Governor Andrew Cuomo has committed to forming a task force to re-evaluate the controversial Common Core curriculum. But did he have a choice?
The Common Core was a thorny subject even before it rolled out in 2013 — which was a colossal mess by almost any standard. Opposition to the core has grown steadily since.Â
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Opponents of Common Core argue that testing has become excessive and its importance is greatly exaggerated. Teachers say that the tests don’t provide information that is relevant to instruction.
Many parents are critical, too, saying that testing anxiety is making their children dislike school, which defeats the purpose of the new standards.
And there has been strong criticism concerning how the curriculum was developed, as well as a general lack of transparency about questions and scoring.
For a long time, Cuomo and his allies argued that teachers unions are behind the Common Core controversy because they oppose accountability. Maybe Cuomo assumed that he could direct the public’s frustration to teachers who are vehemently opposed to the use of the test scores in their professional evaluations.
That strategy failed miserably because as anyone who attended even a few of the many public meetings on Common Core could see, the anger is universal. Many parents, educators, and community leaders voiced their concerns to elected state officials.
Cuomo’s feud with the teachers unions helped fuel the growing opt-out movement. Roughly 20 percent of students statewide did not take the state tests in April 2015 – and more than twice that in the Rochester school district — which greatly undermines the credibility of teacher evaluations.
But there are many supporters of Common Core or at least of its intent: raising education standards in New York. Joe Klein, a strong local advocate of charter schools, says that frequent testing is critically important, particularly when it comes to teaching urban students, who often lag in reading and math proficiency. Helping them gain those skills requires real-time understanding of what they’ve learned, he says, and where exactly they need extra support.
Cuomo’s 15-member task force, which will include educators, is supposed to provide the governor with recommendations sometime before the end of the year. It’s a reassessment that’s long overdue.Â
This article appears in Sep 23-29, 2015.
“Joe Klein, a strong local advocate of charter schools, says that frequent testing is critically important, particularly when it comes to teaching urban students, who often lag in reading and math proficiency. Helping them gain those skills requires real-time understanding of what they’ve learned, he says, and where exactly they need extra support.”
How clueless can one be? We all know many urban students lag in reading and math proficiency and where they need support, so testing must be for the benefit of the Joe Kleins, who do not have a handle on the urban educational environment.
Oh, wait, we need documentation, through testing, that urban students are not successful in public education, so let’s all support private corporations that claim to provide a better “choice” for urban parents and students.
Charlatans and Snake Oil come to mind; but like all of them, they will eventually be run out of town when the people get wise to their game.
You want to know what CC is all about – pitch full support for the program, but transfer all the collateral activities to a public sector entity. Composition of the tests, physical printing, transportation, grading etc, all done with no profit incentive. The same folks stumping hard for it now would declare it a complete disaster, an unlawful end run around local school districts!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dCKKDhHBk…
BLACK COMMUNITY ALERT: Enough Is Enough!!!
WHAT A Lying Hypocrite (that’s right, I called the Governor a liar, and a hypocrite), and I can prove it.
First, someone ought to ask him about those “three great girls” of his, (with Cuomo-and-Kennedy-ruling-class-blood running through their veins), and whom he featured in his YouTube “polit-co-mercial.” Where did they go to school?
When this ruling class liar talks about “taking action now to fix our schools” — he’s NOT really talking about overwhelmingly, predominantly, lily-white, middle and upper class suburban schools, and districts, which are generally doing well academically, and otherwise, and (other than the fact that last school year, parents refused to allow thousands upon thousands of their little darlings to take the Common Core Exams), don’t really require any “fixing.” So, the only thing that needs “fixing” (as far as they are concerned) are the exams, and the specific manners in which they are used. We can be absolutely certain that’s about all that will get “fixed” via the work of the “new” Task Force.
Hopefully, the BLACK COMMUNITY understands that it’s OUR SCHOOLS (overwhelmingly, predominantly black, and brown, urban schools) that really need to be fixed, but the “fixing” goes way beyond so-called standards, and quality, and quantity of teacher-evaluation-based, standardized tests. If the latter referenced problem gets fixed for suburbanites, then it also automatically gets fixed for urban schools, but WHAT ABOUT THE DEEPER, MUCH MORE SERIOUS, AND MUCH OLDER, SYSTEMIC, ISSUES, AND PROBLEMS — such as thoroughly Eurocentric curricula, which by the way, Cuomo and company haven’t mentioned at all (though the so-called Task Force is supposedly dealing with curricula issues); the overwhelmingly white, middle class (often culturally disconnected — vis-a-vis the vast majority of students) teacher corp, and lack of aggressive, so-called “diversity,” i.e., people of color-recruitment-efforts; rampant, racist attitudes, and belief systems on the part of many teachers, administrators, and support staff, and union-led, resistance to anti-racist education and professional development; disciplinary policies, procedures, rules, regulations, and practices, which in many cases, are directly connected to the school-to-prison-pipeline, etc…, etc… ? Where is the task force that’s going to address these, and other critically important issues?
