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| The truth about Common Core, from parents and teachers who know | The truth about Common Core, from parents and teachers who know |
| (4 months later) | |
| In the political debate over the US federal Common Core educational standards, the typical line-up of conservatives on one side and liberals on the other hasn't materialized. Instead, the standards have conservative supporters and opponents, as well as liberal opponents and supporters – as well as what might be the eternal enmity of comedian Louis CK. | In the political debate over the US federal Common Core educational standards, the typical line-up of conservatives on one side and liberals on the other hasn't materialized. Instead, the standards have conservative supporters and opponents, as well as liberal opponents and supporters – as well as what might be the eternal enmity of comedian Louis CK. |
| Often lost in the shuffle of politicians, pundits and popular headlines, though, are the struggles faced on the ground, by teachers, parents and combinations therein. Understanding Common Core is one thing; implementing them is a far greater thing – especially for the far-reaching effects the standards will have upon an entire generation of American school-aged children. | Often lost in the shuffle of politicians, pundits and popular headlines, though, are the struggles faced on the ground, by teachers, parents and combinations therein. Understanding Common Core is one thing; implementing them is a far greater thing – especially for the far-reaching effects the standards will have upon an entire generation of American school-aged children. |
| We asked a few of those people to explain. | We asked a few of those people to explain. |
| The status quo wasn't good enough | The status quo wasn't good enough |
| By Alexander Nazaryan, former Brooklyn public school teacher and current Newsweek senior writer | |
| Everything comes down to "Daniel" (a pseudonym). I taught him seventh-grade English, but he taught me much more. He was the toughest kid in a tough school in a tough part of Brooklyn. During a grammar lesson, he bloodied a student twice his size. He proudly read picture books, because that was all he could read. (As a matter of fact, a lot of my students read picture books.) | Everything comes down to "Daniel" (a pseudonym). I taught him seventh-grade English, but he taught me much more. He was the toughest kid in a tough school in a tough part of Brooklyn. During a grammar lesson, he bloodied a student twice his size. He proudly read picture books, because that was all he could read. (As a matter of fact, a lot of my students read picture books.) |
| I was neither the worst nor the best teacher Daniel ever had: I was simply another teacher, pushing him down the assembly line of public education. We all knew that the end product was faulty, but none of it was anybody’s fault – so why make it your own? You covered your behind and kept on pushing. | I was neither the worst nor the best teacher Daniel ever had: I was simply another teacher, pushing him down the assembly line of public education. We all knew that the end product was faulty, but none of it was anybody’s fault – so why make it your own? You covered your behind and kept on pushing. |
| Improbably, Daniel and I became friends. He would follow me home and tell me about how he was going to draw cartoons and live, for some reason, in Boston. It was a beautiful fantasy. That's all it was, though. In 2012, he graduated from a high school in a section of Brooklyn that will never serve as the background of a Girls episode. He has not gone to college. He has not left Brooklyn. | Improbably, Daniel and I became friends. He would follow me home and tell me about how he was going to draw cartoons and live, for some reason, in Boston. It was a beautiful fantasy. That's all it was, though. In 2012, he graduated from a high school in a section of Brooklyn that will never serve as the background of a Girls episode. He has not gone to college. He has not left Brooklyn. |
| I don't know if the new Common Core standards would have "saved" Daniel. But they are the first genuine effort in a long while to fix something that is obviously broken. If some of the cracks in our public school system had been sealed, Daniel wouldn't have fallen through so many of them. It is sad to see educational reform fall victim to the vitriol of politics. Daniel deserved better. | I don't know if the new Common Core standards would have "saved" Daniel. But they are the first genuine effort in a long while to fix something that is obviously broken. If some of the cracks in our public school system had been sealed, Daniel wouldn't have fallen through so many of them. It is sad to see educational reform fall victim to the vitriol of politics. Daniel deserved better. |
| Why are third-graders trying so hard to get into school already? | Why are third-graders trying so hard to get into school already? |
| By Natasha Dure, an opt-out parent from Brooklyn, New York | By Natasha Dure, an opt-out parent from Brooklyn, New York |
| I was taking my son, a third-grader, and his friend to school when we started talking about the upcoming English Language Arts test. His friend explained to me that he had to do well on the test or he wouldn't get into a good middle school – which, in an urban area like New York, is a significant predictor of lifetime educational success. | I was taking my son, a third-grader, and his friend to school when we started talking about the upcoming English Language Arts test. His friend explained to me that he had to do well on the test or he wouldn't get into a good middle school – which, in an urban area like New York, is a significant predictor of lifetime educational success. |
