Archive: Opinions

Many of us have experienced the miracle of having a child. Parents love and cherish and nurture their children. Rare is the parent who does not soon see the baby as a unique individual with inborn talents and predilections. Often, school plays a substantial part in developing these gifts. Putting a child on the path to satisfying personal achievement can only benefit both that individual and society. Helping the student discover and cultivate his abilities and aptitudes is a laudable goal traditionally espoused by our public schools.

Or so it used to be. The new modus operandi is the Common Core State Standards whose Mission Statement asserts, “The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.” Perhaps individual development is no longer an objective in our complex, technologically advanced world.

The Common Core Standards were developed in 2009 and published in June, 2010. They were written by government officials and dozens of consultants convened by two non-profit, non-governmental organizations, the National Governors Association (NGA) and Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) both of which are based in Washington D.C. and are trade and lobbying groups.  The NGA and CCSSO copyrighted the material. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provided millions of dollars for development, promotion and implementation.

The standards were adopted, sight unseen, by forty-six states in exchange for a grant from President Obama’s Race To The Top or a waiver from No Child Left Behind. States which did not originally adopt the standard are Alaska, Texas, Virginia and Nebraska. Minnesota adopted only the English Language Arts portion of the standards and Indiana has since abolished Common Core through legislative action.

When a state adopts the Common Core standards, it agrees to implement the standards word for word. Because the standards are copyrighted, nothing can be changed without permission of the copyright holders. So, if anyone, a parent, a teacher, a state official, is dissatisfied with the Common Core Standards, there is nowhere to appeal.  Local control of education has ended. Education without representation is here.

Finally, Common Core is illegal. Under the Constitution, education belongs to the individual states. Also, the General Education Provisions Act prohibits the federal government from exercising any influence over curriculum or instruction in the schools.

The above are facts. Nothing has been said about proponents’ claims that Common Core is simply standards, not curriculum. But standards drive curriculum and curriculum drives testing. Further, where is the evidence of a relationship between standards and achievement?  What about the children?

What about the money?  Want to know more?  “Common Core: What You Need to Know,” a presentation by Lisa Christiansen and Jodi Kohli will be held on Tuesday May 6 at 6:15 pm in the Borg Warner Room, Tompkins County Library, 101 E. Green St.

Frances Weissman
Ithaca, NY
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