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July
28, 2010
National Common Core Standards vote
I’ll try and make this short which won’t be easy.
On August 2, the State Board of Education will vote on which to
adopt:
The Colorado Model Content Standards or The National Common Core
Standards.
And while the decision may not seem to be monumental, it really is.
Because what is at the center of this discussion is whether or not
the residents of Colorado want to maintain control of their schools
or instead turn that control over to the federal government. Oh it
won’t happen all at once- and that’s why this doesn’t necessarily
jump out as a big deal. But as is the case with a lot of things,
it’s an insidious and slow moving process that starts with just one
foot in the door. And make no mistake, the National Common Core
Standards is a foot- and a big one.
So why is this question even on the table? Well, it’s a step in the
“Race to the Top” which is a cleverly designed program put forth by
Pres. Obama. It’s a program that has the theoretical goal of
improving the quality of education across the nation but which seems
to be driven by the control goal- control by the federal government
of yet another facet of or lives.
And why would we even consider it? The carrot. Yep- the carrot, aka
federal dollars. Because what is being offered is the possibility
of some federal dollars. Notice I have used the word possibility
because this does not guarantee dollars; it just puts Colorado in
the mix with other states that have decided to play nice with the
feds.
You might wonder at this point what dollars are in question. Is it a
huge number? Is it money that we can’t live without? And will the
adoption of these standards actually have a pivotal positive effect
on the Colorado school system?
The answer to all three of these questions is a resounding NO! But
let’s take them one by one. If Colorado were to win this phase of
“The Race”, its share would be $50 per student for 4 years. But
that’s by today’s accounting- who knows what those numbers will be
tomorrow. Because congress has already reduced the total amount once
with no guarantee that they won’t do it again. So will the final
number be $35 per student? $22? $7.50? It’s anybody’s guess.
Can we live without it? You bet. Because the problem with our
education system has little if anything to do with the dollars we
throw at it. Money is not the problem nor is it the solution. But
that’s a topic for another day.
So finally, will the adoption of these standards have a huge and
positive effect? Last week the Board of Ed heard the report of an
independent consultant who did a side-by-side comparison of the
Colorado Model and the National Standards and it was a wash on the
standards that have been defined, namely math and English. Because
what I forgot to mention is that math and English are the only two
standards that will have been defined by August 2- aka D day- and
we’re being asked to trust them- take it on faith that once they get
around to science and history et al, we’ll agree with those too even
though we’ll see them after the fact. And if somebody out there
wants to buy a bridge in Brooklyn, tell them to call me- I must have
it round here some place.
So that’s it in a nutshell. Maybe more than you wanted to know but
probably enough for you to get the picture. And ultimately it all
boils down to a few questions.
- Are you ready to trade the future of Colorado schools for a few
dollars?
- Are Colorado kids on the auction block at $50 a head?
- Do you want the federal government involved in yet another facet
of your life?
If the answer to these questions is NO, then quickly send an email
to the State Board of Education before August 2 at 9:30 am when they
will be voting on this very important issue.
nevansm@cde.state.co.us and
CC: peggycostateboe@msn.com
As an alternative you can also attend the public hearing on August 2
at 7:30 am.
State Board of Education
201 E Colfax, room 507
Denver, CO 80203
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