In the past few years, you’ve probably seen some sort of documentation of how terrible American public schools are. From the documentary “Waiting for Superman” to the frequent 60 Minutes coverage, it’s easy to get the idea that American students aren’t learning anything and are all about to drop out.
I have a problem with this picture, though. I went to an American public school, and while my judgmental self could certainly see room for improvement, I think I was prepared to go to college, and with a graduating class of more than 2500, I don’t think too many people dropped out.
In this dichotomy between the picture of an American education and the actual education given to many students lies the problem with our education system. Yes, in certain areas in the U.S., public schools aren’t doing so well — I’m looking at you, Chicago — but a large number of schools are turning out graduates that are ready to either go to college or join the workforce. One possible solution to the disparity between states in American public schools is to create a national curriculum.
Now, before people start accusing me of being communist, let me get some statistics out there. According to the Center for Public Education, before California instated the Common Core Educational Standards this fall, the furthest students had to progress in math in order to graduate was Algebra 1. With success in college being strongly correlated to taking Algebra 2, California’s graduation requirements were certainly lacking. Compare that to the four years of math required to graduate under Texas’ recommended graduation plan, with Algebra 2 being one of the required courses.
Furthermore, according to the Center on International Education Benchmarking, every single one of the countries with the highest-performing education systems have a national curriculum. While correlation doesn’t imply causation, maybe copying a few of the strategies used by high-performing education systems is not such a bad idea.
There are steps being taken to move toward the educational systems exemplified by top education countries like the Netherlands and South Korea. This fall, 45 states instated the Common Core, which is a set of standards that students must meet before moving on to the next grade. To all those who demean the Common Core for being “Big Government”, keep in mind that the Core is a state-led effort and was devised by the Board of Governors.
Texas is one of the states that didn’t adopt the Common Core, and it isn’t very likely that it will. Barbara Cargill, chairwoman of Texas’ State Board of Education, says there is a “0 percent chance” that Texas will adopt the Common Core.
Yes, the Common Core has problems, but the longer it’s used, the more it will adapt to fit the needs of American public schools. By choosing not to implement the Common Core, Texas alienates itself from the rest of America. This kind of behavior does nothing to improve the state of public education in America.
In order to become one of the world’s top education systems, the U.S. must emulate the world’s top education systems. The states must be united in the effort to improve America’s schools. Until all of the states are committed to working together to improve education in America on a public level, the U.S. will continue to lag behind the education systems of other industrialized countries.
Opinion columnist Emily Johnson is an English literature freshman and may be reached at [email protected]
What you failed to mention though is Netherlands or South Korea, both are small nations. With cultures, climates, and other factors the same. You are talking about South Korea, smaller than Oklahoma, or Netherlands, smaller than Mississippi. The question needs to be asked, is education in Texas needing to be the same as California, New York, Rhode Island and South Dakota? Culture, climate, and other factors need to be factored into education, which the national government cannot do.
“California’s Common Core”?! Please research the history, content and problems with Common Core.
California had its OWN standards, curriculum and highly rigorous state tests for 13+ years BEFORE Common Core. This is what helped us improve schools and college-readiness, in spite of having, as Texas does, a high immigration rate and English language learners. Our previous state standards in California were rated as one of the best and they required Algebra I in 8th grade. Common Core dumbs that down to 9th grade. For my son in 5th grade in California, he will be covering nearly all the same math topics that he covered under prior state standards AGAIN, now in 6th grade under Common Core. My son is a straight A student, but Common Core is effectively failing him and making him repeat 5th grade math all over again in 6th grade. Is that a higher standard??
Dr. James Milgram, a Stanford math PhD and the ONLY person on Common Core’s validation committee with an advanced math degree thought Common Core’s math standards were so bad he could not endorse them. In fact, he testified in Texas about this:
http://parentsacrossamerica.org/james-milgram-on-the-new-core-curriculum-standards-in-math/
Here’s what he said about the new Texas standards:
“I think it is safe to say that the new Texas Math Standards that are
finally approved by the Texas Board of Education will be among the best,
if not the best, in the country”
Please also research the MANY other problems with Common Core, including who funded its creation (Bill Gates, seemingly buying-off education groups), how/who wrote it (secretive process involving Washington lobby groups), how it got adopted (in Summer of 2010 when states were in recess and had major budget shortfalls) what the incentives were to states for adopting it (massive federal funds), whether it is a step forwards or backwards for places like Massachusetts and California who already had better standards, what “longitudinal data” is being collected by the states (to be connected together to collect data on our kids), etc, etc.
Please do the research, this is, in my opinion, is a national tragedy and we must reverse course. Texas was smart and should be proud to have rejected it… it is very likely that many other states will end up in the same place (we should only hope).
Not only are you forgetting ALL of the above mentioned problems with CC but also the fact it teaches many items that are not required to get and keep a job. i.e. how to say you are sexually confused so you can use the opposite gender bathroom or teaching a 5 year old sex.
Just simply dumb. Put some real thought into your statements before posting ONE “simple minded” one.
