"Common Core" And The All-Too-Common Tendencies Of Heavy-Handed Government

Is President Obama taking-over our nation’s public schools? Is a United Nations agenda infiltrating America’s K-12 classrooms? No, not exactly. Not Yet. But the so-called “Common Core” public education agenda could be paving the way for some serious trouble.Here are a few basic assumptions that people are making about Common Core – along with the facts of the matter.

Assumption # 1 : “Common Core” is a set of educational curriculum requirements being imposed on the states by the Obama Administration. Technically speaking, this is false. “Common Core,” whose official name is the “Common Core State Standards Initiative,” is not, itself, about curriculum. It is a set of academic standards that students in the various grade levels are expected to achieve. It has not been created by the Obama Administration, but rather, it is actually an effort that first emerged at the state level, undertaken by state governors and state superintendents of education nationwide. The official sponsoring organizations of the initiative are the National Governor’s Association (“NGA”), and the Council of Chief State School Officers (“CCSO”).

Attempts to impose academic standards on public educators date back to the early 1980’s. In the 1990’s it became a state-driven matter, while The federal No Child Left Behind Act, signed in to law by President George W Bush in January of 2002, required the states to create their own academic standards, and then to achieve them, in order to receive federal education funds.

During the past decade, state Governors and state education Superintendents began to collaborate in an effort to bring uniformity to their respective states’ academic standards, and today, there are three primary organizations that advance the Common Core agenda. The NGA and the CCSO, as noted above, remain as the official sponsoring organizations of the initiative. Separately, a group called Common Core, Inc., a non-profit, 501 (c) 3 organization based in Washington, D.C., writes curriculum (not academic standards) that is intended to help educators comply with Common Core Standards.

Assumption #2: The Common Core State Standards Initiative receives bipartisan support around the country. This is true. Both right-leaning and left-leaning individuals and groups across the U.S. support the Common Core initiative. The left-leaning American Federation of Teachers and the Fordham Institute, both champion the Common Core effort, as does the Foundation for Excellence In Education, an organization headed-up by the Republican former Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush. Similarly, both Republican and Democrat Governors - including Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter (R-Idaho), Governor Jerry Brown (D-California), and Governor Duval Patrick (D-Massachusetts), all support the Common Core effort.

Yet just as Common Core receives bipartisan support, it is also subject to bipartisan opposition. The conservative-leaning Heritage Foundation, along with libertarian leaning groups like the Pioneer Institute of Boston, opposes the Common Core effort. Glenda Ritz, a Democrat who currently serves as Indiana’s State Superintendent of Education, also opposes the Common Core initiative.

Ritz’ election in the heavily Republican state of Indiana is often cited as evidence of Common Core’s unpopularity. In November of 2012, Ritz unseated Indiana’s incumbent Republican State Superintendent, Dr. Tony Bennett, in part by campaigning against the Common Core initiative and claiming that Indiana’s adoption of the Common Core standards would result in a loss of state sovereignty. Ritz ended up receiving more votes in that election than did the new (and popular) Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence.

Assumption #3: The Common Core Initiative allows the U.S. Federal Government to directly control educational content nationwide. This is false. However, a scenario like this could come about indirectly.

Federal law prohibits the federal government from dictating educational curriculum content to the nation’s public schools. In fact, according to independent legal research conducted by the Pioneer Institute, no less than three separate statutes prohibit this from happening.

Yet on President Barack Obama’s watch, there has been a concerted effort within his administration to control public education with the Common Core agenda. Back in 2009 and 2010 when the administration was distributing so-called “stimulus” funds, the U.S. Department of Education devised what was called the “Race To The Top” initiative. Public schools could apply for and receive the stimulus money, but they had to meet specific criteria.

One of the criteria was for schools to adopt teacher evaluation procedures (this was a good thing, despite the outrage to the idea from teachers’ unions). Another criteria was for school districts to adopt higher “college and career standards” for students. And it just so happened that, in order to qualify for the stimulus funds, many states chose at that time to adopt the “Common Core” academic standards as a means of qualifying for the funds.

Interestingly, when the state of Massachusetts first applied for the “Race to the Top” stimulus funds in the first round of funds disbursements, the state had not yet officially adopted the Common Core standards, and ended up ranking only 13th among the 17 states that qualified for the “extra” funds. Later, after Massachusetts officially adopted the Common Core academic standards, the state received a #1 ranking when it next applied for the funds.