| I thought, why are we putting so much pressure on our kids? How is it that a third-grader is already worrying about how one test score will impact the rest of his education? | I thought, why are we putting so much pressure on our kids? How is it that a third-grader is already worrying about how one test score will impact the rest of his education? |
| My husband and I believe that we need a national standard or common curriculum for educating students. But the Common Core Standardized Tests raise a number of concerns – including a lack of transparency. Teachers have very little insight into the test content, so they can't accurately prepare students. To parents, it's not even clear how the data gleaned from the results will be used to affect our kids' educational options. | My husband and I believe that we need a national standard or common curriculum for educating students. But the Common Core Standardized Tests raise a number of concerns – including a lack of transparency. Teachers have very little insight into the test content, so they can't accurately prepare students. To parents, it's not even clear how the data gleaned from the results will be used to affect our kids' educational options. |
| As a parent, it's my responsibility to be an advocate in my child’s education and an ally to his school. In the end, my son participated in the English Language Arts test – but we opted out of his participation in the Math test. (He was not happy about it.) My initial reservations about the test turned into resistance after I shared my concerns with and heard from other parents – as well as the school's administration. We simply did not feel comfortable with subjecting our son to what we consider unnecessary testing. | As a parent, it's my responsibility to be an advocate in my child’s education and an ally to his school. In the end, my son participated in the English Language Arts test – but we opted out of his participation in the Math test. (He was not happy about it.) My initial reservations about the test turned into resistance after I shared my concerns with and heard from other parents – as well as the school's administration. We simply did not feel comfortable with subjecting our son to what we consider unnecessary testing. |
| Personally, I just could not fully support something that creates more questions and fears than answers or support – for student achievement and teacher success. | Personally, I just could not fully support something that creates more questions and fears than answers or support – for student achievement and teacher success. |
| The standard is one thing – the testing is another entirely | The standard is one thing – the testing is another entirely |
| By David Hickok, high school English teacher in Massachusetts | By David Hickok, high school English teacher in Massachusetts |
| I've been teaching high school English for 15 years (and doing so in Massachusetts for 13 years). I have taught in the largest and in the second-largest inner city schools in the state. I currently teach in a Technical High School. As far as English Language Arts goes, the Common Core itself isn't a bad thing. | I've been teaching high school English for 15 years (and doing so in Massachusetts for 13 years). I have taught in the largest and in the second-largest inner city schools in the state. I currently teach in a Technical High School. As far as English Language Arts goes, the Common Core itself isn't a bad thing. |
| The main shift for English Language Arts (ELA) has been to transform us into a skills-based curriculum – the skills being reading, writing, listening and speaking. Under Common Core, literature goes from being the content to the tool to impart the skills students are expected to learn. | The main shift for English Language Arts (ELA) has been to transform us into a skills-based curriculum – the skills being reading, writing, listening and speaking. Under Common Core, literature goes from being the content to the tool to impart the skills students are expected to learn. |
| The testing is an entirely different issue. We already have the in-state Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) – which has improved since its inception – but now the federally-funded, multi-state Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) exam is also on the horizon. Neither is perfect, but both can challenge students in good ways. The PARCC ELA is a lot more challenging than the MCAS: for instance, it asks students to synthesize multiple texts (like different versions of the myth of Daedalus) and then compare and contrast the two. | The testing is an entirely different issue. We already have the in-state Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) – which has improved since its inception – but now the federally-funded, multi-state Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) exam is also on the horizon. Neither is perfect, but both can challenge students in good ways. The PARCC ELA is a lot more challenging than the MCAS: for instance, it asks students to synthesize multiple texts (like different versions of the myth of Daedalus) and then compare and contrast the two. |
| As far as the criticisms we all hear about "teaching to the test",I'd say most schools have already been doing this since the advent of No Child Left Behind. The change for English teachers when it comes to Common Core is that we teach students to actively read any text for purpose and to write a well-organized argument – skills we should be teaching anyway – rather than focusing on every child reading certain pieces of literature. | |
