Common Core: Why It Isn't the Solution Reformers are Searching For

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Common Core: Why It Isn't the Solution Reformers are Searching For

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"You just cannot unify standards and run roughshod over what has always been considered a local obligation–which is schooling," declares Andrew Ferguson, senior editor at The Weekly Standard. In his recent article, "The Common Core Commotion", Ferguson is outspoken about the ills he sees in the new national educational standards known as Common Core. Now in its fifth year, it's unclear how many students are actually reaping benefits from the program that is costing states billions. 

Ferguson sat down with Reason TV's Nick Gillespie to discuss Common Core, why teachers and parents are beginning to sour on the new rules, and the perpetual nature of education reform.

About 16 minutes.

Edited by Amanda Winkler. Cameras by Joshua Swain and Todd Krainin.

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Comments

[bassjoe]

Oh Scantron forms...that brings back memories...

[Rich]

"Christmas-treeing it with Flunkenstein!"

[Sevo]

I can certainly understand the distaste for a 'one-sized' standard, but it seems the gov't schools ought to be able to teach a certain minimum level of proficiency in language, math, etc.
Does CC fail to do this?

[Jeffrey]

Yes. It does.

[Sevo]

How so?

[triclops]

It fails for the same reason creating laws and regulations doesn't turn incompetent, unaccountable bureaucracies into effective, accountable ones.

It seems the pace of adopting new educational fads in hopes of expensive, top-down solutions finally working this time has been increasing.
The next one is just around the corner. I wonder what it will be?

[Jeffrey]

The abolition of public education in the United States?

[Edwin]

no, the people in power in this country seem to only follow the "It didn't work, so this time, we have to do it again, but only HARDER".

So eventually, schools will teach less and less and be more and more of just a babysitter and compliance trainer, more and more so until eventually that the entire school experience everyday involves nothing more than the kids all sitting in a circle clapping their hands or raising them in unison and repeating simple syllables, all directed rhythmically by the teacher

[Chumby]

This time, we will work one hundred and TEN percent.

- Kids in circle repeating, "Barack Hussein Obama. Mmmmm. Mmmmm. Mmmmm."

[The Last American Hero]

The math is taught out of sequence to be sure that the tested topics are covered. The tests force teachers to move forward or skip ahead before mastery of a topic is attained.

Let me tell you how much I enjoy having to purchase a separate set of textbooks and doing extra math lessons with my kids at night to fill in the blanks.

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[Rich]

Common Core: Is it the Solution Reformers are Hoping For?

No.

Well, on second thought -- Which "reformers", exactly?

[avocats]

The only way to reform education is to get rid of bad teachers. That requires meaningful comparative testing, IMO.

There certainly must be subjects that can be reduced to test questions without controversy. English, math, science? The basics, the lower grades? I know that part of the problem is that every school district adopts a new version of "new math" every few years, but still.

[JEP]

There's a problem at both ends. We need to get rid of bad teachers, and we need to provide incentives to students to do well in school.

If we stop treating school as a place to send kids while the grown ups go to work, then kids might be a little more enthusiastic about being there.

I think the curriculum should be more practical. What's the point of learning linear algebra in high school? You don't actually have to apply it to anything you get to college, and that's if you happen to go into a STEM field.

A practical curriculum requires teachers who are capable of doing what they teach, which flies in the face of the saying "If you can't do, teach."

[califernian]

None of this is an issue if you eliminate public schooling.

[Teach1]

Spoken like a true Right wing Nazi? Typical knee jerk reaction to anything public. You actually believe the private sector is better? You are truly ignorant and blind if you think that the case. If i had a nickel for every student that I have encountered that had been in a private or charter school,and was below grade level, I could retire...The private sector has done a horrible job so have Charters. The best teachers on the whole are in the public sector. Go crawl back into your hole and continue to be brain washed about public education from idiots like Limbaugh, and Faux News.

[Shocked]

What Common Core needs is for all participating students to wear the same uniform. Maybe something in brown. They could even have a common signal, some sort of a salute maybe, that demonstrates their allegiance to the core.

[Sosalty]

BIG Fail for CommonCore. I had to write reports explaining what I'd do to see that my class, grouped as low acheivement limited English, would be successful on tests. They scored 29% on a 4 multiple choice guess test(1 boy scored 60% so raised the class average, same test given to English speaking High Achieving student groups). Then I had to write lessons to remediate their failures while writing reports on how I'd get 'em to score high next test. Most lesson planning was reduced to bookeeping for visiting buerocrats. All old rehashing of past teaching methods and topics. No real reform. After 2 years teachers no longer received any report on how their kids did in heir classes. Only collective grade level reports. No incentives for teachers to do well. No encouragemnet to do well noticed. My wife and I were pulled out of class 22 student days to write really poorly crafted curriculum in committee with other teachers. If teachers at our site actually use the stuff this year, it'll be to the students detriment. Alot of squeezing blood out of turnips.

No reform, just a Federal Govt takeover of Education.