The push for Common Core Standards has taken hits from the right and the left. True, the two sides have different problems with the standards-and-tests package, but the attacks from both sides are having an effect. Poor AZ Ed Supe John Huppenthal has been taking a beating from right wingers during town halls he’s held across the state (OK, to be honest, I do feel a few spoonfuls of empathy for Hupp, but they’re mixed together with a heaping helping of schadenfreude). And Obama’s Ed Sec Arne Duncan has taken a thrashing as well.
Huppenthal hasn’t budged, other than to change the name to Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards, which has fooled absolutely no one. But Duncan is beginning to buckle.
Tuesday, Duncan sat in front of the House appropriations subcommittee to defend the education grants which are part of the 2015 budget. Here’s what he said related to Common Core.
“I’m just a big proponent of high standards. Whether they’re common or not is secondary.”
For those of us who read education/political tea leaves, Duncan’s retreat from the word “common” in his discussion of “standards” is huge. It sounds like a first step toward a national policy advocating a more voluntary application of the newly designed standards.
This article appears in Apr 3-9, 2014.
There is more to the story of Duncan’s testimony. While some say that Duncan lied to Congress,
http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2014/04/dunc…
I’ll respect Dave’s call for civility and say that Duncan was less than candid. Here’s the clip from Education Week:
“Duncan also maintained that there are “zero” federal grants tied to the common core, after being pressed by members, including Rep. Martha Roby, R-Ala., who has filed legislation to prohibit the federal government from trying to encourage states via grants or waivers to adopt certain standards.
…. The administration’s original $4 billion Race to the Top program awarded 40 points to states for developing and adopting common standards. All 12 of those winners have adopted the standards, and have not backed off. What’s more, a separate, $360 million Race to the Top contest to fund common tests was based on the premise that states needed help developing such assessments based on the common standards.”
For Duncan to say that no federal grants are tied to the Common Core is not being “candid.” Race to the Top was an initiative held out as a carrot for states to adopt the Common Core. States did it in droves in the quest for federal money. And remember that this was done during the Great Recession when that federal money came in very handy as states like Arizona slashed their funding for K-12. An offer you can’t refuse. Arne’s nose is growing.
Jana, I know I can be civil because I can count on commenters to fill in anything I left out. But in this case, I kept the post short and focused because I think Duncan’s statement about Common Core is more significant than the business-as-usual weaseling about what a government official did or didn’t do. This sounds to me like a trial balloon for an exit strategy.
(You know, the term “exit strategy” brings my mind back to the Vietnam War and the term “We had to destroy the village in order to save it.” That fits perfectly with the education reformers: “We had to destroy public education in order to save it.” It’s scary how well that works.)
The first major dent in the push for the Common Core appeared in NY State. In that state, the common core standards were adopted and tests based on those standards given to students before the curriculum to teach to those standards was approved and fully implemented. The students who were tested that year did so horribly the outcry from middle class parents was huge. Secretary Duncan’s response was pretty close to saying, “Maybe your children are not as brilliant as you thought they were.” That single remark…widely reported by the media…slowed the momentum for the common core.
The arrogance of Secretary Duncan…whose children go to a private school that does not use the Common Core standards…was mind-blowing. As an aside, the school Duncan’s children attend does not evaluate teachers based on student test scores, and that method of evaluating teachers is another truly dumb idea pushed on states and districts as a requirement for those applying for Race to the Top federal money. In sum, Duncan is a hypocrite and deserves all the criticism that has been heaped on him for his abuse of office in pushing the Common Core despite the fact Congress has not approved national standards for public school students.
A confederacy of Dunces. I love the man on the street interviews where all the young dudes and dudetts cannot id the year WW2 ended.
Ok here is the Gandalf approved Common Core.
This is what you need to be a smart guy:
Math. Simple math, ok …very simple math, teach the kids how to balance a check book.
English. Teach the kids how to read and write. (again, keep it simple)
History. American and world history. A nice outline would be great.
Music. (music makes you smarter)
That is it. Easy.
Now when you find your passion in life, advanced math, the arts, business, then you can get into the advanced studies. Most people have a talent. It is the education system’s duty to help you find your talent. It is your job to develop your talent(s)
You can thank me later.