An incisive article from the The New York Times here that looks at Common Core from a different point of view. What about kids who seemed to be performing well under the old system but now are struggling with the Common Cores focus on abstract thinking and extrapolation? Here we see Common Core as a roadblock to Horatio Alger, as an extra-high hurdle for an immigrant Haitian family in Brooklyn. On its own, the Common Core was not a curriculum; it did not tell schools to use particular textbooks, lesson plans or technology. The standards provided a philosophy for instruction. Teachers would focus on fewer topics and cover each in greater depth. They would bring abstract lessons to life by explaining how skills could be applied in the modern world. And they would emphasize critical thinking at every turn. And yet here is Chrispin Alcindor, a 9-year-old triplet, who swiftly is falling to the bottom of his class.
Posted on: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 01:17:49 +0000
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