More unrest around the nation about Common Core

Tennessee

The Tennessean Newspaper is running a 1-question poll online about the Common Core State Standards. Here is the question:

“Should Tennessee delay the implementation of Common Core standards and its companion test?”

As of Sunday afternoon, January 26, 2014, there were 7,426 votes. Here is the breakdown of the responses:

• Yes, Tennessee needs to look more into the effects of Common Core on our education system to ensure success. 64.41% (4,783 votes)

• No, Common Core needs no further studying nor tweaking. 34.14% (2,535 votes)

• I don't know. 0.97% (72 votes)• No opinion 0.48% (36 votes) So, it’s about two to one in favor of looking deeper into Common Core.

Of course, this isn’t a true, random-sample survey, but it is interesting.

New York

Over in New York, their Assembly Minority Caucus just published a report on Common Core, as well.

Some key points:

• Teachers have become mere “test-preppers,” bracing their students for an endless barrage of exams.

• Students are faltering under the stress of these tests and the negative culture they create.

• Individual Education Plans (IEP) for children with special needs are being ignored or disregarded due to ill-advised and unclear policies.

• Administrators are trying to adapt to the changes, but many districts have rigid financial constraints that prohibit them from developing Common Core-aligned curriculum locally or providing sufficient professional development.

An overall summation:

“The rollout of Common Core has been a failure and there is no consistency in curriculum from school district to school district. The Common Core Standards, as adopted by New York State, are heightening these pre-existing problems and creating new roadblocks for New York’s school districts.”

How does all of this jibe with a recent comment in Kentucky that the issue is “settled” here? Is it likely things are so much better in Kentucky than they are in Tennessee and New York?

Shouldn’t we at least have some hearings on the issues?

I’d like to hear from a cross-section of Kentucky teachers and parents who are not under threat for speaking honestly about their impressions of Common Core. I think our legislators deserve to hear that, too. If the people blocking such discussion in Frankfort are not interested, maybe it’s time for a sub-group of legislators to hold their own hearings outside of Frankfort, just like happened in New York.