Albert Einstein once said, “The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.” In the United States today, regardless of one’s political leanings, almost everyone will agree that the education system is lacking. In an attempt at reformation, 45 states have adopted the Common Core standards.
Five years ago, the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers began to develop and implement new academic standards. They partnered with private entities (corporations and foundations) from around the nation to create the standards. Then, the federal government provided funds to some of the states that implemented the standards as part of that larger program through the Obama administration’s “Race to the Top” initiative. State education boards already struggling under financial burdens began to approve the standards.
The standards themselves represent an area of concern. Claiming that the standards for mathematics and English are higher and will greatly improve college preparedness is optimistic at best. The English standards de-emphasize the importance of classic literature and emphasize informational texts. By high school, only 30 percent of English class work will be from classic literature. Literature has started revolutions, stirred dreams and success stories, and propagated freedom of thought and society. In devaluing literature, students lose not only the practical language skills that arise from it, but also the critical thinking skills of analysis, the development of imagination, and the simply life-changing quality of a good piece of prose.
The mathematics standards fall short as well. James Milgram, a professor of mathematics at Stanford University and a member of the Core Standards Validation Committee, refused to sign off on the standards. He concluded that the new standards would put American students at least two years behind students in other highly developed countries. Many classes are pushed back a year, and the highest level of mathematics required to graduate is equivalent to two years of algebra and does not require calculus. The United States has already been steadily outperformed by other nations in math and sciences. There is no need for further slacking now.
Many proponents of the new standards claim that the new standards are higher than those required by many individual states, and that the core standards outline a basic framework from which states are able to implement their own requirements and procedures in addition to the common core standards. While that is the case, states are only allowed to implement 15 percent more standards according to the Common Core website. With standards already incredibly low, this addition would be inconsequential.
Americans everywhere are aware that the education system is lacking. Despite the acknowledgement of this real and compelling problem, the implementation of Common Core standards is little more than a cosmetic solution. From removing literature to lowering math capabilities, the Common Core is a further shift toward mediocrity. Instead of these kinds of arbitrary changes, now is the time to think about a more fundamental shift in the way American children are educated.
