Is that you, Common Core?

January 19, 2014 3 Comments

Governor Pence delivered a semantic blow to the Common Core in his State of the State address last week:

“When it comes to setting standards for schools, I can assure you, Indiana’s will be uncommonly high. They will be written by Hoosiers, for Hoosiers and will be among the best in the nation.”

Breitbart reported on Governor Pence’s statement and included the following response to his remarks from Derek Redelman vice president of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce:

“Redelman appeared to dismiss the notion that Indiana’s standards would stray far from Common Core. ‘A few states have made a few changes but they’ve been minor,’ said Redelman.”

Redleman’s remarks could be written off as sour grapes.  However, doing so would be foolish given the concerning portion of the article that stated, “State Board of Education member Tony Walker (D) said Indiana cannot totally abandon the Common Core if it writes new standards.”  Walker is quoted as saying, “I think all of our anchor standards will have to be Common Core…”

There are certain things that are very distinguishable. When someone asks, “Does it smell like something’s burning?”, one knows exactly what they mean. The Common Core is like the smell of smoke, people can instantly recognize it. The current evaluation of Common Core Standards (CCS) in Indiana will result in a new set of standards. What those standards will look like is still unknown. Some within the education establishment have hinted the new Indiana standards will be the CCS, only with a different name.

Hoosiers aren’t stupid. Does anyone believe the Common Core will get a great set of Groucho Marx glasses and no one will know the new, local standards are the Common Core in disguise? Opposition to the Common Core came from parents unhappy with what they saw happening at their children’s school, if nothing changes under the new standards it will inflame the opposition.

There’s no hiding behind a new name. The  standards will be scrutinized by Common Core opponents and national experts with a microscope and a full analysis will be available to the public.  If the new standards are a sham, it won’t be a secret and it won’t be acceptable.

Our belief is that there are good people trying to do what is right, regardless of what Common Core supporters claim. The process shouldn’t be discredited and the hope of Indiana creating the best standards in the country is still a possibility.

 

 

 

 

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  1. Common Core Reversal - Are We There Yet? | Hoosiers Against Common Core | January 20, 2014
  1. Keep fighting, Hoosiers! Other states have tried the name game and it doesn’t work. Alabama even added to the CC Math and ELA Standards as well as renaming them the Alabama College and Career Ready Standards. Common Core is Common Core is Common Core. If it walks like a duck…it’s probably a duck! Be the first state to b e brave enough to get completely out from under Common Core! If you succeed, I bet that it won’t be long before other states join you!

  2. leon dixon says:

    Well, stupid might not be the best word but what we have in government schools does represent victory of the unlettered, uneducated, and ill prepared teaching workforce over what had been a content based system able to win WWII with high school drop outs. The situation today reminds of the so-called “Levellers” in the mid 1600’s who wanted the re organization of Justice, the vote, the ending of rotten boroughs, more often meetings of Parliments to address problems, and upward social mobility.
    They also wanted to cut off the head of the King. So did Cromwell’s army wish to kill the King. I don’t know if it would be accurate to call the “Levellers” the then middle class but they did worry that should all action and attention be devoted to the matter of the King’s end their other interests and demands might get short shrift. All this concentration on “standards” might just be political verbiage. Hot air, words, the semblance given of righteous actions to be taken….while the bottom of the ice berg sails smoothy along under the surface. If Derek isn’t losing some sleep his contempt for his opponents
    must have been muzzled-he expects to prevail in the main.

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