The lesson from Massachusetts was pretty clear. Adopt Common Core standards, and you’ll get more money from Washington. The Obama Administration could technically and legally mandate educational content to the states, but it has successfully used a “third party entity,” of sorts – the Common Core initiative – to have its way with the states. Given this precedent, it’s not difficult to see how the feds could eventually begin requiring certain types of curriculum for kids nationwide.

Many of the nation’s Governors and state school Superintendents who support Common Core still like to remind their constituents that the initiative is a “state thing,” not a “federal thing” – and, therefore, it’s a good thing. For them, to reject the agenda is to ignore their brilliance.

But all Americans should heed the warning: when a majority of the states begin to all do the same thing in terms of public policy, we, the people, become an easier target for federal control.

Congratulations on how well your children have done! We (my wife, really) homeschooled our son until 9th grade. I use many of the lessons-learned from that experience in my own teaching. I agree that the public system could learn a lot from homeschoolers.

The $100 is what I get to teach all my students, not each. I should have been more clear. It really doesn't buy a lot of hands-on and lab materials.

I won't pretend that I can accomplish with my students what you did with your children, because I can't. I can say that one of my students graduated high school last year. I have followed him closely, tutoring him on my own time, and acting as a bit of surrogate father on occasion. He is the first person in his family to EVER earn a high school diploma... from either side of his family.

Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles... not a one with a high school diploma, and most of them on public assistance. He won't attend college, but he does have a job. Keeping his paycheck away from the hoard of freeloaders is a different matter, but I think I helped him have a chance at a future. It's not headline news, but I get some satisfaction from it.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.4 Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.5 Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.6 With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.

MILLIONS of dollars were spent on a list that is **COMMON SENSE**!!!! If a common teacher must be told to do the above she should be fired immediately. Geeze! And...We wonder why we don't have a balanced budget?

We can agree on one thing: some teachers deserve to be fired.

The above example is a kindergarten standard, addressed to someone who was understandably concerned about a book shared with a class. The standards increase in complexity with grade level.

I confess to not being overly familiar with the English standards, as that's not what I teach. The math standards make more sense to me... not in what is taught, but when. For example, "angles created when parallel lines are cut by a transversal" used to be a high school geometry standard in my state. Under Common Core, that is taught in 7th and 8th grade.

I did not even imply that $100 was for each student.

I hope you are not assuming that I spent $100/year on curriculum each year for each of my homeschoolers as individuals because we didn't. It was **less** than $100 for all three for their entire curriculum.

I don't know how we did it. Hm?...Recycled phonics, Saxon Math, grammar, spelling, and handwriting books that are now being used by the grandchildren and books from the library. How on earth did we manage?

By the way, our new little struggling church met for a time in a private school. Guess what? They were using the same Latin grammar books that I used as a kid. These rows of Latin books were published in 1947. Really! It's true. I bet no professional “educator” has ever asked anyone in the private school how they manage to do it.

For example, “angles created when parallel lines are cut by a transversal” used to be a high school geometry standard in my state.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

If is it EVIL and an assault on freedom of conscience for the government anywhere on earth to force religion on children who are compelled by law to be in a state indoctrination center, then it is EVIL for that government anywhere in the universe to impose GODLESSNESS!

It is equally EVIL for the taxpayer to be under police threat to pay for either.

So?....What should I think about the armies of government school teachers who go to work every day to establish, support, and implement the FORCING of godlessness or any other religious worldview on children? Personally, I have made a decision. I shun them.

It is time someone points to the institution of government teaching and cry, “Look! These teachers have no clothes. They aren't resurrected Mother Teresas!”

Again, you did amazingly well with your children! I wish all parents were as dedicated and resourceful.

I do my fair share of scrounging. I also "borrow" ideas and projects from the internet. I dislike teaching math with one worksheet after another, so I like to incorporate labs whenever possible. Good ideas don't have to be expensive, but they often entail some cost. I wish I could do more.

I agree that some useful resources from the past were needlessly discarded. Judging from what I see, I don't think penmanship is even taught anymore.

“angles created when parallel lines are cut by a transversal” used to be a high school geometry standard in my state. Under Common Core, that is taught in 7th and 8th grade.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

My apologies in my haste I read “angles” to be “angels”. I do not apologize for the comments that follow regarding government schooling because to do that would be to deny the truth.

