Main problem:
Poor problem--caused by many things--among them, poverty. Pouring money into the schools will not solve the first four years.

Anonymous wrote:

That is a great post. I am a supporter of the Common Core standards, but if I were Emperor of the US, the Common Core standards are not what I would focus my educational efforts on. The problem is that there is no political will to fight (as Larry Cuban said) the "fiscal and tax policies and economic structures that not only deepen and sustain poverty in society but also reinforce privilege of the top two percent of wealthy Americans", or to increase the pay and prestige of teachers so that teaching is an attractive, prestigious, competitive field. So what's left? Fiddling around with standards. And even that negligible step is a colossal fight.

That is not going to help either. It's not poor teachers that are causing the problem.

What is "the problem", and what do you think is causing it?

Anonymous wrote:That is a great post. I am a supporter of the Common Core standards, but if I were Emperor of the US, the Common Core standards are not what I would focus my educational efforts on. The problem is that there is no political will to fight (as Larry Cuban said) the "fiscal and tax policies and economic structures that not only deepen and sustain poverty in society but also reinforce privilege of the top two percent of wealthy Americans", or to increase the pay and prestige of teachers so that teaching is an attractive, prestigious, competitive field. So what's left? Fiddling around with standards. And even that negligible step is a colossal fight.

+1

^ What is your take on what is causing the problem?

That is a great post. I am a supporter of the Common Core standards, but if I were Emperor of the US, the Common Core standards are not what I would focus my educational efforts on. The problem is that there is no political will to fight (as Larry Cuban said) the "fiscal and tax policies and economic structures that not only deepen and sustain poverty in society but also reinforce privilege of the top two percent of wealthy Americans", or to increase the pay and prestige of teachers so that teaching is an attractive, prestigious, competitive field. So what's left? Fiddling around with standards. And even that negligible step is a colossal fight.

That is not going to help either. It's not poor teachers that are causing the problem.

I am saving my money in case my grandchildren will need to be enrolled in private schools. As much as I have been a huge supporter of public schools, I am no longer convinced that they will be there for my grandchildren (at least not the way I had them growing up---without the "standards" BTW).

I do not want to see my progeny in schools where the teachers are following the dot-to-dot method and spending countless hours pouring over "data" and "standards". It just kills creativity and enthusiasm for learning. There are countless things to be learned and ways to learn them and there should be joy in learning.

That is a great post. I am a supporter of the Common Core standards, but if I were Emperor of the US, the Common Core standards are not what I would focus my educational efforts on. The problem is that there is no political will to fight (as Larry Cuban said) the "fiscal and tax policies and economic structures that not only deepen and sustain poverty in society but also reinforce privilege of the top two percent of wealthy Americans", or to increase the pay and prestige of teachers so that teaching is an attractive, prestigious, competitive field. So what's left? Fiddling around with standards. And even that negligible step is a colossal fight.

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.

Anonymous wrote:

Nobody on this board has said that opposition to Obama is the only reason for opposition to the Common Core standards. What various posters have said is that some of the opposition to the Common Core standards comes from opposition to Obama. Which is true.

I think the opponents have given very specific reasons for not liking Common Core. One of the posters above posted quite a list. Could you please tell us why you think it is good? Please give us specific reasons.

Yes, I agree that there are a lot of reasons why people don't like the Common Core. I'm just not persuaded by any of them. The Common Core standards have become the Rorschach test of educational reform.

Nobody on this board has said that opposition to Obama is the only reason for opposition to the Common Core standards. What various posters have said is that some of the opposition to the Common Core standards comes from opposition to Obama. Which is true.

I think the opponents have given very specific reasons for not liking Common Core. One of the posters above posted quite a list. Could you please tell us why you think it is good? Please give us specific reasons.

Anonymous wrote:

Well, someone on this board keeps blaming people who don't like Obama. Do you consider that poster a "political opponent"?

edit: I should have said a "political supporter"? Because clearly, he/she is supporting it because of politics.

Nobody on this board has said that opposition to Obama is the only reason for opposition to the Common Core standards. What various posters have said is that some of the opposition to the Common Core standards comes from opposition to Obama. Which is true.

Well, someone on this board keeps blaming people who don't like Obama. Do you consider that poster a "political opponent"?

edit: I should have said a "political supporter"? Because clearly, he/she is supporting it because of politics.

No, if I were referring to all opponents of the Common Core standards, I would call them "opponents", not "political opponents". Some of the opponents of the Common Core standards are against the Common Core standards because of politics -- those are the political opponents.

Well, someone on this board keeps blaming people who don't like Obama. Do you consider that poster a "political opponent"?

Anonymous wrote:

So, how do you know that they're not appropriate?

Years of experience teaching children. Advanced degrees.

What is not appropriate about them?

Here's a sixth-grade math standard. What's inappropriate about it?

CCSS.Math.Content.6.NS.B.3
Fluently add, subtract, multiply, and divide multi-digit decimals using the standard algorithm for each operation.

Anonymous wrote:

You know, I actually agree with this part:

Policy elites see school reform as a form of theater. Blaming schools for serious national problems, saying the right emotionally-loaded words, and giving the appearance of doing mighty things to solve the “school” problem matter far more than hard evidence or past experiences with similar reforms.

But it's as true for the opponents of the Common Core (Bobby Jindal, for example) as for the proponents.

And many of the political opponents of the Common Core are no friends at all to the public education system. If Larry Cuban thinks that the real problems are the "fiscal and tax policies and economic structures that not only deepen and sustain poverty in society but also reinforce privilege of the top two percent of wealthy Americans", I hope he's not looking to the political opponents of the Common Core for solutions.

So, you think all the opponents are against it because of politics? Wrong.

No, if I were referring to all opponents of the Common Core standards, I would call them "opponents", not "political opponents". Some of the opponents of the Common Core standards are against the Common Core standards because of politics -- those are the political opponents.