"It Continues!"

The now not so uncommon adage that “anything can and will be made political” rings loud and clear – again in public education.  The controversy over Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is a prime example.  It continues to amaze me how such a very simple concept accompanied by an incredible amount of thoughtful organizational, theoretical, and practical construction of content, skill, knowledge, and application culminating in a minimum, common standard for learners across the nation would be categorized as “Satan in carnate”.

We only need to look at the inconsistency of state accountability models and assessments to see why “common standards” are absolutely necessary if the goal is to raise the quality, import, and utility of education for all students irrespective of their geographical location.  A big “if” to be sure!

Common Core was not and is not a manifestation of the current administration in Washington.  It has little to do with the US Department of Education as well. 

My angst over the debate is the level of ignorance associated with demonizing the “core”.  Whether or not a state adopts or succumbs to political pressure to abandon their previous commitment to adopt or not is and should be a state decision.  Yet, make it an informed discussion and debate not a “conspiracy” or federal government overreach – we lived the unprecedented federal intrusion in 2002 with the renewal of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (aka No Child Left Behind).

Sadly, public education is once again a political Ping-Pong ball.  I just don’t get it!  Why we as a nation allow political leaders, pundits and wonks to use children, their future – our future to leverage self-serving agendas that have little to do with moving forward and almost everything to do with going backwards is very discouraging and disappointing.  Yet, we have let this happen.

It did take the ESEA reauthorization in 2002 to make legal what should have always been the ethical and morally good, right, and true aim or purpose for public education.  History will show that NCLB shed a glaring light on the inequities of access, opportunity and achievement of sub populations of students in our nation’s schools.  Further, NCLB literally forced schools and school systems to address the “normalized acceptance” of chronically underperforming and underachieving students. 

Common Core in my estimation is about the evidence of student learning – the application of skills and knowledge – the evidence of learning not being condensed to a multiple choice test.  Rather, application, analysis, synthesis, and creation of new knowledge – the authentic use of skills and knowledge to solve problems and create solutions that are meaningful not perfunctory.

Core is also about unprecedented collaboration of, for, and by educators.  The design of Core was and remains heavily dependent upon educators engaging in ongoing dialogue, conversation, planning, reflection, monitoring, and examination of effective practice and yes, actual cause and effect of teaching and learning.  However, this is a daunting challenge given the illegitimate definition and practice of narrowly defined accountability measures – aka test scores.

I am sorry – test scores are not the “golden ring”.  Rather, learning is and this is as it should be!

Two steps absolutely necessary for implementation fidelity that to date prevent Common Core or new standards to make inroads to “different”.  They are:

1) Granting Permission and

2) Creating New Policy

Permission to change, innovate, and create has not been authentically given to our educators.  I attribute the lack of permission to the absence of policy change at all levels of governance.  Until policy reflects all manner of permission to do different including suspending or changing instructional time constraints (daily as well as calendar year configurations), age based groupings and grade configurations, seat time and Carnegie Unit formulas, as well as required subject or content matter on all sorts of special interest topics added to public schools over the past 100+ years, and the redefinition of accountability to name several, there is really little hope that the intent and best hopes of Common Core will be realized irrespective of good intentions.

Thus, controversy will continue! 

Further polarization and discourse will be ideology driven. 

The victims?

Our students, our learners, and our future!