| But the tests themselves are not the issue so much as what is done with them. In addition to administering a state exam to students, each district has to create a series of exams (called District Determined Measures) to track progress. Students' scores will eventually be matched to their teachers and involved in the teachers' evaluation process. Obviously, we're very wary of this: the data could be useful, or it could be used railroad an otherwise quality teacher out of the system. | But the tests themselves are not the issue so much as what is done with them. In addition to administering a state exam to students, each district has to create a series of exams (called District Determined Measures) to track progress. Students' scores will eventually be matched to their teachers and involved in the teachers' evaluation process. Obviously, we're very wary of this: the data could be useful, or it could be used railroad an otherwise quality teacher out of the system. |
| Are there issues with the Core and the state testing? Absolutely, but they aren't as black and white as you see on the news. | |
| The view from home-school | The view from home-school |
| By Nicole Reuter, home-schooling parent in upstate New York | By Nicole Reuter, home-schooling parent in upstate New York |
| One of the things that shapes the typical home-schooling parent's mentality about education is the ability to teach my kids what I want, when I want – as well as the freedom to move at a pace that's appropriate for each child and to teach them in a way that is best suited to their learning style. | One of the things that shapes the typical home-schooling parent's mentality about education is the ability to teach my kids what I want, when I want – as well as the freedom to move at a pace that's appropriate for each child and to teach them in a way that is best suited to their learning style. |
| My biggest concern about the Common Core State Standards is how long we'll be able to maintain our freedom to educate our children in the way that works best for us. There are no federal home-schooling standards but, in New York State, we already agree to cover certain specific subjects, report grades to our school district, and track our children's progress with standardized tests (like IOWA or CAT tests) or written end-of-year evaluations. National standards, both directly and indirectly, could be devastating to home-schoolers by forcing us to abandon the very reason many of us chose home-schooling in the first place: flexibility. | My biggest concern about the Common Core State Standards is how long we'll be able to maintain our freedom to educate our children in the way that works best for us. There are no federal home-schooling standards but, in New York State, we already agree to cover certain specific subjects, report grades to our school district, and track our children's progress with standardized tests (like IOWA or CAT tests) or written end-of-year evaluations. National standards, both directly and indirectly, could be devastating to home-schoolers by forcing us to abandon the very reason many of us chose home-schooling in the first place: flexibility. |
| Even if we maintain the legal right to be free of Common Core, we might well still have to cope with its effects. Some educational companies that market to the home-school community have already begun altering their curriculum in alignment with Common Core. Worse yet, we are told that college entrance exams are likely to change to reflect the new Common Core standards, rather than being tests of general knowledge. If that happens, home-schooled students would be disadvantaged in their pursuit of higher education unless they adhere to the standards, regardless of what they actually know or what skill sets they posses. | Even if we maintain the legal right to be free of Common Core, we might well still have to cope with its effects. Some educational companies that market to the home-school community have already begun altering their curriculum in alignment with Common Core. Worse yet, we are told that college entrance exams are likely to change to reflect the new Common Core standards, rather than being tests of general knowledge. If that happens, home-schooled students would be disadvantaged in their pursuit of higher education unless they adhere to the standards, regardless of what they actually know or what skill sets they posses. |
| I also worry that politicians could just decide that home-schooling parents need to comply with all of the picayune standards of Common Core, full stop. At that point, I would lose the freedom to decide on behalf of my children – my students – how to help them grasp certain concepts, and instead be beholden to teaching them certain things at certain times as determined by the government. How much does it matter if a student masters fractions in the fourth grade or the fifth grade? | I also worry that politicians could just decide that home-schooling parents need to comply with all of the picayune standards of Common Core, full stop. At that point, I would lose the freedom to decide on behalf of my children – my students – how to help them grasp certain concepts, and instead be beholden to teaching them certain things at certain times as determined by the government. How much does it matter if a student masters fractions in the fourth grade or the fifth grade? |
| My husband was a public high school teacher at the time we chose to home-school our oldest two children, so he’s seen the educational system from both sides and knew this would be a good choice for us. Common Core standards want to make cookie-cutter students that get a one-size-fits-all kind of education. I know that's not what’s best for my children, and I don't think it's what's really best for any child. | My husband was a public high school teacher at the time we chose to home-school our oldest two children, so he’s seen the educational system from both sides and knew this would be a good choice for us. Common Core standards want to make cookie-cutter students that get a one-size-fits-all kind of education. I know that's not what’s best for my children, and I don't think it's what's really best for any child. |
| Common Core is still failing our students | Common Core is still failing our students |
