How do you feel about Common Core education?

by nonjwspouse 107 Replies latest social current

• 

  Oubliette

  NJWS: Do you agree that it ishould be accomplished educators, not politicians or publishing companies to plan and design the standards?

  I would most certainly prefer that experienced educators rather than politicians "plan and devise" the standards by which our curriculum should be developed.

  In a "perfect world" (not the one in which we live) education would be completely free from the taint of any and all political and economic influences. And I clearly understand that publishing companies are profit-motivated businesses. But that doesn't necessarily mean that all books (or textbooks in this case) are "evil."

  From what I've seen, most textbooks are written/edited/revised by educators, usually by a team of them. For example, the US History textbook which I referenced in my above post, America - Pathways to the Present, was written by:

  Andrew Cayton, Miami University, University Distinguished Professor of History; Affiliate of the American Studies Program

  • PhD, 1981, Brown University
  • MA, 1977, Brown University
  • BA, 1976, University of Virginia

  Elisabeth Israels Perry, St. Louis University, Professor, Emeritus

  • Ph.D., University of California at Los Angeles, 1967
  • B.A., University of California at Los Angeles, 1960

  Linda Reed, Indiana University, Associate Professor of History

  • Ph.D. Indiana University, Bloomington - May 1986
  • M.A. University of Alabama, Birmingham - l978
  • B.S. Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, Normal - l977

  Allan M. Winkler, Miami University, Professor of History

  • Ph.D., Yale University, 1974
  • M.Phil., Yale University, 1972
  • M.A., Columbia University, 1967
  • B.A. (magna cum laude), Harvard University, 1966

  That seems like a pretty solid academic team to me: two men and two women (one of which is black) with over 170 years of post-graduate work under their belt, and all university professors. I would say their academic credentials are impeccable, as good as it gets!

  NJWS: I have an accredited MBA with a marketing concentration.

  You clearly are an educated individual. However, and at the risk of stating the obvious, your credentials are NOT in education. In fact, you are in/from the camp of one of the groups which you keep demonizing in your posts: the business sector.

  Perhaps it's your experience in the business world that makes you so suspect of their ulterior motives!
• 

  Berengaria

  Oh gracious. As it always is with these conversations, it's all over the map. Can't we take one point and come to a conclusion with supporting evidence, before we move on to the next one?

  The possesive noun worksheet is from a Pearson publication that has apparently been around since 2007. Who in their right mind is trying to purport that we have not ALWAYS had a jingoistic pro America and the Government attitutde in schooling? For pete's sake, we salute the flag every morning like good little soldiers. Half the stuff being gasped at is stuff that's been around for decades. Why is it all suddenly so scary?

  One more time. Each State and District will choose the curriculum and materials they will use. So if you find the Pearson publications, or the McGraw Hill textbooks offensive, don't use them. As for cost by the way, depending on the choice of direction, it may actually save millions in textbooks. Much of what is already available with be CCS compatible. School Districts continually buy textbooks. Again, nothing new.
• 

  Comatose

  Just signed paperwork agreeing I know my kids are in a school that does CCS. I'm happy about it. both the kids have great teachers.
• 

  BizzyBee

  You clearly are an educated individual.

  Perhaps, and I say this with a great deal of objectivity. I had always held those with MBA's in awe - until I worked with one - and she was one of the most ignorant people with whom I've ever had to work. Whenever I needed (the most basic) info from her, in order to do my job, she would say, "I'm confused." And she was. I had to spell it out like I was talking to a child.

  To be sure, an "accredited MBA" means you've never had to set foot in a classroom - it's on-line.
• 

  nonjwspouse

  BB the insult is again more proof you are arguing on shaky ground. Your insult is way off base.

  I do not take information force fed to me by an agency or anyone else. I research, and look into accusations of concern. I am doing so, are you? Or do you care? I happen to have a dog in the fight so I am highly concerned.

  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/01/29/a-tough-critique-of-common-core-on-early-childhood-education/

  Pretty sure that these folks aren't the "ignorant, right-wing paranoid fringe," unless that's how you categorize Early Childhood experts overall.

  No early childhood experts were consulted in the development of the K-3 criteria. Again, do parents trust poiliticians and a publishing company to create this critera? I for one do not think so. I have seen some of the upset confusion in the teachers first hand. Some thought it was going to be great, then they see first hand the reality, and are not pleased with it.

  Coma, I hope you have done enough research that you are fully familiar on the criteria, the funding, the requirements from the states, the regulators, and the originators.

  Obilette, yes, my marketing business background leads me to look beyond the slick marketing of anything, business or otherwise. I understand the ease of getting people to believe, or want what they don't understand. It is ironic that the WT seems to have excellent marketing techniques as well. Solid branding, keywording, etc...

  The de-emphasis on fiction literature, the classics that promote critical thinking, plus teach writing style and form, this in one area which is being critisized highly. It is a topic of the member of the member of the CCSS validation committee Sandra Stotsky that saw the issues of this and spoke out at a hearing about the inadequate criteria of the ELA. ( provided in an above link) By the way I saw in one of my above posts the repeated paragraphs and links. Sorry about that. I'm not sure how that got repeated so many times.
• 

  nonjwspouse

  You can read more about the data collection portion of Common Core here.

  http://www.civicenterprises.net/MediaLibrary/Docs/education_as_a%20data-driven_enterprise.pdf

  here is the Executive Summary verbatim:
  "Education is on the road to a transformation into a data-driven enterprise. With better information shared with the appropriate stakeholders, individuals at all levels -- teachers and parents, principals and superintendents, business and nonprofit leaders, and policymakers and practitioners -- can accelerate their efforts to boost student achievement and to put in place the reforms, policies, and practices that strengthen education for all children. Although the U.S. education system increasingly produces and collects more data, that information often is not shared, or comes too late to prompt appropriate interventions and supports. Moreover, educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders such as parents, students, and community partners, lack the training and capacity to use that information to inform their decisionmaking.
  
