9/27/17 - On Common Core

Today, the public’s opinion of public education is some of the lower in our history. Education may go through waves of reform and resistance to reforms, but the public usually doesn’t hold public education in such low regard. These opinions are often expressed as resistance to Common Core, one of the newer waves of reform which is currently the government’s main policy for schools. This is especially frustrating once one realizes just what Common Core’s purpose is. Common Core is a series of general standards students need to be able to complete once they exit a certain grade level, not a dictation of curriculum. It merely tries to direct curriculum toward what it should look like, not predetermine exactly what the curriculum is going to be. It’s more of a compass giving direction than government-micromanaged curriculum.

So then, if Common Core is not the impetus behind the public’s frustrations, why does it receive so much flak? The simple answer is that it’s a government policy people can remember the name of. To discuss the internal politics of an individual school or school district wouldn’t do much to assuage Little Jimmy’s parents about why their child is having trouble at school. Schools don’t want to accept blame, whether it is the teachers or the administration, so Common Core/the federal government acts as an easy scapegoat. “ ‘Why can’t our children get good funding?’ ‘It’s because of Common Core.’ ‘Who is responsible for these inept policies?’ ‘It’s because of Common Core.’ ” It all about saving face. If the government is at fault, then schools/districts can push the blame onto someone else, giving the public a reason to despise Common Core without truly understanding it.

Furthermore, we never hear about when schools are doing okay, average, or slightly above average. No, we only hear of those that are struggling, failing miserably, or one that embodies an underdog-to-modern-success story. If a school does well, then it’s because of dedicated teachers and administrators. If a school struggles, then it’s because of the big, bad, government. We will never hear when Common Core works, only when it doesn’t.