Tag: common core

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Common Core money man Bill Gates defends K-12 experiment in ABC News interview

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Common Core money man Bill Gates defends K-12 experiment in ABC News interview
March 17, 2014
Ben Velderman

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Microsoft founder Bill Gates appeared on a Sunday talk show to respond to criticism of Common Core, the one-size-fits-all math and English learning standards that are being used in schools in 45 states.

In a softball interview with ABC “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos, Gates addressed concerns that Common Core will undermine local and state control over public education.

“The Common Core is not a curriculum. It doesn’t tell you how to teach. It’s not a federal takeover. Nobody’s pushing for that,” Gates said.

Gates – whose personal foundation has reportedly spent nearly $200 million to get the Common Core experiment off the ground – said the nationalized learning standards are better than states’ previous learning expectations because they emphasize genuine understanding of the material, instead of rote memorization.

“I believe 10 years from now, kids’ competence in math, kids’ scores in math, can be improved a lot,” Gates predicted.

“I think this is going to be a big win for education.”

There are a couple of major problems with Gates’ answers. We’ll start with his predictions that Common Core will help America compete in the global marketplace.

The Common Core standards were not piloted on actual students before they were adopted and implemented back in 2010 and 2011. The fact is no one can say with certainty if Common Core’s approach to math – which emphasizes “critical thinking” over memorizing basic information – is going to produce a generation of more and better mathematicians.

In fact, there are a number of thoughtful scholars who expect Common Core will have a disastrous effect on the national goal of preparing students for a career in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

That same uncertainty applies to Common Core’s English standards which focus on non-fiction, “informational texts” at the expense of classic literature.

Gates and company believe more practical reading assignments will better prepare students for the ever-changing economy. Critics say the standards will produce an ignorant citizenry that won’t be prepared to think seriously about history, culture and politics.

This means Gates’ prediction that the “higher standards” will yield great academic fruit is just a wild guess. The opposite could just as easily turn out to be true.

But Gates’’ biggest misstatement was his assertion that Common Core doesn’t represent a “federal takeover” of America’s public education system.

While we agree that Common Core isn’t an outright takeover of the nation’s public schools, we believe it does give D.C. bureaucrats backdoor access to the nation’s classrooms.

https://eagnews.org/common-core-money-man-bill-gates-defends-k-12-experiment-in-abc-news-interview/

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New School Chief Returns at Tumultuous Time for Education in NJ

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David Hespe

New School Chief Returns at Tumultuous Time for Education in NJ

State-aid crunch, strife in Newark and debate over Christie’s policies greet former education commissioner upon return to Trenton.

Gov. Chris Christie picked quite a day yesterday to announce David Hespe would be returning as his next education commissioner, a post he held more than a decade ago.

The governor’s school-aid numbers for next year were released yesterday afternoon to a less-than-enthusiastic reception. Earlier in the day, legislators argued over how to deal with the growing turmoil over the state’s ongoing control of Newark schools. And, throughout the day, advocates were gearing up for protests over the administration’s overall education policies. (Mooney/NJSpotlight)

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/14/02/28/new-schools-chief-returns-at-tumultuous-time-for-education-in-nj/

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Common Core’s Surprise Critic: Nation’s Largest Teachers Union (NEA) Calls Implementation ‘Completely Botched’

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Common Core’s Surprise Critic: Nation’s Largest Teachers Union (NEA) Calls Implementation ‘Completely Botched’

Rob Bluey

February 19, 2014 at 10:29 pm

The country’s largest teachers union is no longer a cheerleader for Common Core national education standards.

In a letter to the National Education Association’s 3 million members, President Dennis Van Roekel issued a sharp critique of Common Core. It marks the first time NEA has voiced concerns about the standards, a key initiative of the Obama Administration.

I am sure it won’t come as a surprise to hear that in far too many states, implementation has been completely botched. Seven of ten teachers believe that implementation of the standards is going poorly in their schools. Worse yet, teachers report that there has been little to no attempt to allow educators to share what’s needed to get [Common Core State Standards] implementation right.  In fact, two thirds of all teachers report that they have not even been asked how to implement these new standards in their classrooms.

>>> Check Out: Is Common Core Leaving Students Unprepared in Math and Science?

The NEA once enthusiastically supported Common Core, making Van Roekel’s criticism noteworthy. POLITICO said it meant a “rocky road ahead for the Common Core standards” and would “give opponents of Common Core a boost.”

In his letter, Van Roekel stops short of completely abandoning Common Core, calling instead for a “course correction” to fix implementation.

“NEA members have a right to feel frustrated, upset, and angry about the poor commitment to implementing the standards correctly,” Van Roekel writes.

The National Education Association’s concerns come nearly a year after the American Federation of Teachers raised problems with implementation of the standards. AFT President Randi Weingarten said, “they simply don’t get it in Washington.” She also called the implementation of Common Core worse than HealthCare.gov..

https://blog.heritage.org/2014/02/19/common-cores-surprise-critic-nations-largest-teachers-union-calls-standards-completely-botched/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

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N.J. renews support for Common Core learning goals

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N.J. renews support for Common Core learning goals
Wednesday February 12, 2014, 9:43 PM
BY  LESLIE BRODY
STAFF WRITER
The Record

The state Board of Education voted on Wednesday to express its commitment to the Common Core, a set of guidelines for what children should learn that has sparked opposition from some parents.

The standards, adopted by New Jersey in 2010 and phased into classrooms more recently, face critics from various points of the political spectrum nationwide. Some argue that they represent federal overreach. Others say they overemphasize testing or will be too daunting for already struggling students.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/NJ_renews_support_for_Common_Core_learning_goals.html#sthash.FvuVBOCI.dpuf

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Cerf’s Out, Activists and Parents Look to Sink Common Core

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Cerf’s Out, Activists and Parents Look to Sink Common Core
NJTP

New Jersey Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf, who was a major proponent of Common Core curriculum is stepping down at the end of the month, according to a published report in the Bergen Record.

Carolee Adams, Eagle Forum President NJ, attributes the about-face to a concerted effort across the state to educate legislators, parents and NJ taxpayers on the perils of implementing the untested curriculum that violates traditional American values and privacy of students and their families with invasive data mining techniques.

Carolee and Tea Party activists across the state worked hard to turn back the progressive tide inherent in Common Core curriculum.

Thanks to those efforts, radical education activists lost their beach-head in NJ schools. No small accomplishment.

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High cost of Common Core has states rethinking the national education standards

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High cost of Common Core has states rethinking the national education standards

By Perry Chiaramonte

Published February 05, 2014
FoxNews.com

States are learning the cost of Common Core is uncommonly high.

The federally-backed standards initiative, first proposed by the nation’s governors and an educators’ association, seeks to impose a national standard for achievement among K-12 students. So far, 45 states plus the District of Columbia have signed on, with some implementing curriculum designed for the Common Core Standards Initiative during the current school year and the rest set to take part in the next school year. But several states are reconsidering their participation, and one big reason is the cost.

States will spend up to an estimated $10 billion up front, then as much as $800 million per year for the first seven years that the controversial program is up and running. Much of the cost is on new, Common Core-aligned textbooks and curriculum, but the added expenses also include teacher training, technology upgrades, testing and assessment. The figures are taking states by surprise

https://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/02/05/number-states-backing-out-common-core-testing-maryland-schools-low-on-funding/