  Three developments in education data are positive signs that the education sector is in the midst of this transformation into a data-driven enterprise: longitudinal data that connects information about students from the time they start school until they enter their careers; early-warning data that predicts dropping out, such as poor attendance, bad behavior, and course failure, and prompt the appropriate supports; and college- and career-readiness indicators that demonstrate whether students are well prepared to advance their postsecondary education and successfully enter the workplace.
  The next frontier is to ensure educators, policymakers, and external stakeholders are maximizing these new tools to improve decisionmaking and student achievement, and there is still much work to be done. First, data must be linked across states, districts, and multiple agencies, and among educational institutions and employers. Second, stakeholders must have access to relevant, timely, appropriate data, consistent with student privacy. Third, the capacity of all stakeholders must be built so they can use longitudinal data to improve decisionmaking and student achievement.
  
  Leaders in business, philanthropy, and education must continue to play a key role in ensuring the success of the remainder of this transition and ensure that technology and data are used efficiently and effectively. These leaders can support the transition from snapshot data to longitudinal data, early-warning systems, and college- and career-ready indicators; support continued efforts to link data across systems; and help build capacity for data use while protecting privacy. With advances in research, technology, and assessments, and with a focused effort, the U.S. education system can lead the world in becoming a data-driven enterprise."

  TN Race to the Top ( precurser to the CCSS) application:

  pages 63 & 64 and page 66

  http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/phase1-applications/tennessee.pdf

  In 2011, the US Department of Education, without Congressional authorization, changed the regulations governing the release of student data to the private sector. Changes were made to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) http://epic.org/apa/ferpa/default.html which allows the release of student records for non-academic purposes and undercuts your parental consent. Why did the USDOE weaken the FERPA law to allow entrepreneurs in the private sector to legally get our children's data?

  The tripod survey has children answering many private information questions. This is calaimed to be an assesment of teachers. Really?

  Element 2 of the Race to the Top Application where the state's goal is to use recent student data and past TVASS scores to create a 20 year retrospective on student demographics: "Merging historic value-added assessment data with more recent Tennessee Department of Education data will yield 20 years of retrospective data on student demographics." --See Page 64

  How do you feel about a "data card" following your child for 20 years? Do you trust the government that much not to misuse any of this information? It concerns me very much.
• 

  nonjwspouse

  Sorry the data collection link above was from the ATT research paperwhich the Data Quality Campaign ( google it) was a part of. I meant to write that in.
• 

  Berengaria

  You talk about insults, but continually disregard pertinent questions, requests for links to support your claims, excellent information by teachers and others who are actually IN the schools, all the while saying things like this

  I do not take information force fed to me by an agency or anyone else. I research, and look into accusations of concern. I am doing so, are you? Or do you care?

  Implying that others do not research, simply because they do not come to the conclusion you do. Not only are you being insulting, you are clinging to conspiracy theories in the face of facts. Ask these questions of yourself.

  I haven't delved vert deep in to your data hysteria, but what's wrong with data? How do you think we keep statistics on anything? How do we determine what works and what should be scrapped?
• 

  BizzyBee

  Throughout this thread, NJWS, your posts have typically been along these lines:

  As I said once before it is an intiativ to take the school controlsaway from the states, and centeraliz it in the federal governemt. Does this not scare you? Who else in history have wanted to centeralize education in order to help control the public?

  Your writing is nearly indecipherable. You have used the word "slick" six times in describing Common Core presentations, which indicates a lack of original thinking and a parroting of RW talking points. These are not the expressions of someone with a higher education. And I do not buy the "worn-off letters on your computer" excuse. Horsefeathers. This is beyond the occasional typo.
• 

  Oubliette

  I just saw this article on the subject of data-mining. The collection, sorting and analyzing of the vast amounts of data collected is apparently the #1 hot new industry. Note that this is a ubiquitous aspect of life in the 21st Century and is completely independent of things like the Common Core.

  Every time we swipe our credit/debit card at the grocery market, every phone call we make, text message we send, every website we browse: someone is collecting that data.

  Welcome to the Brave New World!

  Field #1: Big Data

  

  Big Data is the term used to describe the enormous amount of data that companies are accumulating thanks to advanced computer technology, says Challenger. They've been collecting information on customer and population habits, trends, preferences, and other key subjects for a decade or more, he says.

  Now it's time to cash in, but that takes experts such as database administrators. These techies manage companies' databases, ensuring data is organized and ready to use, says the U.S. Department of Labor. They might do things like merge old databases into new ones, create custom databases to meet company needs, and test modifications, says the Department.

  Projected Growth 2010 to 2020:* 31 percent

  Median Annual Salary:** $77,080. The top 10 percent of database administrators makes $118,720, while the lowest 10 percent makes $42,930.

  Education Requirements: Most database administrators have a bachelor's degree in management information systems or a computer-related field, says the Department of Labor.

  "The vast amount of big data has to be organized, sorted, and managed. That's where the skills of a database administrator come in, and they are and will be in high demand," says Challenger.

  ----------

  * Projected job growth rates from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 edition.

  ** All salary information from the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Employment and Wages data, May 2012.