Friday, October 10, 2014

My Response to Connecticut Mirror Op-Ed Claiming CCSS Promote Equity

My response in the Connecticut Mirror to an article claiming Common Core promotes equity in Connecticut Schools:
The idea that approving standards which require test after test to be imposed in schools from pre-K on will somehow promote equity in our highly unequal society is an illusion that requires careful scrutiny. If these standards promote inquiry and intellectual development, why does no elite private school use them. Why do they instead feature small class sizes, hands on science, arts, music and theater, project based learning, and many school trips. What Common Core promotes is education on the cheap for budget strapped school districts, reducing learning to easily testable components. It is not training for leadership, but preparation for a world of low wage work. We are fast becoming the most tested nation in the world and these tests are making children hate school. Anyone who thinks equity and justice will result from our test obsession is living in Never Never Land. We are hurting poor children more than helping them by reducing instruction to test prep rather than filling their schools with things they love and giving them the support and nurturing they need to become critical thinkers. What is good enough for Sidwell Friends is good enough for Bridgeport