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Monday, September 09, 2013

Clash Over Common Core

Opposition grows as national education standards approach

Erika Russell, a mother of four from Maine, had no intention of embroiling herself in the fight over Common Core.

As she put it, “I sent my kids to public school, so I wouldn't have to worry about what they’re learning.”

Then her then-9-year-old, second-grade daughter returned home from school one day in January of 2012 with a frown.

“She asked me, ‘Mom, Can you home school me?’ I said, ‘What about your friends?’ and she just told me she would see them at sports. Then, I knew something was wrong and I should start looking into this.”

Over the next 18 months, the 36-year-old Russell, who resides in Sidney in the central part of the state, helped found “No Common Core Maine,” a coalition of concerned parents, educators and activists– and one of a growing number of organizations nationwide who have made it their mission to stop Common Core's implementation.

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

"i sent my kids to public school so i wouldnt have to worry about what they were learning", as quoted by mom in blog.

really? nice way to totally let go, and now be resentful that you have to get involved in YOUR child's education.

Anonymous said...

1:56 I think she meant the public schools are accredited whereas some private schools are not. She meant it as a vote of confidence for public education not a celebration of ignoring her child's learning.

Anonymous said...

Common core is an agenda to brainwash children just like the communist did. It is to advance Obamas aganda and teach our children how to think about our country as a one worlder and marxist views.

Anonymous said...

5:47
Please tell us how to find that in Common Core. I don't like Common Core and the gov't intrusion it represents, but I'm having a hard time finding anything concrete. Please help me so I can better make this point with more parents.

Anonymous said...

i don't know...the kid is 9 and in the 2nd grade?

Anonymous said...

8:54-The long and the short of CC is that it's a dumbing down of education. It's geared towards not teaching children how to think forwardly. Here's a quote from a proponent of CC-

“Mastery of Algebra II is widely thought to be a prerequisite for success in college and careers. Our research shows that that is not so… Based on our data, one cannot make the case that high school graduates must be proficient in Algebra II to be ready for college and careers. The high school mathematics curriculum is now centered on the teaching of a sequence of courses leading to calculus that includes Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus and Calculus. However, fewer than five percent of American workers and an even smaller percentage of community college students will ever need to master the courses in this sequence in their college or in the workplace… they should not be required courses in our high schools. To require these courses in high school is to deny to many students the opportunity to graduate high school because they have not mastered a sequence of mathematics courses they will never need. In the face of these findings, the policy of requiring a passing score on an Algebra II exam for high school graduation simply cannot be justified.”