Ithaca Journal covers the CCLS

The Ithaca Journal (Nov. 9-10) front page featured an article covering issues with the common core standards. 

I was excited to see some coverage of the Common Core Learning Standards in The Journal. Newsprint has covered some reform public outrage, but little of the nuts and bolts. It seemed an overly generous treatment, though, because while the concept of common standards is acceptable on its surface, the sources and methods in the creation are more the concern than ineptitude in the implementation.

The standards were developed using a somewhat amorphous "college ready" question mark, then skills back-filled into the grades below. The supposed demands of "college and career ready" avoid the current realities of crushing college debt and how little our economy offers lately in terms of careers. Also, little input seemed to come from research on how learning foundations are built developmentally-it was more like a goal oriented workout schedule that now has primary age children being cored on abstract skills that brain research shows they are not prepared for. 

While a set of common core standards is reasonable and even wise considering the instability and transiency in a growing number of households, caused by failed supply side economics, a better set of standards would empower students to lead to more equitable outcomes, not submit to the demands of inequity.