Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, called the new Common Core tests an ” absolute game-changer in public education.” The Washington Post looks beyond the rhetoric and finds that there is not much substance to the claim he makes. 1. Myth: Common Core tests will be much better than current exams, with many items measuring higher-order […]
In 2010, then gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder was embroiled in a kerfuffle over whether or not he outsourced jobs while at Gateway. In 2013, a bigger outsourcing problem is brewing– Governor Snyder is outsourcing education. Governor Snyder is convinced that in order to plug the “brain drain” and stay competitive we must outsource education to […]
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The Dehumanizing Effect of Common Core
During the final House hearing, lawmakers heard testimony in favor of common core standards from Brigadier General Stone of the Michigan Army National Guard. His argument centered around the need for better recruits and the education struggles faced by military families that frequently relocate. (Video here.) As a military mom with two sons currently serving […]
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The “Gates-led” Common Core
In 2006, Bill Gates said to a group of elites at the Aspen Institute, The business of philanthropy is thinking through the way to change something.It’s just this simple: You have some money, and you have some things you’d like to see different.” And that is exactly what Gates did with the Common Core. Thankfully, […]
The Wall Street Journal is talking about the Common Core and what will greet students in the coming school year. (Link here subscription required.) This comment by Rick Hess of American Enterprise Institute was telling, “This is the huge fulcrum moment for many of the reforms,” said Rick Hess, director of education policy studies […]
(Editors Note: Melanie Kurdys sent an excellent email to lawmakers in advance of the final hearings this week Details of Common Core hearings here. It is reprinted here. ) Crazy Thinking or Reasonable Concerns? I have noticed recently, people who are pro-common core are suggesting only crazy, right-wing extremists have concerns about common core. […]
While Michigan lawmakers continue to talk about The Common Core and high school exit exams that test “college and career readiness” education reformers are moving on to higher education in their quest to fundamentally transform education in the United Sates. From the Wall Street Journal, Next spring, seniors at about 200 U.S. colleges will […]
In an op-ed for the Huffington Post, education historian, Diane Ravitch, says “nonsense” to claims made by Common Core cheerleaders that the new standard are “absolutely necessary”. If you listen to the promoters of the Common Core standards, you will hear them say that the Common Core is absolutely necessary to prepare students for careers […]
I had the privilege of being a part of a WOODTV’s Live Town Hall with Governor Snyder. (Video at link could not be embedded.) My question centered around the fact that when we adopted the Common Core our PUBLIC school standards became PRIVATELY owned by the NGA and the CCSSO. It appears from Governor Snyder’s […]
The last Michigan committee hearing attempted to answer the question about whether we can change common core standards. State School Board President, John Austin said “absolutely” we have the right to change them but MDE said that we are merely “advocates” and can “ask” for changes. Michigan isn’t the only state wondering if we can […]