I am upset! I am angry! I am so sick of hearing how "Common Core" is a "National Curriculum" forced on the American people by the Federal Government! First of all, I would be happy to debate any of them (Democrat or Republican) any day of the week. I think it is just outrageous that the American people get duped into believing the political rhetoric during election time. Where are the true statesmen and women in this country? Where, I ask you? Where!
Here are some numbers for you! Right NOW, America is 25th in rank among the OECD countries in MATH! How about that, Democrats and Republicans? How happy are you with that? Here's another number!!! American students rank 14th in reading among OECD countries. They rank 17th in science. As if that were not enough, how about the number in the BILLIONS each year that it takes to REMEDIATE American seniors who cannot pass entrance exams into college? Oh, but let's all cause mass panic among Americans at the BIG BAD FEDERAL GOVERNMENT who is trying to force education on our students. PLEASE!!! GIVE ME A BREAK!
You should be worried about how you are BANKRUPTING our American Economy with your rhetoric! You should be worried about how every other OECD country with a viable economy is kicking our butt! But no! It is election time, and since you can't build a platform on which to run that will actually get Americans to BELIEVE in you, the next best thing you can do is "FABRICATE" a monster. Well, if that is the ONLY way you can win an election, please FABRICATE a real monster! Like the fact our economy is on the brink of catastrophic collapse! Now, why don't you talk about that for a while? Oh, that would require you to look at your party's spending over the past 30 years or so.
Unless you are an educational professional, and unless you have taken the time to actually understand the structure of the Common Core, and unless you have a better solution for the billions of dollars spent every year trying to remediate students from our dropout and pushout factories called high schools, PUT UP or SHUT UP! I for one do not believe a word that comes out of your mouth. It is a disgrace to the great men and women who worked so hard to build the political structure of this country designed to protect people, not led them in mass hysteria!
To my American friends who feel you do not know what to do, or how to process all of this political baloney... Read the facts. Go to the Common Core website and download the standards for English/Language Arts and Math. Look at what these standards are doing to help prepare our students for college and career. I ask you... NO, I implore you to think about your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, cousins and extended family members. Do you want them to leave high school with the confidence they can enter into any university or college without spending thousands of extra dollars on remediation? Do you want your children who do not want to go to college to be able to learn technical skills that will certify their ability to apply for a career job with confidence and certainty? DEMAND more rigorous standards in your schools! DEMAND that politicians stop putting your children at risk! Common Core is not the monster. Ignorance is the monster! Know your enemy! Force those you elect to do what is best for your students!
Just because the constitution says that education is part of the "states' rights" does not mean that states can't collaboratively determine what is best for students as a standards' framework. Trust me, in reality, neither the federal government nor the state government will determine what will be necessary for your children's education. The global economy will determine it. Don't you want your children to be prepared? I do. I speak from personal experience! I speak with passion! I speak without apology!
Sarah B. Odom, PhD
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