Common Core Mess: Standards Are Badly Flawed

I’d read about the flaws in Common Core Standards, but our Civitas Common Core Forum yesterday really opened my eyes. Much of what we have been told about them is misleading or myth; much of what we haven’t been told is alarming.

Common Core is a set of educational standards that is already being put in place in North Carolina and the rest of the nation. Now, standards aren’t a bad idea — but Common Core puts forward lousy standards.

Common Core was rushed through in a stealthy manner, to avoid attention from parents and legislators alike (more on that later), and perhaps as a result, they are badly flawed. For instance, Williamson Evers of the Hoover Institution said that some Common Core materials are flawed, or just flat wrong. And, he added, whole areas of important math concepts are just missing.

Another key flaw is Common Core’s downgrading of teaching literature, according to Sandra Stotsky, professor of education emerita at the University of Arkansas. First, literature is a key part of our civilization. More important, reading literature is crucial for critical thinking, she said. “Children learn to think critically when they learn to ‘read between the lines'” in literature classes.

Though there as been much propaganda about how wonderful the standards are, “Common Core Standards are not rigorous,” she said. “They are not internationally benchmarked.” To sum up: Common Core is “a huge mess created by a few people behind the scenes,” she said.

Next: Government Power Grab