Before you search for #answers, make sure you know what the #problem is. #QuoteADay #Day33 #edchat #edu #CommonCore #CCSS
Over the last few weeks, the rhetoric from both Common Core detractors and supporters has ratcheted up tremendously. Yet, the battle lines are still the same. Detractors continue to claim that everything about the Common Core is terrible; supporters state that all aspects of the Common Core are the best thing since sliced bread. But there is a third group of people in this conversation too, those who support some aspects of the Common Core initiative and act as detractors to others. I fit into this category.
I am a big proponent of what the standards "stand for," and seeing some of the standards addressed in classrooms leads me to believe that they can do much and more for the education of our children and students. However, I find fault with the tremendous testing agenda our country now faces, and believe, at least here in NY, that the implementation process for the Common Core has been botched, and shows a major disconnect between state officials and those "in the trenches."
Why am I telling you this? Simply because detractors and supporters of "THE COMMON CORE" (caps intended) are missing the boat. With an initiative this complex, we need to investigate all parts to find out where the problems really are. Saying the Common Core is a "menace" does nothing more than instill fear in those who know nothing about it (case in point: a conversation I had with a lawyer parent at a birthday party yesterday that started, "Should I start worrying about the Common Core?" [note: his son is three]). On the flip side, saying the Common Core has no issues is short-sighted, and at worst, an outright lie.
So, beforewe support or call for a moratorium against an issue as big (and divisive) as the Common Core, we must make sure that we know what, specifically, we find fault with, and just as importantly, how we would fix it. Otherwise, we're just engaging in an educational cop-out.
No comments:
Post a Comment