More reasons not to like the common core

If you’re reading this you know the world didn’t end in 2012. But the world of American education may end in 2014, when the Common Core is scheduled to march into thousands of schools in the United States and end a “chaotic, fragmented, unequal, obsolete and failing” system that has accompanied the rise of a nation with the largest economy, most scientific discoveries and technological innovations, best universities and largest collection of Nobel laureates in the world today.   In place will be a new world of education where all American children are exposed to the same content, delivered by highly standardized teachers, watched over by their equally standardized principals and monitored by governments armed with sophisticated data tools.

That thoughtful paragraph is from Yong Zhao,  Associate Dean for Global Education at the University of Oregon. It’s from a January 8^th blog post where Zhoa asks five very important questions about Common Core standards.

Yes, I know  lately I’ve been camped on the problems with the Common Core Standards. But sadly, I believe most parents and teachers don’t know what’s coming down the pike.  It’s true North Carolina and 45 other states have adopted the standards. However it’s never too late to educate yourself and to try and stop the train.

What makes Zhaoa’s piece interesting is that he writes from an interesting perspective. He’s a self-proclaimed globalist.  The perceived need to make ourselves globally competitive has propelled the development of common core standards. However, Zhao’s not buying.  He believes the common core is based on fallacious assumptions and does little to meet our real challenges. It’s a different slant on an important topic. If you’re a parent or anyone interested in how our children are being taught, it’s worth a read.