COMMON CORE

[Nobunaga]

Got a letter from my kid's school today, telling me that the schools have gone "common core".

What's odd is that the letter didn't bother telling me what that means... so I Googled it... and still don't really get it. I can see a lot of people saying it's going to make kids stupid, especially in math and science, but I can't see anybody backing that up with examples.

Anybody here know what this is all about? Any teachers here? I've heard the term used, just never really knew what it meant.

Thanks.

[Night Strike]

It's all about dumbing down the student population while at the same time forming national databases of test scores, etc. on students for government sorting. And many facets of the curriculum are not supposed to be shown to parents if they ask the teachers. It's more big-government indoctrination crap up the alley of 9-11 terrorists should be considered Freedom Fighters. There are a bunch of articles on it if you search sites like The Blaze.

[Metsfanmax]

The Common Core standards are simply a set of national guidelines that govern what students are expected to know after completing high school. So far the Department of Education has developed these guidelines for math and English, and they seem to be reasonable. It also describes an assessment standard that will result in the states that have agreed to the standards (which is most of them) changing their tests to comply with the curriculum. Unique criticism of the standards that you will find is most likely not about the curriculum but rather about the fact that states are expected to start implementing these changes as early as the next school year ('14-'15) which is simply too rapid of a pace to make the change as smoothly as it ought to be. If you find anyone saying the standards themselves will make students more stupid in math and science, disregard it because 1) no one can really be certain what will happen and 2) the new standards are generally more rigorous than previous standards, so negative impacts from the change will be the result of a lack of resources or other external factors, and not the standards themselves.

[isaiah40]

Actually, the Department of Education did not develop the guidelines for Common Core. Here is an article I found a little while ago.

[warmonger1981]

Do IB World Schools have any connection to Common Core?

[Lootifer]

Its standardization in education (googling that should get you more information). There are definite pros and cons. On one hand it makes education easier to manage and optimise, on the other hand it treats all students exactly the same.

One thing its not is the crap ns is spouting. The debate has nothing to do with right vs left or liberal vs conservative. Its an education management debate.

[BigBallinStalin]

Why is it wiser to push for one standard of education?

*(Does CC only apply to public schools? Or can it apply to any school which accepts x-amount of state or federal funding?)

[Lootifer]

Personally I dont think it is. But its a practice that owes its origins to typical business practices. From a management perspective its easier to put in things like kpis, business intelligence and all those other crap, er I mean wonderful, things they teach you in an MBA course

[BigBallinStalin]

Oh for sure, and there's plenty of unnecessarily costly and wasteful programs tied to funding, which still float around the market system.

As a side note, it appears that--regardless of these kinds of programs, the market is whittling down the less valuable college degrees (e.g. liberal arts, humanities, sociology), so maybe it doesn't matter so much.* The problem is one of encouraging kids to take major in fields which are not highly valued in the market. Graduating in sociology to become a waiter is called 'doing it wrong'.


*Sorry, didn't spend enough time digging for a time series, but two other academic studies show similar results (I exited Foxit Reader thus accidentely closed them all). Of course, three studies doesn't make the above definite, but it is telling.

[new guy1]

I took common core tests in my senior year of high school. They're like any other standardized test, except I fucking hated them. It was twice as difficult as any other standardized test I took. Im glad I got out of there before they were standard for everything.

[oVo]

It's all about dumbing down the student population while at the same time forming national databases of test scores, etc. on students for government sorting. And many facets of the curriculum are not supposed to be shown to parents if they ask the teachers. It's more big-government indoctrination crap up the alley of 9-11 terrorists should be considered Freedom Fighters. There are a bunch of articles on it if you search sites like The Blaze.

As I read this my thoughts were wandering towards how in the world you might come to this conclusion about "Common Core" standardization in public schools, but your last sentence answered that completely.

Private schools in America will continue to dominate life after high school, university placement and employment opportunities for the majority of students until the "Department of Edumication" gets it's act together and priorities straight.

[Frigidus]

It's more big-government indoctrination crap up the alley of 9-11 terrorists should be considered Freedom Fighters.

