There is so much energy that goes in to opposing the Common Core. How much more beneficial would it be to expend that energy trying to understand the Core and make it work? My professional opinion? Infinitely.
Every student in this country, regardless of zip code, deserves access to a rigorous education. Rigor in one state should not be different than rigor in another. Since teachers design standards-based lessons, the Core allows them to design a well-developed curriculum (as the Core is not a curriculum – see post here) and choose appropriate instructional methods (like UDL!) to help all students succeed. When teachers use their expertise to implement the Common Core in this way, all students can achieve the standards. I see it every day in classrooms, K-12. This takes professional development and it takes time, but the results are well worth it.
In Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, he said, “And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.” I believe that sentiment is true about the Core. The states and teachers have spoken. The states adopted the Core and the vast majority of teachers support it. It’s time to march forward because the kids of this nation deserve it.