As transversals and angles ( internal, external, or corresponding) THIS is insanity! I predict complete CATASTROPHY!

Higher level math concepts should be reserved until the students are fully comfortable with the basics. Those on the 7th and 8th grade levels ( regardless of the age of the student) should be mastering these basics until they absolutely fluent in them.

I'm confused as to how you interpreted a post on parallel lines as my attempt to impose Godlessness.

Your children have math degrees, so I'm assuming your religion doesn't have a problem with geometry.

I regretfully accept your shunning. It's a shame. Because of your success with your children, you could probably give me some tips.

In friendship and true Christian love, I have to tell you that your message is diluted because your random ranting makes you appear unbalanced.

If people truly want to get rid of the public schools, gaining control of them is the first step.

That's better than nothing, but not much more.

Vouchers are the only meaningful transitional plan to educational freedom.

Otherwise, homeschool. It was the best deciaion we could have made regarding our children's overall well-being.

My husband laughed when he read your post about transversals. His comment:

” The definition of **learning** about transversals is **knowing ** transversals.” A person will **learn** transversals when they are ready to learn it. You can teach transversals to a kindergartner than doesn't mean he will **learn** it. Hey! Even I can teach my puppy transversals.”

Geeze! (eyeroll) Why do teachers ( who are supposed to be “professionals” cooperate with teaching methods that they should know **will* and **do** fail? It is malpractice! No one is holding a gun to their heads.

Other professionals know that if they cooperate in malpractice they will be sued and likely lose their licenses. Where are the malpractice attorneys when defenseless children are subjected to teaching malpractice?

We’ll be lucky if we ever see 10% homeschooling. Meanwhile the public schools will continue taking your money and pumping out the marxist majority that will rule over the home schooled kids of the future.

Political withdrawal from public schools is already a failure.

Are you implying that a conservative public school teacher is equivalent to an abortion worker?

I know quite a few conservative teachers in public schools in a variety of subjects. They let their students think for themselves.

Your final paragraph is both profound and succinct...bravo!!! I have no real problem with standards but everybody should first understand who is writing, promulgating, and funding the standards in order to get the true context and their ultimate goal. The article’s mention of the funding difference for MA on the Race to the Top competition was also telling. Your concern about agendas is well-justified, especially when these advocates wish to play Orwellian word games.

It is possible to disagree with a person, and yet still be able to engage in a civil exchange of ideas, provided one enters the discussion with a shared willingness to listen and understand.

Most of the time.

Some of the time, a line is crossed, and a person is revealed to be a nut. Comparing me to an abortion provider crossed that line.

The English standards could fairly be seen as a Trojan Horse for government propaganda.

One of the big changes that they impose is to require a majority of the material studied to be informational rather than literary. That ‘informational’ reading spans history, science, etc., and is generally set at the state level. The states are banding into various large consortia, however, with up to 25 states so far in each consortium. Also, there is a dogmatic push to study only the actual material in these informational texts, rather than to invite or allow critical reading through augmentation with external sources.

Thus, more than half of students’ time studying English has become devoted to the narrow reading of government provided ‘informational’ texts on environmentalism and other typically slanted documents. It truly does take propaganda in schools to unprecedented levels.

Also, though there’s all sorts of justification for these standards assuring that all students achieve at the prescribed levels, they also provide ‘scaffolding’ such that students reading way below the level of the texts can be helped to limp along through the process even though they’ve not necessarily achieved mastery at any level.

The English standards could fairly be seen as a Trojan Horse for government propaganda.

They might be seen that way, but they're not written that way.

As I said in a previous post, the standards present broad ideas that should be mastered, but do not go into detail about the actual curriculum (the way in which the standards are taught).

The point I've tried to make, not very successfully, is that the standards themselves are not a great concern so far as education goes. For the most part, individual teachers select the vehicles that will be used to teach the material. So, for example, if a teacher says he's assigning a sexually charged novel because it's required by the standard, that's a lie, and he should be held accountable.

I should have included this in my previous post... you are absolutely correct in regards to scaffolding. It's a major complaint that I have with my school and with education in general.

Since NCLB, students are shoved upwards and onwards with little regard to what they may have learned. In the schools I'm familiar with, the resources that are dedicated to "reluctant learners" dwarf those allocated to honors and AP students. The message has been received: Get them through any way you have to, but DO NOT mess with graduation rates.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.