Hahaha, I bet NS actually believes this happens.

[oVo]

Absolutely... because social security numbers, driver license, cell phones
and a host of other IDs and registrations don't establish a big enough
database to keep up with 'mericans already.

[Lootifer]

Oh for sure, and there's plenty of unnecessarily costly and wasteful programs tied to funding, which still float around the market system.

As a side note, it appears that--regardless of these kinds of programs, the market is whittling down the less valuable college degrees (e.g. liberal arts, humanities, sociology), so maybe it doesn't matter so much.* The problem is one of encouraging kids to take major in fields which are not highly valued in the market. Graduating in sociology to become a waiter is called 'doing it wrong'.


*Sorry, didn't spend enough time digging for a time series, but two other academic studies show similar results (I exited Foxit Reader thus accidentely closed them all). Of course, three studies doesn't make the above definite, but it is telling.

Wheres medicine?

Also I agree.

[Nobunaga]

As much as I like to argue politics, I was hoping for explanations. I got some (thanks, guys), and I'm finding more and more on line.

My son watched a film at school today called, Epic. A note from the teacher said watching this film met several common core requirements... What the hell does that mean?

[Night Strike]

Although the article does not specifically state that this assignment is from a Common Core curriculum, it's similar to other known Common Core assignments. They all revolve around pro-government teachings.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/30/what-is-government-elementary-students-taught-its-your-family/

[oVo]

Um... you're using that link as if it's an actual news source.
It's The Blaze and a "worksheet" not a "Core" curriculum.

[Night Strike]

Um... you're using that link as if it's an actual news source.
It's The Blaze and a "worksheet" not a "Core" curriculum.

Homework worksheets are based on the curriculum lesson being taught.

[oVo]

How many states have you discovered this
National "Core" worksheet in?

Is this also an Obama Government conspiracy
keeping these worksheets hidden from the
public, who have a right to know?

[BigBallinStalin]

Oh for sure, and there's plenty of unnecessarily costly and wasteful programs tied to funding, which still float around the market system.

As a side note, it appears that--regardless of these kinds of programs, the market is whittling down the less valuable college degrees (e.g. liberal arts, humanities, sociology), so maybe it doesn't matter so much.* The problem is one of encouraging kids to take major in fields which are not highly valued in the market. Graduating in sociology to become a waiter is called 'doing it wrong'.


*Sorry, didn't spend enough time digging for a time series, but two other academic studies show similar results (I exited Foxit Reader thus accidentely closed them all). Of course, three studies doesn't make the above definite, but it is telling.

Wheres medicine?

Also I agree.

I dunno! From my experience in the US, that degree is called "pre-med." Maybe they dropped it from the study, or shoved into biology/chemistry/whatever.

[BigBallinStalin]

How many states have you discovered this
National "Core" worksheet in?

Is this also an Obama Government conspiracy
keeping these worksheets hidden from the
public, who have a right to know?

Even if one kid is taught to believe that the worksheet is true, then that one kid is being misled.

(1) What do you think about the worksheet itself?

(2) Presumably, it was created by the DoE, so if they're capable of creating such crap, what's to stop them from producing more crap?
(if they can form the rules, then they can definitely make the rules self-serving/self-affirming).

[Nobunaga]

This is what happens in Germany when you deviate from their common core.

http://www.wnd.com/2013/08/police-storm ... -by-force/

... It is still a rather disturbing story, in spite of the attempt at humor here.

[BigBallinStalin]

Too much rhetoric, not enough opportunities to verify.

[Night Strike]

This is what happens in Germany when you deviate from their common core.

http://www.wnd.com/2013/08/police-storm ... -by-force/

... It is still a rather disturbing story, in spite of the attempt at humor here.

Just a few months ago the Obama administration refused to grant asylum for a family from Germany who were banned from homeschooling their children there.

[Lootifer]

This is what happens in Germany when you deviate from their common core.

http://www.wnd.com/2013/08/police-storm ... -by-force/

... It is still a rather disturbing story, in spite of the attempt at humor here.

Standardized education =/= Compulsory education.

Also weirdly slanted article is weird and slanted.