Education is a means for youngsters to acquire knowledge and skills necessary so they may become contributive members of society.
For some, that means preparing for the work-a-day world during elementary and secondary school years. For others, their public school years prepare them for advanced learning in a college, university or technical school. Either way, we should provide them with the best of opportunities.
To enable comprehensive education, challenging academic expectations are a must.
So it was 10 years ago when Common Core was first mentioned, with standards established for English/language arts and math. By 2009 Common Core was finally in place in all but four states.
Just as quickly, fault-finding became a byproduct and a huge burden. States dropped out. Parents, teachers and administrators questioned validity of standards and suggested too much was asked of students at too young of an age.
Sensing an agenda they could ride to success at the polls, politicians jumped aboard and bashed Common Core as the work of the devil. (By the way, it was educators at the state level who proposed Common Core.)
Others railed that local control had been usurped. Not so, but truth matters little in a witch hunt.
Common Core standards are descriptions of academic skills a student should attain at each grade level. They challenge students — and isn’t that what we’re after? Seems we’d want to have well-educated adults who can make decisions that make daily life better for all, including those of us who will be depending on them in the near future.
You would think.
IN KENTUCKY, one of the first states to adopt Common Core, a bill is expected to become law that will take the decision-making power from the federal and state governments and hand it to local school districts.
We find it unsettling that Common Core has come under fire, and opposition is so universal. The program is meant to encourage, not to degrade education.
Having high standards is not asking too much; more to the point it should be the universal norm.
We resist the temptation to say dropping Common Core will dumb-down results in any district, ours included, but it is an outcome that certainly could be a product.
Our desire should be to set the bar high, not low. That was the essence of Common Core.
What is easy is seldom better, and in the long run adversely affects everyone.
