The 45th annual PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools had some interesting results regarding the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which are already being implemented in many school districts across the country:
Nationwide, 62% of those polled had never heard of the Common Core
Among parents of public school children, 55% had never heard of the Common Core
Among public school parents who had heard of the Common Core, only 14% said that they were very knowledgeable about the Common Core State Standards
Of those who had heard of the Common Core, many believed that the standards are based on a blending of state standards (false) and that the federal government is mandating the standards (also false).
Clearly, there is a lack of good information about the Common Core, and it isn’t hard to see why. What began as a state-oriented response to the federal No Child Left Behind Act has become so overly politicized that even many educators are no longer sure who to believe.
On one side of the Common Core debate, we have proponents who seem willing to believe that the Common Core will cure all of America’s education ills; on the other side, we have detractors who often argue that the Common Core represents a federal takeover of education that will bring about untold evils.
The truth, as always, probably lies somewhere in between.
While we cannot say for certain what the benefits or consequences of Common Core implementation will be, we can debunk some of the more popular myths and provide a simple overview of the initiative.
Basic Common Core Facts
The Common Core State Standards have been adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia. Texas, Alaska, Virginia, Nebraska, and Minnesota are the remaining holdouts.
The Common Core is a set of standards, not curriculum. Standards provide benchmarks that students need to meet by the end of each grade; curriculum provides the methods by which information is to be taught. In other words, the Common Core does not define how teachers should teach; it only defines the goals that their students must reach.
The Common Core State Standards cover math and English-language arts. At middle and high school levels, the reading standards also include guidelines for reading in science, history, and social studies, but individual standards for those classes do not currently exist.
The Common Core State Standards will help bring consistency to public education across the country. Currently, individual states have widely differing standards. So if you were to move from one state to another, you might suddenly find that your child is either way ahead or way behind his peers in a new state. The implementation of the Common Core will help to reduce these discrepancies by providing a common set of standards across the country.
Debunking the Myths
Myth: The Common Core State Standards represent a federal takeover of public schools and/or are a nationalized curriculum.
Why it’s wrong: First, the Common Core State Standards are not curriculum, therefore they cannot be considered a nationalized curriculum. They are, however, national standards. Second, the Common Core State Standards were neither created by the federal government nor mandated by the federal government. The Common Core State Standards emerged from the National Governors Association, which partnered with the Council of Chief State School Officers to create the standards. Although the Obama administration provided incentives in the form of grants and waivers to states who adopted the standards, the federal government has not mandated the standards. Moreover, states will have complete control over implementation of the standards, including curriculum and textbook adoption.
Myth: The Common Core State Standards dumb down American education.
Why it’s wrong: First, current state standards are not generally all that high to begin with. Current standards far too often fail to adequately prepare students for college, which is why 60% of community college students and 20% of four-year college students enroll in remedial courses. Even ACT, Inc. recently released data demonstrating that only 25% of this year’s high school graduates were ready for college coursework in English, science, math, and reading. It would be pretty tough for new standards to be lower than that. Moreover, a Thomas B. Fordham Institute study showed that Common Core State Standards are superior to standards currently in use in 39 states in math and 37 states in English. And it’s important to note that the common standards merely set minimum benchmarks for students, so it’s not as if the new standards limit how much students can achieve.
Myth: The Common Core State Standards will prevent students from reading literature and/or require them to read controversial/politicized material.
Why it’s wrong: There isn’t a required reading list for the common standards, although there is a selected sample of potential reading material. These myths stem from two sources. The idea that students will be prevented from reading literature stems from the common core’s emphasis on non-fiction reading material, but these non-fiction selections are not limited to language arts classes. Instead, much of the non-fiction reading is to be done in science, history, and social science classes. Students will still read literature in language arts. The idea that the common core will require that students read controversial material (I’ve seen people suggest everything from Obamacare sales pitches to Communist propaganda) stems mostly from the over politicization of the common core. I went ahead and reviewed the suggested reading materials for the common core for 9th and 10th grade. Most of the suggestions were books that I read in high school (Fahrenheit 451, To Kill a Mockingbird, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, and Oedipus Rex to name a few). The most political selection I saw was FDR’s State of the Union Address, which was nicely balanced by Ronald Reagan’s Address to Students at Moscow State University.
Good, Bad, or Neither?
There are legitimate complaints against the Common Core State Standards and their implementation. Teachers are concerned about the level of required testing, and about the rushed implementation of new tests. Others are concerned about the level of federal oversight regarding the creation of the tests. But the Common Core is not the boogeyman that the media often makes it out to be, nor is it the panacea that its supporters make it out to be.
The Common Core State Standards are, however, one of the biggest education reform initiatives in recent history. If they are fully implemented, the new standards will make it easier for students to move from one state to another, allow colleges to better compare applicants from different regions, and encourage students in most states to meet much higher academic standards. The initiative is (one hopes) a step in the right direction.