The hypocritical Governor claims his Task Force “will represent every corner of the State of New York” — REALLY? So, who on the Task Force represents the students and parents at the “corner” of Genesee and Flint Streets; Plymouth and Columbia Avenues; Portland Avenue and Central Park; Joseph and Clifford Avenues, and other such corners in countless, core, urban areas across the State — Carrie Remis? Right.
Smooth-talking “Andy” claims “the basic truth here is that this is not about politics, not about the bureaucracy, and it’s not about politicians and union officials.” HE IS A LIAR. That’s precisely what this is about. That’s right, I called the Governor a liar (again), and will tell him so — to his hypocritical face. He claims “this is about the children.” It is about “the children.” It’s just NOT about ALL OF THE CHILDREN, and I’m certain that, if we are astute and honest, we know which ones it’s about, and which ones it’s NOT about (based simply on long-standing, clear, historical patterns, if nothing else). Let’s stop pretending, and acting like we don’t know that some children are much more valued (by the powers that be) than others — we do know. And we know damn well it’s based largely on “politics, bureaucracy, politicians, and union officials” (precisely what the lying Governor claims is not true).
BLACK COMMUNITY — how long will we continue to allow slick, lying politicians, and others to hoodwink and bamboozle us by artificially fusing and conflating issues that affect and impact US (mainly poor people of color, almost exclusively) — with those that impact overwhelmingly, predominantly lily-white, middle, and upper class, suburban schools and districts, especially since their issues ALWAYS get solved, and OURS NEVER DO? Exactly how much snake-oil, so-called “reform” are we going to allow people to sell us? It’s been decades, and clearly the issues have deepened and worsened (with no realistic end or substantial improvement in sight).
The efforts of Cuomo’s “new” so-called Task Force are NOT designed to help US in any substantial or fundamental manner. Don’t take my word for it. Just listen to his “polit-co-mercial.” He states that the “agenda of the Task Force is straight-forward, and clear,” and indeed it is: “To overhaul the Common Core system.” How in the heck does that equate to “FIXING OUR SCHOOLS?” Surely, we are intelligent enough to understand that deep, deep-seated issues and problems (such as those referenced above) preceded the so-called “Common Core system” by DECADES. The URBAN EDUCATION CRISIS was full-blown, even under the old Non-Regents, and Regents Competency systems of the 1980’s and ’90’s, and earlier. It’s as if we don’t get it. The fact that massive numbers of our students went from 15 or 20%, and frequently lower percentages, meeting or exceeding standards (prior to Common Core) — to 5 or 10%, or less, meeting or exceeding them now — IS STILL A CRISIS — EITHER WAY. The idea that we would accept chronic gradualism, and minute, incremental, change and so-called “progress” at this late historical juncture, literally hinges on insanity.
It is vitally important for us to understand that the main purpose of Cuomo’s “new” Task Force is to respond to the demands of overwhelmingly, predominantly, white, middle, and upper class suburban, and urban parents who, with lots of help and support from educators’ unions, and especially teachers’ unions, established the well organized, and well financed, so-called “opt-out movement” — period. THIS WILL DO LITTLE TO ADDRESS THE OLD, OLD, DEEP-SEATED, URBAN EDUCATION CRISIS.
The conversation about testing, and common core, and standards is NOT designed to examine the deeper issues, which will NEVER get addressed until, and unless those who are suffering the most get organized, and bring forth a deadly-serious, concerted demand for widespread, fundamental, change, and improvement, which cannot, will not, be defined by Andrew Cuomo, or any other slick-talking, grinning, politician. WE MUST DO IT. NO ONE IS GOING TO SAVE US, BUT US, and that’s the plain, clear, objective truth.
Howard J. Eagle
Parent-Activist, Educator
Facing Race, Embracing Equity (FR=EE)
Race And Education Action And Change
Work Group Member
(585) 752-1426
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