Few education topics are debated more heatedly these days than the Common Core State Standards (“CCSS”). Whether it has to do with CCSS's creation, passage into law, implementation or results, nowhere will you find a more wide-ranging array of alleged “truths” about a single subject.
Bridgedale Academy uses a classical school curriculum, i.e. that of Hillsdale (MI) Academy, and so does not subscribe to Common Core, as most other schools in Illinois now do.
Because Common Core continues to be such a political hot potato, with the arguments for and against it so diametrically opposed, I decided to dig deeper.
Proponents make certain claims about the virtues of CCSS, while opponents argue these claims are more mythical than anything else, i.e. myths propagated and maintained by a well-financed propaganda machine.
After spending more time than I care to admit reading books and online articles about Common Core, I have come down solidly on the side of CCSS’s opponents.
In find myself in agreement with Joy Pullman, author of "The Education Invasion: How common core fights parents for control of American kids," when she refers to much of what is force-fed to kids in CCSS schools today as "mental junk food."
In other words, I find the main arguments in favor of CCSS to be deceptive ... to be myths.
Truth: The states had virtually nothing to do with the creation of the CCSS. Rather these standards were drawn up, in private, by non-governmental entities (primarily through the financial support of The Gates Foundation).
Ever heard of the Council of Chief State School Officers? What about Achieve, Inc.? These two private organizations, funded in part by your tax dollars, are apparently responsible for creating Common Core. I say "apparently" because the entire process is shrouded in mystery, and no one seems willing to claim "credit" for it.
It is clear that at some point these efforts were "guided" by the National Governors Association (also funded in large part by your tax dollars), and perhaps this explains the "state-led" argument. But it is a false argument.
When states purport to act in the public interest, they are constrained by the US Constitution as well as their own state's constitution, and also by their own laws, rules, policies and procedures. And in America, where we are granted by law and tradition the right to govern our own affairs, this means a state's citizens get to "have a say" concerning tax-funded state actions that have such a profound impact on their and on their children's lives.
In a nutshell this means something along the lines of "notice and a right to be heard." But Common Core was created, adopted and implemented entirely without public hearings or public debate. No pre-enactment public feedback was requested or allowed. Teachers, parents and school districts had zero input.
Considering the truly profound impact the public education system has on our children today, and including the fact that our public education system is a $620 billion per year industry, mostly financed by taxes, this is astonishing.
Truth: All three of the federal statutes upon which CCSS relies for its “legality” expressly forbid the federal government from creating either school curricula or instructional practice guides. Even the US Department of Education’s own lawyers have acknowledged that because CCSS does involve the creation of both school curricula and instructional practice guides, it likely violates these laws (laws that themselves arguably go beyond the scope of the powers delegated to the federal government by the US Constitution).
The math component was rejected by the only academic mathematician to sit on the validation committee. And he refused to sign off on the standards, claiming that by the 7th grade American students will be “two years behind our international competitors.” And today, some eight years after its implementation, American students continue to lag behind.
This is the reality because all funding of education by the federal government is tied to conditions and requirements, especially with regard to administering “state tests,” which de facto means: follow CCSS or no money. And these CCSS tests are specifically designed to “drive” curricular choice. What is the choice if all roads lead back to CCSS?
Truth: Prior to passing the legislation to “enact” CCSS, no cost estimate was ever conducted (by Congress or anyone else) with respect to it. The first such “cost estimate” was conducted in 2012 by a private entity (Pioneer Institute), was based on the empirical evidence, and was intended only to cover “basic implementation” by states of CCSS. And this study found a minimum of $15.8 Billion in unfunded mandates, for which states and localities will obviously be on the hook.
Don’t take my word on any of this. Do your own research.
But while doing your research, please make sure you go beyond a simple online google search. Because the forces aligned in support of the CCSS are extremely well-funded (again think Gates Foundation), and therefore positive portrayals of CCSS dominate a basic online search.
And so, before you even do that google search, and so that you may investigate with a critical eye, I recommend you first check out the following resources:
Pioneer Institute Video “Setting the Record Straight on Common Core: Part 2”
“The Story Killers: A Common Sense case against Common Core” by Dr. Terrence Moore
Common Core: Mental Junk Food - Part 2
Common Core: Mental Junk Food - Part 3
Bridgedale Academy is now accepting transfer students for the 2019-20 school year