Is it just me, or does the ASCD endorsement of the Common Core State Standards after promoting the Whole Child philosophy seem incongruous? Would someone care to explain it to me?The Common Core State Standards were written by Corporate America, including major educational publishing and testing companies . . . and with very little initial input from educators. It essentially commodifies students in the interest of financial gain.
Note that ASCD's "premier sponsor" for their Spring 2010 conference was none other than McGraw-Hill, which just happens to be one of prime movers in developing the CCSS . . . and has huge vested interests in the adoption.
What on earth is ASCD thinking? I, for one, am very disappointed that an organization that I had respected has gone down this road. Ditto for the NEA and AFT.
Again, would someone help me understand this seeming contradiction?
The Whole Child Blog
ASCD Works with CCSSO and NGA on Common Core State Standards Iniative
I tried to leave a comment on the ASCD blog, but I don't see any other comments and mine too has vanished.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, what I was saying there was this. If you are not familiar with the Bracey Report on Condition of Education in 2009, then you should check it out here. And if you are, you might wonder how the higher standards alone will improve educational opportunities for students who have nothing to eat (according to Feeding America, 1 in 6 Americans depend on this organization for food, and not just during the after Thanksgiving charity rush). Streamlined weighing will not affect a pig's weight. Maybe there is a different solution after all, maybe we are just not formulating the problem correctly. Maybe we are not seeing the problem at all, misplacing our efforts and funds?