Anthony Cody on the $$$ in Common Core

Common Core critics, like myself, have long argued that many supporters of Common Core are motivated financially. I mean, why would a smart guy Bill Gates support Common Core if it isn’t going to be more rigorous and improve education? Anthony Cody sums it up well in his post on Education Week.

The Common Core is a trojan horse for a whole set of curriculum and instructional tools — hardware as well as software, that will require a massive initial investment, and significant ongoing expenses in terms of maintenance, new subscriptions and software, and replacement of computers every few years. Vendors and “innovators” are salivating at the chance to carve out a larger share of the education market. We are in something of a zero sum game. They believe that they can “personalize” education by getting each child in front of his own computer screen for half the day. We know there are huge problems with this approach, but that is what is most efficient. And having a national set of standards and assessments means you have a single market for all these “innovations.”