As we’ve said before, we’re not planning on using this space to promote Common Core. But I want to point out a nice piece of press we recently received, along the way to making another point. On Monday NYT columnist Bob Herbert twice cited research from our first report, Still at Risk, in a column he wrote complaining about the paucity of education debate in the presidential race. You can read it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/opinion/22herbert.html?em&ex=1209182400&en=40030a4a6ca6213b&ei=5087%0A
We agree entirely with Herbert. And so do others, apparently. Because today Herbert’s column–now three days old–still ranks as the third most emailed opinion piece on nyt.com. Yesterday it ranked second. People are concerned about the quality of education their children are receiving. Let’s get the candidates talking about it!
Lynne Munson
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Yay! Go Bob Herbert! Insult high school kids! Call them dopey! Call them idiots! Call them lazy!
It’s okay . . . Common Core did “research” to prove it!
(By “research,” they meant of course that they called a bunch of teenagers on the phone, read them a multiple choice test, and graded their answers. Now THAT’S hard-hitting, in-depth research! Simply profound!)
But seriously, let’s talk about who is really “dopey.” Let’s talk about who is really ignorant. Let’s talk about the kind of ignorance that leads Ivory Tower academics to repeat, generation after generation, the same old baloney — that in order to fix what is obviously a broken system, we should just do more of the same. More textbooks, more testing, more torture for students.
Let’s talk about the ignorance of testing companies like ETS, mentioned in Herbert’s column. Oh no, wait, ETS, maker of the SAT and countless other fill-in-the bubble torture devices, isn’t ignorant. They’re simply greedy. They want to fool America into thinking there is some academic crisis — a “Perfect Storm” — because their answer to the problem is always, suprise suprise, MORE testing!
How about Bill Gates? According to Wikepedia, he went to an exclusive private school, where — get this — he “took an interest in programming the GE system in BASIC and was excused from math classes to pursue his interest.”
Excused from Math class to pursue his interest!! The ignorance of those teachers, to actually think that a young person might be able to decide what he’s interested in and pursue those interests, without — gasp! — a textbook! Without even a standardized test! Without even sitting in a class listening to a teacher drone on in front of the blackboard!!
It’s a miracle Gates ever became as successful as he did, skipping Math class like that. Of course, if he had skipped History, or English, he surely would never have become so successful. Common Core’s “research” has proven beyond a doubt that high school students who don’t know every minute bit of historical or literary trivia are perpetually doomed to fail in life.
Keep up the good work, Bob Herbert. The educational system will never be fixed until more people like you and the folks at Common Core have thoroughly insulted the intelligence of every high school kid in this country.
Nice troll work, Matt. Very creative.
Likely you’ve never actually built something involving people, ideas, resources, but some of us are trying. One way we do that is building on what we’ve got.
People like you never get that; you think that all that is needed in the world is “critical thinkers” who can criticize for pages and chapters and books and careers. You won’t get this message, either, but perhaps there is a young person passing by who will take note that yours is the way of psuedo-intellectuals, not people who use their minds to advance the world.
Still, you do keep people writing in here, and in that sense, do Common Core and its mission a service.
Ed,
I’d like to think that the service I do is to give a voice to people who are normally ignored, ridiculed, or punished when they speak up: students.
The reason why I have chosen to direct my criticism towards Common Core is because of the profoundly insulting propaganda that it is spreading through the media, holding up its absurd telephone survey as “proof” that high school kids, as Bob Herbert parrots, are “dopey,” and America is in trouble because they don’t know who wrote the Scarlet Letter.
Th truth is that America is in trouble because high school kids don’t have the relationship skills they need to navigate through life. We don’t need multiple choice telephone surveys to tell us this — the rates of divorce, mental illness, obesity, and incarceration, for starters, are sufficient proof, if only we have the eyes to see.
Ed, I have built things “involving people, ideas, resources.” That you would assume I haven’t is an example of the kind of condenscending attitude many educators have towards young people. The old, “you’ll understand when you’re older” cop-out.
Of course, it’s more than a condenscending attidude — it’s a convenient way to avoid answering uncomfortable questions. Which, by the way, is something your post manages to do nicely.
Ed, I appreciate your response, but next time, try and tackle my ideas instead of just me.
And, Matt, as we’ve tried to illustrate before, ’tis you who are living in the past; defending the indefensible; unwilling to confront the hard questions; and certainly not believing in the capabilities of, and possibilities for, students.
Give some actual ideas for moving forward, and we can discuss them.
Ed,
I know that my posts are often sarcastic, and certainly have a critical tone. Perhaps that bothers you — although, clearly, I’ve gotten your attention, if not anyone else’s.
But I think you and I both know that my posts have substance to them. That I have been introducing “ideas for moving forward,” even if you don’t happen to agree with them.
In response, you’ve done nothing but attack me personally, and neither criticized the substance of my ideas nor offered any of your own. The only conclusions that I can reasonably make from such behavior is that you either are afraid to challenge my ideas for fear of legitimizing them, or, you have no real substantive response, and prefer to attack the messenger rather than respond to the message.
As I’ve said repeatedly in this site, young people need relationship skills, not rote memorization. If that’s living in the past, give me the past.
As I’ve said repeatedly, we need to stop insulting the intelligence of young people with the kind of phony “research” put out by Common Core. You call that “defending the indefensible.” (I call it defending the underdog).
As I’ve asked repeatedly, why are schools still pursuing the outdated academic model — with its obsessive need to grade and rank students –which destroys relationships and turns students off to learning? But you say I’m unwilling to confront hard questions.
As I’ve said repeatedly, schools need to give students more choices and more control over their own learning. But you say that I don’t believe in the capabilities of students.
There’s four ideas right there: relationships; respecting the innate intelligence of young people; reforming the academic model of education; and giving students more choices and control over their own education.
Why don’t you choose one — any one you’d like — and we’ll discuss it. But if you’re going to just throw some generic insults at me, and deride my ideas without actually adressing them, please don’t bother. I had enough of that treatment in high school.