| By Edd Friedman, elementary special ed teacher in a high poverty school in upstate New York | By Edd Friedman, elementary special ed teacher in a high poverty school in upstate New York |
| As a special education teacher, I see first hand how the flaws in the Common Core educational standards – stemming from how they were created, adopted and implemented – fail my students. | As a special education teacher, I see first hand how the flaws in the Common Core educational standards – stemming from how they were created, adopted and implemented – fail my students. |
| For one, the Common Core standards were designed by defining the skills that are supposedly necessary to be successful in college, and then stepping them backwards through the grades – which sounds logical, until you realize that young children learn a lot more about interpersonal skills, self-regulation and self-determination than academic skills from kindergarten through the second grade. In fact, they learn their letters, numbers and other rote academic skills by interacting with other students, because their brains aren't ready to fully grasp the conceptual intricacies of modeling mathematical operations or to evaluate the quality, purpose and literary techniques of a passage written for fifth graders. | For one, the Common Core standards were designed by defining the skills that are supposedly necessary to be successful in college, and then stepping them backwards through the grades – which sounds logical, until you realize that young children learn a lot more about interpersonal skills, self-regulation and self-determination than academic skills from kindergarten through the second grade. In fact, they learn their letters, numbers and other rote academic skills by interacting with other students, because their brains aren't ready to fully grasp the conceptual intricacies of modeling mathematical operations or to evaluate the quality, purpose and literary techniques of a passage written for fifth graders. |
| Worse yet, the standards assume that all students learn through the same instructional strategies, at the same rates, and in the same sequence of concepts and skills. This just isn’t true – especially in special education. This standardized approach to instruction eliminates my ability to teach one of the most important skills for any teacher to address: independent thinking. Before Common Core, we would expose students to several different ways to model or solve mathematical problems and then allow them to choose the one that works best for them. Now, we are forced to assess students' abilities to use every way of modeling or solving a problem that we teach – even the ones that don't work. | Worse yet, the standards assume that all students learn through the same instructional strategies, at the same rates, and in the same sequence of concepts and skills. This just isn’t true – especially in special education. This standardized approach to instruction eliminates my ability to teach one of the most important skills for any teacher to address: independent thinking. Before Common Core, we would expose students to several different ways to model or solve mathematical problems and then allow them to choose the one that works best for them. Now, we are forced to assess students' abilities to use every way of modeling or solving a problem that we teach – even the ones that don't work. |
| But none of this solves the real problem in American education: childhood poverty. No national educational standards are ever going to make up for the complex ways in which poverty impacts children's ability to learn and function in a school environment. | But none of this solves the real problem in American education: childhood poverty. No national educational standards are ever going to make up for the complex ways in which poverty impacts children's ability to learn and function in a school environment. |
| Teachers are, by their nature, impassioned people: we love our students and their potential to do great things in the world. The flawed rollout of Common Core, coupled with punitive professional review practices and high-stakes standardized tests, ripped away instructional time and placed extreme pressure on teachers to "perform". That stress has taken its toll on all of us – and we have begun to lose our cool with politicians like US Education Secretary Arne Duncan and NYS Education Commissioner John King, who refuse to listen to parents and teachers and often label us misinformed, whiny or fringe fundamentalists. As emotions run higher, it is creating two distinct camps: teachers who no longer want to work with the CCLS at all; and those who are still willing to fix the broken parts and keep the good parts. | Teachers are, by their nature, impassioned people: we love our students and their potential to do great things in the world. The flawed rollout of Common Core, coupled with punitive professional review practices and high-stakes standardized tests, ripped away instructional time and placed extreme pressure on teachers to "perform". That stress has taken its toll on all of us – and we have begun to lose our cool with politicians like US Education Secretary Arne Duncan and NYS Education Commissioner John King, who refuse to listen to parents and teachers and often label us misinformed, whiny or fringe fundamentalists. As emotions run higher, it is creating two distinct camps: teachers who no longer want to work with the CCLS at all; and those who are still willing to fix the broken parts and keep the good parts. |
| The conversation continues... | The conversation continues... |
| Parents, teachers and even students – tell us: what has been your experience as US schools have implemented the Common Core standards? Let us know in the comments below. | Parents, teachers and even students – tell us: what has been your experience as US schools have implemented the Common Core standards? Let us know in the comments below. |