Donald Trump Doesn’t Understand Common Core (and Neither Do His Rivals)

[pampango]

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has not been driven by detailed policy papers. But on one issue at least, his position is clear: He hates the Common Core State Standards. They are, he says, a “total disaster,” and he promises to abolish them upon assuming the presidency, because education “has to be at a local level.” This is revealing, and not just because it shows Mr. Trump’s ignorance of how American education actually works. He is promising to solve a problem that doesn’t exist by using power the president doesn’t have. His plan may also have the unintended effect of stultifying American greatness.

The president can’t end the Common Core, because the federal government didn’t create the Common Core. Governors and state boards of education developed and voluntarily adopted the standards in reading, language and math. Some states subsequently un-adopted them, as is their right. When Congress passed a new version of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act last year, it prohibited the secretary of education from requiring or even encouraging states to adopt any uniform standards, Common Core or otherwise.

Why, then, does he hate the Common Core? Because many voters hate the Common Core, which has been subject to an intense disinformation campaign in recent years. Did you know that the Common Core was funded by Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi and Bill Ayers as part of President Obama’s plan to impose Sharia Law on American schoolchildren and create a new Islamic caliphate? It wasn’t, but you might think so if you read The Washington Times.

In fairness, Mr. Trump is not alone. Marco Rubio has pledged that on his first day in office he will stop “any and all work on imposing Common Core on this country.” (That will be easy, since there is no such federal work.) Ted Cruz has denounced the Common Core and supported the Local Control of Education Act, which would have the perverse effect of keeping tens of billions of taxpayer dollars flowing to government schools and their unionized work force while removing any requirements that those schools show educational results in exchange.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/08/upshot/donald-trump-doesnt-understand-common-core-and-neither-do-his-rivals.html

[lunasun]

1. Kevin probably gets Pearson perks

edit to add : he is from shill org. per comments

As numerous other readers have commented, the author is a paid shill, who works for an organization sponsored by the Gates Foundation. The vision of these "reformers" is quite simple, to enable a corporate takeover of education in the United States. School choice and the testing protocol associated with the Common Core (and it is disingenuous to pretend that the onerous amounts of testing have nothing to do with the standards) stand to directly benefit corporate interests such as Pearson, The College Board, and the charter school movement.

Thought he was one of many journalist who get Pearson perks...doesn't matter same side of insanity

[Dont call me Shirley]

4. My kid has been subjected to the Pearson curriculum. Math is an EPIC Pearson FAIL!

[lunasun]

5. Not for Pearson it is a big $$$$ WIN. They $core the tests too. Besides charging for curriculum,

materials , producing tests etc. of course
EPIC WIN for Pearson
And for everyone............ if you believe this article (please do not)

[Dont call me Shirley]

6. Our R Sec of ED had to drastically dial back the number of tests because people were protesting,

opting out and flat out pissed!

Pearsons math curriculum is a mess.

[trotsky]

2. A surprising number of Democrats have bought into the anti-Common Core propaganda, too. n/t

[Igel]

3. They've done so because CC was implemented largely in testing, as far as the media are concerned.

All the business with standards and making the curriculum aligned with standards was in-house. Making the tests aligned with the standards for many was CC.