The latest Gallup poll indicates that about a third of the public is favorable, a third is not, and a third have no opinion. This indicates declining support since last April. The very negative public is rising: 13% to 18%. The very positive public is declining: 9% to 6%.
This means Common Core is as good as gone. It is an elitist educational fad that has already played out. Parents have not had even a year of experience with Common Core, and they are withdrawing support. Wait a year. Wait two.
This program has been rammed down the throats of resisting parents and — far more important — resisting members of the teachers’ union. They are now gagging. Think of Common Core as a gigantic hair ball. The coughing has begun. It will take years to cough it up and out.
The educrats at the top thought they could pull this off. Obama bribed governors with billions of dollars of federal aid to education if they would sign on. They did. It was 2009. The recession was on. Now a new crop of governors will be hearing from the public. The loudest members will be saying: “Kill it.”
This fad will fade. Another will take its place. The promise will be believed: “Hope!” The assurance will ring true: “Change we can believe in.” This is rope-a-dope. The public still has faith that something will restore public education’s performance. But nothing has. SAT scores peaked in 1963.
Yet hope prevails. Why? Because the only affordable alternative is homeschooling. Mothers are not ready for that.
That’s why the Ron Paul Curriculum is 98% self-taught by the students. That’s where the education market is heading. Slowly. Very slowly. Until mothers finally say, “I’ve had enough,” the educrats will still be able to sell hope and change.
The only alternative is parental responsibility. This remains a small market.
So, we get Common Core. Hope springs eternal. That’s because evading personal responsibility is a way of life. “It has to work. It just has to. The alternative is unthinkable.” So, we keep getting fads. They keep failing to deliver.
No child left behind.
New math.
Sight reading. “See Dick run. Run, Dick, run. See Jane run. Run, Jane, Run.” Run from what? Parental responsibility. Dick and Jane are still running. They can run, but they can’t hide. Neither can their children.
There are no homeschool shootings.
My wife and I are working very hard towards being able to have her at home to homeschool our kids. The fact is though, that it has never been harder for a single-income family to survive than right now.
Common Core needs to go the way of the "new math" concept. I think the old saying "if it works, don't try to fix it" is still very true.
SAD. IF ONLY THEY HAD NOT WASTED ALL THAT MONEY AND EFFORT ON CC, AND JUST FOCUSED MORE ON INNER CITY KIDS AND LEARNING.
one income is a major sacrifice. We've always done it, because it's the way that my husband wanted it. We've homeschooled, public schooled, parochial schooled, and now our youngests are in a charter. How long before they are home, we do not know.
Hang in there, and best wishes. Though don't forget to keep fighting for our teachers! As taxpayers, that responsibility never really goes away.
Also keep in mind that they can have common standards, want for common outcomes, but until funding across the country is equitable, until all schools have all the same access to technology and supplies, this will just continue to be more of the same that some of us have been fighting since 2004.