Common Core

California has long boasted exceptional state standards in the core subjects, and its History/Social Science Framework is a beacon of excellence. Meanwhile West Virginia’s standards range from mediocre (science) to awful (U.S. history).  According to the Fordham Institute, West Virginia’s US history standards “impart next to nothing of value.”  So why would California choose to follow West Virginia’s “lead” and embrace the 21^st century skills movement?Bill Evers, former assistant secretary for policy at the Department of Education and longtime research fellow at the Hoover Institution, reports that California may move to water down its standards by adopting the 21^st century skills framework.  Evers heard California State Schools Superintendent Jack O’Connell tell the EdSource Forum in Irvine that California ought to revise state standards:

“In order to fully engage both students and teachers in the learning process in a way that sees both parties benefit and helps to better prepare students for success in the economy of the 21st century.”

California’s History/Social Science Framework has held the bar high for Golden State students since 1998.  We humbly suggest that Superintendent O’Connell adhere to a tried-and-true maxim: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Lynne Munson

I don’t agree with education writer Alfie Kohn about a whole lot.  He seems to think homework and grades are inherently bad.  And that we shouldn’t say “Good job!” to a child when he/she bests a challenge (Kohn thinks anything implying judgment should be avoided).  But when Kohn writes about 21st century education he’s a must-read.  Kohn points out that 21st century skills advocates proceed by asking “‘What do our corporations need?’ and work backwards from there.” Kohn goes on, writing from the 21st century skills perspective:”We must never forget the primary reason that children attend school – namely, to be trained in the skills that will maximize the profits earned by their future employers.  Indeed, we have already made great strides in shifting the conversation about education to what will prove useful in workplaces rather than wasting time discussing what might support “democracy” (an 18th-century notion, isn’t it?) or what might promote self development as an intrinsic good (a concept that goes back thousands of years and is therefore antiquated by definition).”

Alfie’s right. The college I attended had a Latin motto that translated to “Whatsoever things are true.”  If we look at education through the 21st century skills lens, I guess that would have to be recast as:  “Whatsoever things enrich corporate institutions.” It’s a shift worth contemplating.

Lynne Munson

In my previous blogs about the recent P21 event at NEA, I didn’t have a chance to describe the remarks of Barbara Pryor, a legislative assistant to Sen. Jay Rockefeller.  As evidence of the Senator’s fondness for P21, Pryor put forth S. 1483, the “21st Century Skills Incentive Fund Act.“  The bill would create an incentive fund for states to sign on to P21 and give tax breaks to corporations who support P21 at the state level.  Rockefeller introduced this bill in 2007 and Pryor announced that the senator will be reintroducing it again this spring.

If you read this bill-and I recommend you do-you’ll find that it would make P21 the gatekeeper of hundreds of millions in federal taxdollars.  That’s because the legislation would require any state that applies for these incentive funds first to be “approved as a 21st Century Partner State by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for 21st Century Skills.”  So if P21 doesn’t sign off on a particular state’s approach to integrating 21^st century skills into its standards, tests, etc., that state would be ineligible to apply for federal incentive funds.  And corporate donations supporting that state’s efforts to adopt 21^st century skills would not be tax-deductible-in other words, they would cease to exist.

If passed, this legislation would make P21′s approach to teaching 21st century skills the only federally sanctioned approach.  This is a whole lot of power.  Somewhat akin to the sort of sign-off accrediting agencies have on colleges and universities.  The incentive grants would total at least $100 million annually and the tax breaks could of course be worth far more.  We recommend that legislators think twice before granting P21 this kind of authority.

Lynne Munson