Common Core Roundup
Hey, former Governor Mike Huckabee - remember him - says to FOX News recently "Common Core is dead." Well, not so fast, Mike.
The Girl Scouts and the American Girl dolls series don't think so. Why? Because:
The American Girl dolls, long a fun way for little girls to immerse themselves in play associated with American history and culture, have now met Common Core. A new American Girl doll school backpack set comes complete with everything a doll will need in school, including a Common Core-aligned math textbook, published by Common Core industry giant Pearson—the same Pearson whose charitable foundation is paying a settlement of $7 million for allegations of illegally helping its corporate parent develop Common Core-aligned courses.
If a young girl doesn’t get enough Common Core in school, she can also be exposed to the new standards at her next Girl Scout meeting. According to the Girl Scouts, “the content of all Girl Scout national proficiency badges and journeys have been correlated by grade level to national Common Core Standards… for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.”
Great debate on Common Core between Ed Week's Anthony Cody and Maria Ferguson of the Center on Education Policy at George Washington University, and Michael Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
And is Common Core fundraising in YOUR PTA's future? Could be. From Diane Ravitch and a Tennessee parent:
“We were just told tonight at our Back to School night that our PTO is foregoing raising money for iPads this year so we can instead purchase computers for Common Core testing which will begin in 2014-2015. We are lucky if we raise $20,000/year at ______–yet all of that money (from what I understand) is going to fund computers for standardized testing. The state mandated the adoption of Common Core so, as far as I am concerned, they can pay for the computers we need to take these tests. It is not fair that parents should pay for something that the state should be providing for already. What about those schools that don’t have parents wealthy enough to cover this unfunded mandate? What are they supposed to do? This makes me sick.”
The Girl Scouts and the American Girl dolls series don't think so. Why? Because:
The American Girl dolls, long a fun way for little girls to immerse themselves in play associated with American history and culture, have now met Common Core. A new American Girl doll school backpack set comes complete with everything a doll will need in school, including a Common Core-aligned math textbook, published by Common Core industry giant Pearson—the same Pearson whose charitable foundation is paying a settlement of $7 million for allegations of illegally helping its corporate parent develop Common Core-aligned courses.
If a young girl doesn’t get enough Common Core in school, she can also be exposed to the new standards at her next Girl Scout meeting. According to the Girl Scouts, “the content of all Girl Scout national proficiency badges and journeys have been correlated by grade level to national Common Core Standards… for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.”
Great debate on Common Core between Ed Week's Anthony Cody and Maria Ferguson of the Center on Education Policy at George Washington University, and Michael Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
And is Common Core fundraising in YOUR PTA's future? Could be. From Diane Ravitch and a Tennessee parent:
“We were just told tonight at our Back to School night that our PTO is foregoing raising money for iPads this year so we can instead purchase computers for Common Core testing which will begin in 2014-2015. We are lucky if we raise $20,000/year at ______–yet all of that money (from what I understand) is going to fund computers for standardized testing. The state mandated the adoption of Common Core so, as far as I am concerned, they can pay for the computers we need to take these tests. It is not fair that parents should pay for something that the state should be providing for already. What about those schools that don’t have parents wealthy enough to cover this unfunded mandate? What are they supposed to do? This makes me sick.”
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