The Controversy of Common Core The educational system in the United States was originally developed using concepts from around the world, created using ingenuitive ideas from countries such as China, Japan, and Korea. However, as the United States quickly moved into position as the leading country for state-directed educational standards, America
History of Common Core State Standards The Common Core has been developed as a nationwide measurement for student progress. Officially launched in 2009 as a federal funding bill, the standards identify skills that every student residing in the United States should master in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics from kindergarten through 12th grade (Gewertz, 2015). The Common Core itself is not a curriculum, however, it identifies rigorous objectives that must be met by a school’s curriculum. The purpose is to initiate a deeper focus on developmental learning by using interdisciplinary instruction. This redefines the way that students learn because their progress is no longer assessed on the outcome of their performance, but by the process that has allowed them to reach the
This article, written in 2014, titled, Common Core Switch Could Be Costly, gives the reader an overview of what Common Core really could do to American taxpayers. A taxpayer is someone who, “pays a tax or is subject to taxation,” (dictionary.com). The cost relates to how times have changed because a lot more money is spent on trying to give children a bigger and better education. When people think about how school was 100 years ago, and then think about where life has gone to today, there is a vast difference. Technology is one thing, but the way children were taught and how many children did not even go to school is quite another. But many differ from the point of view that it was better way back when, just as Kimberly Kennedy does in her article Common Core Is Working, Don’t Break It in which she states, “We must prepare our kids for a future where technology reigns and more jobs will require college degrees,” (Kennedy). Technology is an argument in itself, but it does play a certain role in Common Core, but that will come further along. Nevertheless this article argues the fact that Common Core is helping Kentucky with scoring higher grades on tests and becoming a smarter
Nathan Connor Adopted by forty-two out states in 2010, the Common Core State Standard Initiative strives to provide an educational structure which details what English language arts and mathematics should be taught from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The initiative is the federal government’s attempt to ensure all students who graduate from high school are adequately prepared to enter a two or four year college or the workforce. Despite their intentions, the Common Core has caused much controversy in the education community. The thought behind Common Core is very valid and has the potential to help students, however changes must be made to unrealistic standards and wordy statements. Common Core must first be rewritten so that the language is clear and can be easily understood by the general public. Next ask experts on childhood development and elementary school teachers to review the standards and rewrite standards they see as unneeded or irrelevant as well as unrealistic.
Prior to writing this response paper, I had no pre-existing knowledge revolving around Common Core other than the negative ideas and opinions I’ve only vaguely heard, often including photos of honestly outrageous equations. What exactly is Common Core, according to them, and what is the goal? By definition, the Common Core State Standards Initiative details a list of subjects for students kindergarten through twelfth grade to have learned the by the end of each specific grade. The ultimate goal is to be certain that students across all of the states receive the same education and reach the same requirements in order to be prepared for college work; or, rather, the standardized tests that will determine whether or not they are even granted access into college in the first place.
In 2009, states around the country began adopting the Common Core State Standards. These standards were put in place to ensure that each child was on the same academic level by high school graduation. As the global marketplace becomes increasingly more competitive, the United States hopes that Common Core will enable the coming generations to be better prepared. As of right now, my working thesis is Common Core is overall unsuccessful in its effort, and discontinuing or, at the least, replacing it would improve the testing scores /academic progresses, mental health, and attitude towards school of the children in the United States. My two articles, “Reading Don’t Fix No Chevys (Yet!): Motivating boys in the age of the Common Core,” by Jeffrey D. Wilhelm and Michael W. Smith (2014), and “Why Massachusetts Gave Up on Common Core,” by Mary Clare Reim (2015), both provide evidence on Common Core to support my thesis.
Caleb Myers DeCamp Writing & Composition 25 March 2016 Is Common Core Really Unacceptable for Our Children? At New Bern High School, Charlie Bernthal, a freshman, sits in a class room instructed by Common Core standards. It will take one of Charlie’s teachers six minutes to demonstrate the various methods to complete a simple multiplication problem, such as 63 x 24. Students are taught to use arrays, lattice, partial product methods, and eventually the traditional U.S. customary method. The Common Core standards happen to be a big discussion point during this year’s election. People have many strong opinions when it comes to the Common Core State Standards, but researchers and institutions express reasons why teachers and schools should not use Common Core to instruct America’s youth. Schools and teachers should not teach by Common Core standards because these standards are detrimental to our children.
Rethinking the common core standards. The common core is hailed as “the next big thing” in school reform, but is it “the next big thing? The reform was implemented to resurrect a failing school system, brought on by “No Child Left Behind” once the reform was put into action it was supposed to make some extensive improvements; however, this change brought about some unsuspected
Haley Wagner Professor Micheal Callaway English 101 11 October 2016 Carol Burris is a principle and co-author to the book “Opening the Common Core”. In her article “I was naïve about the Common Core”, she addresses many personal experiences and negative outcomes from the modern day state standards for school districts. The Common Core is a set of state standards that schools teach to students so they have the skills, habits and knowledge to be successful for college and post high school careers. While in the beginning of the article she claims she was completely for this method of teaching, she later describes how gruesome it truly was to the students. The overwhelming stress to the children through extensive evaluations and tests became
Common Core, these two words have come to mean more, in the past four years, than two words with no similarities. 43 out of 50 states are signed on to the Common Core State Standards as of now (Khadaroo). This paper will review the good, the bad and the alternatives
As the government made the transition into Common Core Standards the controversy heated up. Common Core affected millions of people and because of this everyone has their own opinion about it. The problem is because Common Core was thrown on us, nobody really knows what it is. English Language Art
Another major issue and concern with the Common Core State Standards is the lack of creative freedom and control due to the enforcement of it curriculum. The current common core curriculum focuses so much on its blind faith in standardization of tests and curriculum that it promotes uniformity instead of customization. It doesn’t allow students to synthesize latent creativity, restricting their mindsets to a narrow path. With their performances directly tied to test scores, teachers are now held to a higher standard of academic performance. Karen Lewis, the President of the Chicago Teacher’s Union has said the Common Core to be a “poison pill for learning” because it eliminates the sort of imaginative and critical thinking that teachers need to
Though the American Common Core has slightly improved national percents in Math and English, it has many adverse effects on our state rights, economy, teachers, and children. The fundamental goal of the Common Core is to get every school, teacher, and classroom in America to follow the same national standards. This system means teachers and parents have little power over what their children learn in the classroom; it is a federal intervention in state-led affairs. Another negative point about the common core is the massive price to run and implement. For example in Washington, “{The}Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction estimates that Common Core will cost the state $300 million.” And in California, “{The} California
The Common Core is a set of academic standards that show what a student should learn in Mathematics and English (“About the Standards”). The standards were made to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life, regardless
Common Core educational programs have been showing up in primary schools all throughout the nation in the past decade; educators and legislators alike saw the need for standardized skill sets among primary school children. Many people will agree that training in certain areas of arithmetic, English and grammar, and history are crucial for success in the modern economy. Despite this agreement, there is an ever-growing divide between parents and legislators on whether or not the programs are helping, or hurting these children.