COMMON CORE National Standards and
Tests: Empty Promises and Increased Federal Overreach Into Education
Tests: Empty Promises and Increased Federal Overreach Into Education
Americans who cherish
limited government must be constantly vigilant of pushes to centralize various aspects
of our lives. Government intervention is a zero-sum game; every act of
centralization comes at the expense of liberty and the civil society
institutions upon which this country was founded.
limited government must be constantly vigilant of pushes to centralize various aspects
of our lives. Government intervention is a zero-sum game; every act of
centralization comes at the expense of liberty and the civil society
institutions upon which this country was founded.
Education is no
exception. Growing federal intervention in education over the past half century
has come at the expense of state and local school autonomy, and has done little
to improve academic outcomes. Every new fad and program has brought not
academic excellence but bureaucratic red tape for teachers and school leaders,
while wresting away decision-making authority from parents.
exception. Growing federal intervention in education over the past half century
has come at the expense of state and local school autonomy, and has done little
to improve academic outcomes. Every new fad and program has brought not
academic excellence but bureaucratic red tape for teachers and school leaders,
while wresting away decision-making authority from parents.
Despite significant
growth in federal intervention, American students are hardly better off now
than they were in the 1970s. Graduation rates for disadvantaged students,
reading performance, and international competitiveness have remained relatively
flat, despite a near tripling of real per-pupil federal expenditures and more
than 100 federal education programs. Achievement gaps between children from
low-income families and their more affluent peers, and between white and
minority children, remain stubbornly persistent. While many of these problems
stem from a lack of educational choice and a monopolistic public education
system, the growth in federal intervention, programs, and spending has only
exacerbated them.
growth in federal intervention, American students are hardly better off now
than they were in the 1970s. Graduation rates for disadvantaged students,
reading performance, and international competitiveness have remained relatively
flat, despite a near tripling of real per-pupil federal expenditures and more
than 100 federal education programs. Achievement gaps between children from
low-income families and their more affluent peers, and between white and
minority children, remain stubbornly persistent. While many of these problems
stem from a lack of educational choice and a monopolistic public education
system, the growth in federal intervention, programs, and spending has only
exacerbated them.
Federal intervention in
education has been enormous under the Obama Administration, and has been
coupled with a gross disregard for the normal legislative process. And today,
Americans face the next massive effort to further centralize education: the
Common Core State Standards Initiative.
education has been enormous under the Obama Administration, and has been
coupled with a gross disregard for the normal legislative process. And today,
Americans face the next massive effort to further centralize education: the
Common Core State Standards Initiative.
The battle over national
standards and tests is ultimately a battle over who controls the content taught
in every local public school in America. Something as important as the
education of America’s children should not be subjected to centralization or
the whims of Washington bureaucrats. What is taught in America’s classrooms
should be informed by parents, by principals, by teachers, and by the business
community, which can provide input about the skills students need to be
competitive when they leave high school.
standards and tests is ultimately a battle over who controls the content taught
in every local public school in America. Something as important as the
education of America’s children should not be subjected to centralization or
the whims of Washington bureaucrats. What is taught in America’s classrooms
should be informed by parents, by principals, by teachers, and by the business
community, which can provide input about the skills students need to be
competitive when they leave high school.
Choice in education
through vouchers, education savings accounts, online learning, tuition tax
credit options, homeschooling—all of these options are changing how education
is delivered to students, matching options to student learning needs. It’s the
type of customization that has been absent from our education system. Choice
and customization are critical components necessary to improve education in
America. Imposing uniformity on the system through national standards and tests
and further centralizing decision-making will only perpetuate the status quo.
through vouchers, education savings accounts, online learning, tuition tax
credit options, homeschooling—all of these options are changing how education
is delivered to students, matching options to student learning needs. It’s the
type of customization that has been absent from our education system. Choice
and customization are critical components necessary to improve education in
America. Imposing uniformity on the system through national standards and tests
and further centralizing decision-making will only perpetuate the status quo.
The good news is,
citizens and leaders in a number of states are fighting to regain control over
standards and curriculum, defending against a nationalization of education.
Ultimately, we should work to ensure that decisions are made by those closest
to the student: teachers, principals, and parents.
citizens and leaders in a number of states are fighting to regain control over
standards and curriculum, defending against a nationalization of education.
Ultimately, we should work to ensure that decisions are made by those closest
to the student: teachers, principals, and parents.
Join the Fight Against Common Core
Common Core Is An Effort to Centralize Education by dictating the
standards and assessments that will determine the content taught in every
public school across the country.
standards and assessments that will determine the content taught in every
public school across the country.
Common Core Has No
Evidence that it will improve
academic outcomes or boost international competitiveness. But the Obama
Administration has pushed states to adopt national standards and assessments in
exchange for offers of billions of dollars in federal funding and waivers from
the onerous provisions of No Child Left Behind.
Evidence that it will improve
academic outcomes or boost international competitiveness. But the Obama
Administration has pushed states to adopt national standards and assessments in
exchange for offers of billions of dollars in federal funding and waivers from
the onerous provisions of No Child Left Behind.
2)
http://teaching.about.com/od/assess/f/What-Are-Some-Pros-And-Cons-Of-The-Common-Core-Standards.htm
http://teaching.about.com/od/assess/f/What-Are-Some-Pros-And-Cons-Of-The-Common-Core-Standards.htm
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION for
the ADVANCEMENT of WHITE PEOPLE 2014
the ADVANCEMENT of WHITE PEOPLE 2014
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