Besides your misrepresentation of Common Core being a national standard, not the California State Standards, you fail to mention the most disturbing element of Common Core – the collecting of data on students and families. There are huge warehouses in Utah that have already been built solely for the purpose of storing this data. Big Brother here we are.
Common Core is not unique to California, Emily. One of the things you’ll learn to do as an op-ed writer is more thorough research.
Common Core is a one-size-fits-all, lowest-common denominator national curriculum. It is so academically weak that many of the states which originally adopted it — before it was even finished — are now trying to get out of it. Example: 3×4=11 is considered a “correct” answer, if the student follows the correct protocols to deduce that answer.
That academic weakness masks Common Core’s real purpose: political indoctrination. The curriculum was developed by some of the most radical education minds in the business and modeled on the old Soviet “Polytechnic” system, designed to create a two-class system (workers and academic/political elite).
The system has won the backing of key international business people, such as Bill Gates, thanks in part to its data-collection system. Children have every aspects of their lives monitored and analyzed — and there is every indication that data will be sold or furnished to the multi-national corporations.
Common Core is the culmination of a half-century of engineering public education to produce “the international child of the future” (Chester Pierce, 1973) and “the kind of society WE (radical leftist academics) want” (Shirley McCune, MCREL). And like all the “new age” education programs which have preceded it — Mastery Learning, Outcomes-Based Education, New Standards, Standards, Whole Language, Fuzzy Math — it does NOT work.
–Dave Mundy, Daily Cougar staff 1977-78
General Manager and Editor, The Gonzales (TX) Cannon newspaper
State Board of Education District 3 candidate
As am op-ed journalist, she’ll do exactly what she did here – present a biased, poorly thought out piece of propaganda and at most schools of “higher education” in this nation that’ll result in top grades.
WOAH! I just finished high school and am now finishing my first year in college(I am from Texas by the way). I agree that the education system has some problems, but i don’t think standardizing would be a bad thing. The real issue is we need an education system that is not dumped down. If it is standardized or not, well that is not relevant. HOWEVER we also don’t need a curriculum that forces calculus down the throats of fourth graders. I made great grades in school and I will be the first to say it is easy. I have however had friends that are a year behind me tell me that they are taking the same classes as me, and are very stressed. I have no degree yet and other than my High School degree, so I am no expert. I just think the common core is not the right answer, but something similar may work. All I know is your post seemed very “radical”?
Education cannot be quantified or standardized. The Common Core is an embarrassment to education. Each state should be allowed to adopt their own curriculum. In fact, each school should be allowed to adopt their own curriculum. Try it all. See what works. Don’t hold everyone to the same embarrassingly low standard.
Oh honey, you don’t seriously support this silly thing? Anything the federal government touches turns to crap. When was the last time you heard someone say… “Social Security is going great!” or “The Federal Reserve is in awesome shape!” or “standardizing our Education really seemed to help” First they socialize healthcare, now they socialize education, with no vote from the American people. So if they tell you to go jump off a bridge, I suppose you’d just be okay with that too?
Even if they did offer a vote how many people would actually vote? The voter turnouts for general elections, let alone primary or off-year numbers, are pretty depressing. Last election, barely 20% of Houstonians voted for the mayoral race and a few bond issues. Start at the lower level, then you can have better control/choice over what happens later.
Yoyo, you’re right– not enough people vote, that’s another issue entirely. Hopefully, if they’re voting that means they cared enough to study facts and let their best judgment carry their decision. That’s how it’s supposed to work, right?
I believe one key point you failed to consider in comparing the American education system to the “highest performing education systems” is that many of them teach to a selective part of their population. American education attempts to teach EVERYONE. If teachers only had to teach to their top 15 out the their 25-30 students American education scores would look very good, too.
People hate on Texas all the time but I couldn’t be more proud to be born in and living passionately in this great state. I’m glad we opted out of some touchy feely California dumbed down system.
You left out the big book companies making money off of this, that is important.
And she is rather to quick to request we NOT label her as a communist. Hmmmm…. She is either ignorant as hell, or a communist. I wonder what kind of health care insurance she has. And, by the way, it really is Commie Core.
I agree! Most Americans who are sympathetic to or even dogmatic about ideas that are communist are also ignorant of what communism is. I distinctly remember President Obama being asked if he is a socialist. He paused for a moment before he answered, “No.” People are either lying or ignorant. Progressives are mostly ignorant of what they are in favor of progressing toward.
Commom core suggests to students that the death of a loving husband equates to freedom for the wife and that she should celebrate instead of mourn the death of her husband. According to commom core, this is very common in our society today! This is the horse crap that these liberal commies want to indoctrinate our kids with. Read it for yourself.
The rest of America will lag behind Texas (and the 4 other states that refuse to adapt this trash).
http://blog.heritage.org/2014/01/17/arkansas-mom-poses-problem-common-core/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social
I love this – http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/1922508_10152143072400914_313210801_n.png
^^^lol…Not a fan of Common Core, but the above is nothing more than a number line, used for years and years in education. It is a visual learning method needed by some students.
The only positive result of common core is it teaches kids to pass the ridiculous common core tests….