Reply to Common Core's epic fail: Special Education

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Reply to "Common Core's epic fail: Special Education"

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[quote=Anonymous]
I have been teaching full-time for nearly 30 years---all in public schools at various levels (mostly high school) and in various subjects. I have taught in two states (in three districts).  I have four certifications.  I have a Master's degree.

I can't speak to everything here, but I can say that I have seen trends come and go.  Most of them have been politically motivated and have not been "successful".  The thing that I worry most about in education is not "standards".

What worries me the most is the quality of the teaching staff.  I have witnessed a steady decline in this area.  This may be the reason that standards are being put in and "enforced" through standardized assessment exams that are then related to the teacher's evaluation.  This is not done in any other country in the world and it won't work to increase the level of education here (if that is the goal).

As a society, we cannot keep expecting the schools to solve every problem.  We need to increase the minimum wage and provide basic health care to everyone.  We need to make sure that as many families as possible are intact and can provide basic necessities for their children.  Meanwhile we need to recruit the best students into the teaching profession and we need to PAY them to stay and become experienced master teachers.  Yes, writing standards is the cheaper way to go and it is politically popular to do the easy and cheap thing.  But do not kid yourselves that these standards will make a big difference for the students.  What will make a big difference for any student is his/her social/emotional/economic stability (which comes from a home that is stable) and secondly a teacher who can help provide a similar classroom environment that also advances learning.

Standards are cheap.  Talk is cheap.  Arguing over whether these standards are "good " is useless.

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