate about Microsoft abandoning the stack ranking employee performance evaluation system that is being imposed on school systems throughout the country, http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/08/23/stack_ranking_steve_ballmer_s_employee_evaluation_system_and_microsoft_s.html Stack ranking is an absolute disaster where ever it gets imposed by some idiotic managerial type.

Here is a link to an article quoting Bill Gates stating how about this idiotic evaluation system would improve education.
http://forums.atozteacherstuff.com/showthread.php?t=178687

This link to Think Progress has an even handed discussion about Common Core and how the Obama administration is involved in pushing it.
http://thinkprogress.org/education/2014/02/20/3010891/obama-common-core-teachers/#

Here is a quote from the Think Progress article discussing how the Obama administration has pushed the Common Core:
"In 2010, the Obama administration linked the implementation of Common Core to “Race to the Top,” a competitive grant program aimed at helping states and schools innovate and improve their teaching processes. It encouraged states to adopt the standards and assessment structure by giving compliant states extra points — 40 points out of 500 — on their applications."

[Nevernose]

72. Some good stuff you've got there

Parts of the CC I've liked quite a bit. So far, though, much of it seems arbitrary and designed to sell "programs" to schools.

[bhikkhu]

73. Where specifically did you read the "science common core" that disappointed you?

A straightforward question, as I'd like to be better educated on the topic. Perhaps there is al ink that could be perused?

[greatlaurel]

74. Here is the link as requested

Ohio standards. I know one of the teachers that was supposed to "advise" them on the science standards. The teachers' advice was pretty much ignored. She was so angry over how their experience was completely discounted, spitting fire was a good description.